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.
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.
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.
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.
Traffic was heavy so I set up by Battery Sherwood to paint until it thinned out. This is the view looking across the freeway towards San Francisco National Cemetery from the bike path in the new park they made by the battery lineup.
I set up perpendicular to the Tennessee Hollow trail looking back towards the post office and LDAC. It was windy as usual, but this time I thought ahead and brought a thicker painting panel mount. It’s a lot easier to paint when you’re not having to track a moving target. Probably should add paracord and some tent spikes to my kit for good measure. A few people stopped to talk as they parked to go to the gym, and I had a nice conversation about Duolingo with an older gentleman. Another normal lunch break in the Presidio.
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.
The boys and I went to see Howl’s Moving Castle at the Lark Theater this afternoon and then after we got back home, they decided to go for a swim. I, for my part, wanted to paint, so I hiked up the hill above the pool and sketched the view looking back at my apartment. This place has been good to us, but we’ve been here too long. I wish I could find a house we can afford. Maybe I should trade my heart to a fire demon that seemed to work out for Howl.
Lunchtime paintings in the presidio will start being a regular thing again now that Lucasfilm wants me in office twice a week. My plan is to ride my bike in one day, scouting for locations, and then paint them at lunch the other. This place has so many layered vistas and shifting weather patterns, there will be no shortage of scenes to paint for years to come.
Today I set up on the Tennessee Hollow trail / Presidio Promenade Trail. Not sure which trail this is as the map says both names, which is a little odd. I regret not looking at the trailhead sign I was standing next to while I painted. Unofficially, I guess this is the view looking south across the Tennessee Hollow watershed from the bus stop next to the YMCA fitness center.
Last light painting on the salt marsh. This time from the north side bike path behind Marin Catholic looking south towards King Mountain.
