Rain and Sun

After a spell of decent rain, with no major catastrophes attached to it, everything is greening up beautifully. Went to San Marcos Reserve to paint the view - the Channel Islands were clear, the ocean bright and the sky blue. The green of the new grass was intense - cadmium green out of the tube.

san marcos preserve, oil on panel, 6"x10"

A few notes: I generally work on site for about 3 hours - enough time to find a spot, set up and start to paint. I try to sight-size - work with the scale of what I am seeing. Working directly outside I see the colors, the light and the atmosphere, feel the conditions and the ground under my feet. A photograph doesn't do that. I more often than not finish a painting in one session, working relatively small and quickly.

I have on occasion gone back to a spot at the same time the following day, given the weather is the same as well. But that doesn't happen too often.

I do take photographs, in case something just doesn't work, but it's a poor substitute for the immediacy of painting in the moment.

Here's the next week's effort, looking back at the mountains from a different path.

san marcos preserve, oil on panel, 6"x12"

I did work on this one at home a bit, putting a blue wash over the back mountains, to push them back in the space.