Another lunchtime painting. This is the view looking east from the Presidio Chapel on a foggy summer afternoon.
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From the Chapel
Tag: presidio
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Graham Street Palms
I was painting in the Main Post of the Presidio at lunch today on Graham Street. It was a beautiful day here, with really nice light, and I couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The oils didn’t give me any trouble, The wind didn’t pick up like it usually does, I didn’t forget any supplies or drop the painting in the dirt, and the notifications on my phone said Trump was guilty on all all thirty four felony counts. It was a lovely afternoon.
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Little Brick Building
I’m not sure what this little brick building off of McDowell Ave was, but I always thought it would make a great cafe or art studio. It was probably some military maintenance shed or electrical building. Anyways, I painted it after work today.
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Lincoln Blvd Palm
Lunchtime painting in the Presidio once again.
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Presidio Blvd Palms
I spent my lunch break today painting outside Cafe RX. It was a redo of a not-so-great oil sketch I did a few weeks ago. There’s something deeply satisfying about painting over your own work, especially when you see improvement. It’s not just a mental boost; physically, there’s a unique feel to painting over an already-painted canvas. Although, I’m not sure about the long-term stability of the piece since it seems to defy the ‘fat over lean’ rule.
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Crissy Field Overlook
I was painting after work today, and usually, it’s super windy and cold over by the bridge as the fog rolls in. But not tonight; instead, it was lovely, calm, and warm. The quality of light was exceptional. As far as Presidio painting sessions go, these conditions were as good as it gets. I worked on this one for about an hour until I lost my light, then finished it up at home.
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Battery Blaney
There is this lovely grove of trees standing sentinel above Battery Blaney in the Presidio. I had to paint it.
It was windy as usual but this time I tried a new trick to keep the painting from flying off. I brought some cord and lashed everything to the weighted tripod. This seamed to do the trick.
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LDAC Pond Trees
It was a busy day in the office so I didn’t have much time to paint at lunch. I set up by the Muybridge statue outside of Lucasfilm and quickly painted the trees there by the pond. It was a nice afternoon after a very grey morning.
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Funston from the Car
It was far too cold and windy outside today so I retreated to the car and painted the houses on Funston Ave. looking west towards the hotel.
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Presidio Main Post from Tunnel Tops
Well, I tried to paint the main post twice. Two lunch breaks in a row, both days I didn’t have much success. Trying to paint the straight lines of buildings in the wind proved way too challenging. It doesn’t help that my brushes are as frayed as a cat struck by lightning. I definitely need to invest in some new sharp-edged brights if I’m going to start painting the buildings around here. The second afternoon, I returned with a more appropriately formatted canvas, which at least helped the composition, but the painting was still a mess as I had to hold onto it with one hand to keep it from flying off. Technical challenges aside, both attempts have too much detail and not enough depth. I can’t find the happy medium. I’m forcing it, and that lack of traction is coming through on the canvas. Time to move on.
