Saturday, October 31

Meeker Slough is where Meeker Creek meets the bay. There is a marsh, a beach, benches and a bridge crossing the creek, but no trees (bring a big hat). The place is actually quite peaceful. I found a woman painting there today, when I went to scout the place. We will meet at the parking lot of Shimada Friendship Park, which has plenty of spaces, bathrooms and water, and walk about ten minutes along the Bay Trail to the Meeker Slough. Those of you who don't want to paint a marsh will find the nearby marina tempting.

Directions from North of Berkeley: From 80, take the Cutting exit and go west towards the water and through Richmond. On Cutting, make a left on Marina Way and a right on Regatta Dr. Make a right on Marina Bay Parkway and at the very end you will see Shimada Friendship Park and the bay.

Directions from South of Berkeley: Get on highway 580 and take the Erlandson St/Syndicate Ave Exit (10B), Make a right off the ramp, and the Erlandson/Syndicate will take you over 580 and will turn into Regatta Blvd. Continue on Regatta/Syndicate. This avenue will turn left. You'll soon see a fork that hits Marina Bay Parkway. Make a left on Marina Bay Parkway. You will see a park in front of you, but that's not Shimada. Go all the way to the end of Marina Bay Parkway and at the very end you will see Shimada Friendship Park and the bay.

Crockett's Bridges

Every time I drove under the new bridge, I took note of the view and promised myself I would return to paint it. It finally happened last Monday. Karen and I wanted a more urban view and ended up in the same side of town as Fran, but we separated. There is this nice parking lot right under the new bridge where I set up shop. Even though the noise of passing trucks was deafening, I managed to complete most of this 16 x 20" acrylic, then I went home and worked on the values some more. Rebeca

Larkspur Landing

We had a pretty good showing this last Saturday, considering it was across the bay. Deborah, Joan, Karen and I sat along the edge of the ferry parking lot because it was shaded and it provided an incomparable view of the marsh and the boat houses behind it. But because it's fall, the sun went into sunset mode rather quickly. I was in a bad mood because something wasn't working in this 16 x 20" acrylic, and Karen mentioned there might be two paintings in one. I thought she was right and went home determined to dull out the marsh and enhance the houses across it. This is the revised version. Rebeca

A Street in Crockett

A beautiful day in Crockett. I drove up the hill above Pomona Ave and got a nice view down toward the strait. I liked the way this painting developed and the tension between the flat abstract pattern of shapes and the suggestion of distance. Karen

Crockett

This fishing shack on the Carquinez Strait was in my memory from drawing it about a year and a half ago. After spending a week painting in Crockett, I was looking for something different. I think I over worked parts of it, but I think I stopped myself in time to save the painting. I moved the boat some distance to better fit the composition. I found some little shade on a small beach. At first I thought this was not going to work since the shadow side of the building was my view, but I think it works OK since the rest of the painting is light.

Larry Hatfield

Monday, Octover 26

We will try Crockett again this Monday. This small historical town is located just before the Carquinez bridge, and has fantastic views of the strait, bridges and the C&H plant. We will meet at Rebeca's studio (749 Loring Ave) and then walk or drive to various places around town. Click here for a map and directions if you live in Oakland, Berkeley, El Sobrante or San Pablo.

Painting at Lake Anza

Thanks Diana and Rebeca for the helpful comments. I reworked part of the painting and while still not totally successful had interesting results.

I have been working on the painting of Lake Anza since we visited there. I like parts of it very much but feel it is really several paintings and would crop it a number of different ways if I could.

Karen

Saturday, October 24

Karen Van Winkle suggested Larkspur Landing because it has something for everybody and it is very close to 580. We will meet in front of the Starbucks at the Larkspur Landing Shopping Center: 1801 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur, CA 94939. Directions, From 580 and after you cross the San Rafael Bridge, take the curvy Sir Francis Drake Blvd exit until you see the water to your left. You will very soon pass Drakes Cove Rd to your right, and immediately after see the Larkspur Landing Circle entrance to your right as well. Make a right into the parking lot and look for the Starbucks. Once there, Karen will show us some painting spots she loves.

Late Lake Anza

I've been so busy and my camera chip was full until today so here are my pieces from the last 2 trips to Lake Anza. I became very entranced by the far banks and reflections of trees in the beautiful still water. For some reason I managed to do lots of quick oil sketches and several I haven't posted because I overworked them. Looking forward to being in Crockett and praying for decent weather.

Texture of the Cemetery

I drove all the way to the top of the Cemetery looking for people visiting the grave sites. I passed the Greek Orthodox area and found the graves with flat markers. People kept driving up to get out and place flowers. I decided to work with a lot of texture because I had been thinking about texture for a demonstration I did. I needed to work on the figures more but numerous insect bites forced me to leave and I worked on it in the studio. I will work on it some more I think. Karen

Monday, October 19 Cancelled

Because of intermittent rain, we will not be visiting Crockett. Some of you might try to meet at the cafe mentioned in a recent listserv e-mail.

We will try Crockett next Monday. This small historical town is located just before the Carquinez bridge, and has fantastic views of the strait, bridges and the C&H plant. The Valona Paintout is happening right now in Crockett! We will meet at Rebeca's studio (749 Loring Ave) and then walk or drive to various places around town. Click here for a map and directions if you like in Oakland, Berkeley, El Sobrante or San Pablo.

El Cementerio de Mountain View

Last week, as Annette and I walked up a hill on Mountain View cemetery, I kept looking all around me for something to paint on a 15 x 20" canvas. There was a lot to choose from. Then I walked to the edge of the road and peeked under the canopies, and there it was, a most interesting, sweeping view of the hills that seemed to spread from the fountain. I instantly fell in love with the bright-green, well manicured grounds, a rare sight in drought-stricken northern California. The trees changing color were beautiful, but so was the glow of the bright green grass and the indirect blue light filtering from above, but what really attracted me was the rows of tombstones that seemed to have their own pattern and thus their own (visual) music. So I committed to this painting, which took me two Saturdays to complete. Rebeca

Mountain View Cemetery: Matthew's Monument

There were so many interesting monuments I had trouble narrowing down the image to something manageable. I found a shady side of a large tomb and focused on the tall column. At first I thought it was a figure at the top. I saw it from the right side of this view, then I saw the urn with the drape hanging. Interesting, I don't know what that means exactly in cemetery symbolism. The sky was quite different, very light with clouds and there were some drifting gray clouds at an angel floating by. When I tried to paint them, they sort of mushed together. I guess the paper was still too wet from the sky painting. The color of the column was unusual too, I guess its some kind of red/pink marble. There were a lot more memorial stones that I left out. But the composition didn't need them. I have been using a smaller brush for the trees lately and I like it. Its a # 7 Rafael Kolinsky Sable. It seems to work better than the #9 that I was using, especially for the background trees. I used a 1" flat sable for the sky and underpainting for some of the trees and foreground. I wet the paper first for the sky because it looked so liquid. I was careful not to paint in the column or the light areas in the foreground.

Larry Hatfield

Mountain View Cemetery - October 10, 2009

Last Saturday was sunny and bright in Oakland. I was early for the paint out with East Bay Plein Air so I high-tailed it to the road up on the hill above Millionaire's Row at Mountain View Cemetery.




This is not exactly the view I had for my first painting (I was a little further down the road just in back of the statued monument - with a peek of the domed Oakland Columbarium through the trees. I left out the buildings in the background in the painting below.

Mountain View Cemetery (9"x12"pastel on black paper) - Artist Janice L-H


I did rework this when I got home, darkening the liquid amber trees and highlighting the statue above the monument for emphasis.
There is a slight glare on the photo from the right but you can see what it used to look like here.

Once the group arrived I met them at the last fountain where we split up to paint. I had glimpsed one of my favorite statues on the way down the hill but got turned around going to the meeting place. Anyhow I saw the Veteran's Area where I think I will go next time to work up some of those great magnolia trees located there.

Finally finding the Angel at the end of the curve in front of a row of ornamental plum trees, I went to work.




Reclining Angel (12"x 18" pastel on black paper) - Artist Janice L-H

Yes, I did rework this once I was home (I hope I'm not actually messing them up!) and you can see the original rendition here. I toned down the monuments, tree shadows and the sky and added some contour to the plum trees.


Can't wait to return tomorrow! Janice

Saturday, October 17

We return to Mountain View Cemetery. The address is 5000 Piedmont Avenue (At Ramona), Oakland, CA 94611. We found it quite welcoming if a bit cold, so bring a scarf or jacket. Directions: You can take 580 to 51st, 51st all the way to Broadway, cross Broadway onto Pleasant Valley Rd, go up the hill and down to the second stop light, turn left and the road leads into the cemetery. Alt. Or, from 880 go up Broadway until Piedmont Ave angles off to the right. Go all the way up Piedmont Ave as far as you can and the entrance is there. After the entrance there is a big circular drive around a fountain and there is parking by the office where we'll meet. We leave promptly at around 1:10, so e-mail us if you're new and planning to come so we can wait for you.

Seven Days Later at Lake Anza

Then I decided to do another, smaller (16 x 20") painting of the same Lake Anza spot, using the same palette: ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, pthalo green, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, permanent violet and titanium white. So the palette was the same for both paintings, but the color harmonies ended up being quite different. The woman in both paintings is Fran Osborne. Rebeca

Seven Days Ago at Lake Anza

I sold this painting days later to a nice couple who was walking their dogs on the same path I was painting. I began this bigger (18 x 24") sunny version the first week, but I was not able to finish and when I got home I was not happy with some reflections on the water. I brought it back the following week, but the day was overcast because we were expecting a storm. Lake Anza looked positively dark by the time we walked down to the shore. I had to imagine what the water would look like if it was a sunny day, and was able to complete it. Rebeca

Lake Anza

Lake Anza offers a wonderful variety of
trees and foliage to paint. I chose
this view because of the brilliant
yellow leaves, which glowed against
the somber greens and browns
surrounding them.

The painting seems to employ two different, competing styles, without
really harmonizing them. The tree shapes on the left read easily despite the lack of detail, and have a playfully stylized quality. The trees on the right are done in a more detailed, "realistic" way that tends to obscure their shapes. Given that they are in the foreground, detail is appropriate, but I wish I could have given them the same stylized clarity of shape as the ones at the left.

fixed and cropped Lake Anza Rock

I tried to fix the water to make the rock stop floating. Then I cropped it differently, because I thought the yellow tree was too dominant and took away from the subject that was supposed to be the rock.

Lake Anza Rock

Marilyn and I deserve a Medal for bravery in the face of a multitude of dogs while painting. Seven Golden Retrievers at once diving in the water and running around wet. Then about 5 more dogs in ones and twos with people came by us.

I tried to do the water in only two washes today. I think I did at least 3 last time and it got a little dull. There may be a way to do water like this without wetting the paper first, but I haven't figured that out yet. I think the rock looks like its floating on the water, so I may have to fix that. I don't know how yet, maybe just a couple of streaks across the surface.

Larry Hatfield

Mountain View Cemetery Oct. 10

I took a long time to decide what to paint today, but This is what I settled on. There was a natural rock on the hillside that I thought would be a good contrast to the carved stone monuments, but I couldn't get the view I had in mind. The big crypt or monument with the smaller ones in front reminded me of the king-of-the-hill and his peasants laid out in front. Next week, I'll go see who is in that crypt. I had to do some touch-up at home. I did the under-painting of the background hill with perm. orange and after looking at it, it seemed too flat. The top of the hill didn't recede. Then I added a reddish tone under the trees, and a few other things.

Larry Hatfield

Monday, October 12

We return to Lake Anza. You can go up Spruce St, but we are linking you to a map because nowhere on the internet are there better instructions than "go up Spruce and follow the signs."

Updated directions if you are coming from El Sobrante or San Pablo: You'll need this map. Get on North Arlington Rd as if you were going to Berkeley, then make a left on Boynton St. North Arlington Rd is divided at this point. You'll have to wait until you get to a turning lane and go back on NA Rd to make a right on Boynton. On Boynton, go uphill until you see Colorado Ave,then continue going uphill until you hit Michigan Ave, then uphill again until you see Spruce. Turn left on Spruce. You'll cross Grissly Peak later, and find yourself on Wildcat Canyon Rd. Go on Wildcat until you see a Lake Anza sign pointing to your left. You will get to the multiple intersection, and take the one that seems to go in the opposite direction, which should be Lake Anza Rd. We'll meet at the very last parking lot.

Saturday, Oct 10

Larry suggested we go to Mountain View Cemetery. The address is 5000 Piedmont Avenue (At Ramona), Oakland, CA 94611. A neighbor says:

This is truly a beautiful place. Yes, it's a cemetery, but it holds so much more than just a bunch of dead people... The panoramic views that you get are just stunning! On a clear day you can almost see all of the bay area. There are some pretty famous people buried there and the old Gothic crypts have so much detail on them.

Directions: You can take 580 to 51st, 51st all the way to Broadway, cross Broadway onto Pleasant Valley Rd, go up the hill and down to the second stop light, turn left and the road leads into the cemetery. Alt. Or, from 880 go up Broadway until Piedmont Ave angles off to the right. Go all the way up Piedmont Ave as far as you can and the entrance is there. After the entrance there is a big circular drive around a fountain and there is parking by the office where we could meet.

Lake Anza, Tilden Park

I finally managed to make it dark enough, or too dark, I don't know. I completely lost the masses of leaves on the left side of the tree and had to recreate them at home. I wish I had used a different color for the long horizontal shadow behind the trees, maybe something more related to the orange/brown bank in front of it. I think I was relying too much on blue to make the shadow. Each painting is a learning experience. The contrast of the yellow tree was important, but the sun on the bank causing the reflection in the water was another interest point.

Larry Hatfield

Monday, October 5

There are many ways to get to Lake Anza if you live in Berkeley. You can go up Spruce St, but we are linking you to a map because nowhere on the internet are there better instructions than "go up Spruce and follow the signs."

Updated Directions if you are coming from El Sobrante or San Pablo, You'll need this map. Get on North Arlington Rd as if you were going to Berkeley, then make a left on Boynton St. North Arlington Rd is divided at this point. You'll have to wait until you get to a turning lane and go back on NA Rd to make a right on Boynton. On Boynton, go uphill until you see Colorado Ave,then continue going uphill until you hit Michigan Ave, then uphill again until you see Spruce. Turn left on Spruce. You'll cross Grissly Peak later, and find yourself on Wildcat Canyon Rd. Go on Wildcat until you see a Lake Anza sign pointing to your left. You will get to the multiple intersection, and take the one that seems to go in the opposite direction, which should be Lake Anza Rd. We'll meet at the very last parking lot.

Treasure Island From Oakland

This time the painting faeries smiled, despite the weather (cold and windy). I painted over a 15 x 30" canvas that I hated, climbed on the observation tower, pulled out a cardboard viewfinder to help me come up with a better composition and used a ruler to keep my lines straight. The dried-up grounds where the paths are were done with matte medium and Treasure Island and the foggy sky were done with with retardant.

Port of Oakland Cranes

I finally finished this at home. The top half was done on location, and the bottom was done from a photo. After a second session my neck has hurting very badly and I decided to use three photos for the bottom. I had cranked my neck up to be able to look at the cranes' platforms and after the sixth hour of that my neck could not take it anymore. The photos were taken with my cell phone and they were grainy. To make matters worse, they were shot from behind the barbed wire fence that protects the Port of Oakland operations. I took better photos later, but they were taken at much later time of the day and I could not use them.