There is something very satisfying about painting over your old work. The paint just goes down easier. You have the added confidence of knowing things can’t be worse than the first time around.
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.
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.
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.
It snowed last night so the boys and I drove up the hill to check out the view from the Geysers overlook. It’s pretty uncommon to get snow here so we were having a great time of it. The boys and I threw a few snowballs and had fun driving our RC tank around in the snow. Afterwards I set up my gear and went to work. A few other people had the same idea as us and pulled over to admire the view. One of them was photographer Jerry Dodrill who was out hunting winter landscapes. His work is really beautiful, if you haven’t seen it he currently has a show at Sessions climbing gym in Santa Rosa and a photo gallery in Bodega, CA. Go Check it out.
There was an absolutely beautiful lavender sunset across the water last night. I wasn’t prepared and rushed out the door to try and capture it. Alas, I was too late. The light faded just as the painting was starting to get good. The golden hour had passed.
Freezing and frustrated I cleaned up the mess I had made and walked back home alone in the dark, regretful. If only I had more time or been there sooner… maybe things would have been different. The only thing for sure was that my timing was off. I wanted more time with that lovely light and I didn’t get it. Sigh, at least I got to experience something truly beautiful. It has been a long time since I saw a sky like that. As I wake and write this it dawns on me that this beautiful sunset got me outside painting again and for that I am grateful. The sun also rises.
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.
It was a sunny day cast in a veil of thin fog. I hiked around the salt mash looking for a view to paint but the misty air made all the southern and easterly views blown out and a bit too contrasty for my tastes. That killed my painting options around the apartment so I drove up to the Ring Mountain trail head off Taylor road and found something north facing I could work with.
Sunset painting from the Bon Air bridge looking north towards Ross.
