The kids and I made our annual pilgrimage to the swimming pool at Skywalker Ranch. I am told there are lots of other fun things to do at the company picnic, but as far as we are concerned, the pool is where it’s at. Once again, it did not disappoint us. After the morning fog burned off it was a perfect swimming day. Everyone had a great time.
The President of the United States flew into Larkspur yesterday, and Marine Helicopter Squadron One landed right across the street from my apartment! It was my understanding that Joe Biden was on his way to Ross or Kentfield for a fundraising event. When he landed, I was in my usual painting spot next to the salt marsh with a brush in hand, trying to capture the scene. Watching the Marines fly about 200 meters overhead and land in a place I know so well was very exciting and surreal. However, as a painter, it was also sheer terror because the backwash from those MV-22 Ospreys is incredible. Thank goodness I had pre-stowed a bunch of my supplies, ballasted the tripod, and had a hand on the painting, or everything would have been gone when the last Osprey hovered directly overhead. That one hit hard and nearly blew me away; it knocked my gear back a few feet and tumbled the neighbors’ bikes to the ground. By sheer luck, I caught my palette before it crashed into a nearby car. Definitely the most exciting painting day this neighborhood has seen in a while. I was picking rocks and bits of grass out of the paint for a while after that.
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.
Twilight by the College of Marin Gravel Parking lot, looking west towards Kentfield.
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.
Say that ten times fast.
It was a windy afternoon at Piper Park in Larkspur, and I had to hold on to my canvas to keep it from flying away. Despite the wind, the light was great – bright but not blinding, though.
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.
The heavy rain thinned out to a drizzle so I hiked up behind my mom’s to check the water level at the lake. As I walked towards the dam I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was full, It reminded me of a Steinbeck quote, “And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”
The view down the valley to the south was rain soaked and lovely. I watched the clouds crawl down the mountains. Then after a time the rain picked up and it sent me running back to the house with another painting in hand.
On Geyserville Ave just south of Asti looking east towards the geysers.
After a few days of rain and gray, New Year’s Day brought us crisp blue skies, green grass and sunshine. It was absolutely lovely when I stepped out the door with my paints. I drove around the ranch looking for a creek to paint which led me to the spillways above my uncle Jim’s house. A short hike up the hill these oaks caught my eye and that was that. I was working with a larger panel and was only able to get a first pass in before the light changed, so I finished this one up at home.
