Morning Plein air painting from the public dock in Greenbae looking south towards Larkspur and the fog. The rowers were out on Corte Madera Creek as usual doing there thing.
I was scouting around, looking for something to paint before the light faded and I found my way up Larkspur Creek towards Dawn Falls. Just north of the little trickling fall there is a small opening in the trees where the creek bends. It had a nice glow and a band of light was cutting through which helped break up all the muted greens. I set up shop and started painting.
Drinks at Internos and then a nice walk around the neighborhood looking for something to paint. The trees just across Corte Madera creek we’re looking pretty good in the fading light, so I went with that.
The kids are currently on vacation with their mom, so instead of going Easter egg hunting, I enjoyed a lovely painting session with Benjamin Noah Benetton. We were blessed with perfect, warm and bright Easter weather, although it was almost too bright. I spent the entire painting session huddled under my umbrella, which was complicated by the fact that I had forgotten my painting palette and had to use one of my other painting panels instead. Needless to say, I had my hands full!
I was surprised to find that the last storm had washed away a tree that had been blocking the best view of the creek. This wouldn’t have been possible two weeks ago.
There was an absolutely beautiful lavender sunset across the water last night. I wasn’t prepared and rushed out the door to try and capture it. Alas, I was too late. The light faded just as the painting was starting to get good. The golden hour had passed.
Freezing and frustrated I cleaned up the mess I had made and walked back home alone in the dark, regretful. If only I had more time or been there sooner… maybe things would have been different. The only thing for sure was that my timing was off. I wanted more time with that lovely light and I didn’t get it. Sigh, at least I got to experience something truly beautiful. It has been a long time since I saw a sky like that. As I wake and write this it dawns on me that this beautiful sunset got me outside painting again and for that I am grateful. The sun also rises.
It was raining too hard to go out and paint so I stayed inside and worked from some stereoscopic reference pics I took last week. This is the salt marsh creek near Kent Middle School on a high tide. I really wanted to paint this one in person but I didn’t have the time.
Looking south down from the Greenbrae side of Corte Madera Creek towards Larkspur. First painting in a week or two that went together without a lot of color revisions.
The first pass of this painting never sat right with me. I was waiting for another over cast morning with a lowering tide to continue it on location but those conditions never came. Then the season changed and now the colors have started shifting green. I missed my window of opportunity to continue it en plain air so I decided to just clean it up from memory at the apartment.
Lunchtime painting. I walked up the creek towards the Phoenix Lake spillway and found a lot of fungi blooming on a tree. iNaturalist tells me these are Smokey Polypore mushrooms.
Lunch painting. Looking north behind the track by Kent Middle School next to Corte Madera Creek
