In the spring, the ice plant blooms in Perkins Park, Pacific Grove, CA, covering much of the park in a blanket of reds, pinks, and purples. I had been meaning to make the short drive there to paint, and a group paint-out by the Monterey Bay Plein Air Association gave me an excuse.
Generally, I consider these outings as more social events than trying to produce a sellable painting. This time though, I wanted to spend a little more time trying to get a good piece, so arrived early to catch the morning light.
I settled in painting a backlit view of Lover’s Point. It was a wonderful day! It was difficult painting looking directly into the sun as I am still trying to find a good pair of outdoor spectacles since my cataract surgery a year ago. The painting was turning into a muddy mess. I kept at it though, and got it back on track.
After an hour or so, I didn’t see any other fellow painters, so walked around, and found just a few on the other side of the point. There were only about 4 of us total, as far as I can tell.
The painting turned out good…a keeper! The above is a little over two hours work. I will touch it up just a bit in the studio, but could stand as-is.
Here are a few more pictures of the day…
