March 2018

Above the Mission

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So, the plan was to join the Los Gatos group at the weekly paint-out, this time at San Juan Bautista Mission, CA. The mission is one of 21 religious outposts established by the Spanish, and this one was finished in 1812. I have painted there a number of times, and generally paint the mission itself.

Once again, I wanted to capture the artists painting from above with my DJI Mavic Pro drone. I checked beforehand and there were no drone restrictions in San Juan Bautista. California State parks are generally have no drone restrictions, but some restrict depending on the county, district, or park.

Upon arrival, my iPhone was on low battery. I had it on charge all night, but for some reason didn’t charge. An iPhone or other mobile device is not absolutely necessary to fly the drone, but it sure helps, and you are somewhat flying blind without it. I had no good way of charging it without running my car engine for awhile, so decided to limit my flying time. I also didn’t want to disturb the peace and quiet around the mission in the clear crisp morning, and kept to a fairly high altitude. The sound of the drone did carry much further in the cool morning air.

Here is a short video “Above San Juan Bautista‘…

…and a few photos of the day….

Rebecca painting the mission
Bonnie’s watercolor was turning out quite nice
My easel painting a corner of the mission
Al Shamble painting the fields of San Juan Bautista

Since I probably wouldn’t have a lot of time to paint, I decided to just do a simple study of the corner porch/entrance of the mission, probably little over an hour of painting time. Here is the painting…

I think I will just leave this as a color and value study.

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Well, You Just Never Know…

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…where your paintings might pop up.

"Kanba-no-taki" 30x20, oil on canvas
“Kanba-no-taki” 30×20, oil on canvas

My son has been living in Japan for over 5 years, working and and living in the mountainous town of Maniwa. I have visited him numerous times, and and love the Japanese countryside where he lives. I have written blog posts about my visits, some of which you can see here, and here. My most popular weblog entry of all time about a wise teacher in Japan can be seen here. I also have a series of paintings both plein air and studio you can see here.

Justin was recently approached by NHK World, Japan’s Public Broadcasting Network, to do a segment on their show J-Trip Plan. Long story short, they just broadcast the segment which you can watch here. Justin’s segment begins around the 22:00 mark–

Not to steal Justin’s thunder, but little did I know they also mentioned my painting in Japan and showed one of my paintings of Kanba waterfall. That part begins at about the 25:20 mark.

You never know where one of your paintings may pop up!

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An Afternoon at Ohlone

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Quiet Cove, Garrapata, 12x16, oil on board
Quiet Cove, Garrapata, 12×16, oil on board

Perhaps I should have confessed it up front to Elizabeth, but I had had never been in an art classroom in an institution of higher learning. I have been in art classrooms at art schools, but never a college or university. Being primarily self taught the last 45 years of painting, my art comes from what I love. The only ‘formal’ instruction I have had is various workshops from artists I admire the last 15 years.

Elizabeth Blau, an art instructor at Ohlone College in Fremont saw me on a TV segment NBC Bay Area (you can watch it here if you missed it), so invited me to her painting and drawing class to talk about “The Creeks and Rivers of Silicon Valley”, and a painting demo.

It was a class of about 10 students, all pursuing different disciplines. After a short talk about “The Creeks and Rivers of Silicon Valley”, we launched into a demonstration painting. I chose a seascape in Garrapata State Park for my study. I really enjoyed the intimate setting where students scooted up right around my easel to watch me paint.

Here are some photos during my demo, some courtesy of Elizabeth. (Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions)–

Here is the painting about where I left it in class…

The painting about where I left it in class.
The painting about where I left it in class.

I touched up the painting a bit after returning to my studio which can be seen at the top of this weblog entry.

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California Art Clubbing

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The California Art Club sponsored a paintout at Pescadero Beach last Saturday, March 10, 2018. The weather for Saturday looked iffy all week, but in the end, although it turned out to be a grey, somewhat gloomy day, all we got were just a few sprinkles.

I spent more time socializing with artist friends, and videoing more than painting. I did start a another vertical water scene, but didn’t get very far along. I’ll call it a value study in greys.

Here’s a few pictures…

The scene to paint.
Yours truly enjoying the gloomy day.
The painting about as far as I got for the day.

Now, enjoy this short video of the day, and some scenes along the beautiful California coast.

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Pigeon is the Point

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One of the prominent man made features on the San Mateo Coast of California, along the Pacific Ocean, is the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Built in 1871, it is the tallest lighthouse on the western coast of the United States. It is still used for Coast Guard navigation, and a small overnight hostel is now housed in the old light keeper’s housing.

I was recently out painting the Worlds First Plein Air Drone Selfie at the lighthouse which you can read about and see a video on this link. While there, I also photographed some studies for future reference to do a studio painting. I decided to continue my Vertical Water Series and this is the 15th painting in the collection. You can see the others here.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, 24x12,oil on canvas
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, 24×12,oil on canvas

If you missed it last time around, enjoy this short video while painting on location, including some spectacular scenes of the California coast—

Note: for email followers, if the video is not showing, click here.

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