The rain stopped, the sun came out and there was a beautiful sunset over by the estuary in Corte Madera Marsh Marine Sate Park. I was chasing the sun there at the end. I had to walk back to the car in the dark.
There was a very lovely peach colored sunrise this morning. The light cut through the low misty fog and colored the hills a pail rose color. I walked across the street with my gear and setup looking north over the salt marsh towards Kentfield and Ross. I got lucky, the tide was rising and there were nice dappled sky reflections in the reeds towards the end of the session.
Started this outside on Friday but had to run and so I finished it up at home.
I was in Healdsburg last weekend and had two free hours so I drove up to Lytton Springs Road and then cut up Geyserville Ave looking for a nice landscape to paint. After a short exploration I found a place to pull over near Vinwood Cellars that had a good elevated view of the valley. It was a lovely afternoon to paint but I had to work fast as the shadow from the mountains behind me was creeping up fast. When the panel falls into shadow I can’t match the colors any more and that’s the end of it.
I woke before the sun so I hiked up to the top of the Ring Mountain Preserve hoping for a dramatic sunrise. Instead I got thick misty clouds and drizzly wet conditions. You play the hand you are dealt so I set up in the light rain and did my best make oil stick to a water soaked panel.
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.
I had to stop on the way to Zeldie’s house to paint the dramatic clouds above Santa Rosa. I drove up the hill on Fountaingrove Parkway to where all the big houses were. The scars of the fires haven’t healed yet but the replacement mansions were already rising from the ashes. I set up by the charred remains of an old foundation and while I was working some kids walked over to see what I was doing. After a few minutes of chatting they ran home to paint. It was a productive hour.
The post rain clouds were fantastic this afternoon. I caught them at the tail end of the day over at McInnis Park, in San Rafael. I setup on the dock, just behind Gravity Vault Climbing Gym and enjoyed a stunning view of Mt. Tamalpais as the sun set.
Walked across the street to see what the heavy rains and flooding the day before had done to the salt marsh. The damage wasn’t too bad but the storm had left the grass and reeds in a tangled twist which was rather pleasing to look at. That was enough for me so out came my easel.
Painting next to the footbridge behind Kent middle school. The tide went out faster than I expected and I saw the water drop about two feet. I had to retool the composition a few times just to keep up. Probably should start checking the tide charts before heading over to the salt marsh.
Downside of having a really light painting kit: The wind got me again. It blew over the painting and chipped it this time. I had to scrap my first pass to get all the rocks out. ugh