I had a hour to paint between rummaging through storage and the rare no kids dinner reservation with Zeldie. The Pride of Madeira at my moms was pushing out its spikes so I set up in front of it not wanting to waste any time looking for something new.
I’ve been swamped with Star Wars work for the last two weeks and haven’t had much time to paint. Today I was able to catch my breath. I set up across the street from my apartment and painted the rolling clouds as the sun dropped bellow the horizon.
Looking west towards my uncle Fred’s house from the junkyard overlook after sunset.
I was out at the ranch yesterday and was able to paint a quick sunset. This is the view across the street from the winery entrance, looking west.
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 were some great clouds yesterday over by Marin General Hospital. This is the view looking north across the street from the Bay Club parking lot.
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.
Quick low-light oil sketch of Alexander Valley after sunset. 1hr
Drove over to the other side of the ranch around sunset just to mix things up and paint the Valley from a different angle. Started to unpack my paints and like clockwork, the neighbors security detail drove up to tell me I was trespassing on the Young’s Property. Part of me gets really annoyed by this but another part really likes dragging out the interrogation and then casually explaining that my family has lived on this land for six generations then introducing myself as Robert Young’s Grandson… again. Their shift in body language and expression is always interesting to watch. They are good guys, and we really appreciate their keen eyes and hard work. Its just funny how these guys never recognize me. I think this is the third time they have stopped me for painting. Seriously, How many other Plein air painters are there in these hills? 1hr
After dinner I drove up the mountain towards the Geysers and pulled off at the first big pullout above the ranch. The sun was already down by the time I started painting and there were a lot of cows and flies to keep me company. This is the view looking south. No underpainting this time so I won’t be surprised if the colors sink by morning. 1hr ala prima color sketch.
