Monday, February 28

We will meet in Berkeley below San Pablo on 8th and Camelia.  The area is a mixed use light industry and residential. There are small cottages, churches, and retail stores nearby.  The area is also part of the West Berkeley plan that is a hot topic at the Berkeley City Council now. The area has historically been zoned to protect the light industry use and small business and has been home to many artists studios.  The fear is that the changes the city is proposing will drive up prices and make it unaffordable for artists.

Camelia is parrallel to Gilman and one block west on San Pablo.

Karen

Saturday, February 26

We will not be holding a painting session today because we will all be at the opening of the show Immigrant Neighborhoods at the San Pablo Gallery from 1-3 pm.
Don't miss it!

1 pm at Rumrill Corner

A comment to accompany my painting: Painting this picture has left me appreciating the area and its colorful culture. For example, there was a wildly decorated truck in the Food Market parking lot.

Curtis Burbick
Watercolor, ink, 11" x 15"

Nicholl Park

This is one of the paintings I dropped off for our show at the San Pablo Gallery, Immigrant Neighborhoods. It is a well used small park with picnic areas and a skate board area. My composition is a little like a Seurat of the park with people in the shadows.  Only mine has a pitbull not a black dog.  It is 24 by 30.  Karen

4 PM, Rumrill and Market

I had finished this painting a few weeks ago, but was unable to photograph this one and several others because my camera lens was broken. It is part of the Immigrant Neighborhood series, to be shown at the San Pablo Gallery. Please don't miss the opening, this Saturday, February 26, from 1-3 pm.

I did some revisions from memory. This was a large (24 x 36") canvas, it was very cold, and so it took me two consecutive Saturdays to even get it to the point where I could revise it in my studio. Thank God for acrylics! I painted the figures consecutively. First I marked the spaces where I wanted figures, then, when I saw somebody I liked, I placed their figure in the spot I had reserved. Most were waiting for their order and stood still. The car nearest to the viewer is Karen's. The woman working inside the Los Grullenses taco truck came out to see the painting and said she loved it.

Monday, February 21

A great thing about Berkeley is all the steps and paths that wind through the hills. So on Monday we will meet at The Arlington Cafe at 269 Arlington Ave in Kensignton, and caravan from there to the top of the Maryland Steps. There is a great view of the bay through the houses. The steps themselves are an interesting site.  There is little foot traffic, so I think we can set up on the sidewalk or even on the steps themselves.  The Maryland Steps are right on the border of Berkeley and Kensignton,

The Arlington Cafe (directions) is in the little village of Kensington near Young's Market.
Karen

Saturday, February 19

Session cancelled. The weather is not cooperating. We will not meet in front of the Baskin Robbins on Moeser and San Pablo Ave. Because of the Immigrant Neighborhoods show opening on February 26, we'll wait until  March 5 to explore the relics of the fifties and sixties along San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito. Directions: Take the Carlson Blvd. exit. Make a right turn off the ramp onto Carlson. Make a left on Sutter or Plumas Ave. Make a left on San Pablo Blvd and a right on Moeser.

Figure and Landscape Show in Berkeley

I want to thank all the landscape painters and blog followers  that were able to get to my opening at the Firehouse North Gallery in Berkeley on Friday night.The show included some of the urban landscapes done in this group including this one from near Urban Ore in West Berkeley that I don't think I ever posted and some from Tormey that I know were posted on this site late last summer.

You can see some pictures from the opening on the  Firehouse North Blog as well as see the schedule of when the gallery is open in case you have a chance to get there and see the show.  I enjoyed it but am glad it is over and eager to get back to painting.

Karen

Monday, February 14

This session has been canceled because of rain. We will not be meeting at the parking lot of the San Pablo City Hall this Monday, but we may try again next week. Happy Valentine's Day!

Alvarado Adobe Museum

Fran and I were painting in the same courtyard next to the Alvarado Adobe Museum — one of the museums we visited during our research on the history of immigration to San Pablo & Richmond over time. The mayor came up to visit with Fran. It was a beautiful peaceful spring day with the sound of all the fountains in the background. The garden courtyard took me back to what it might have been like in an earlier more rural time. It was the last painting in my series for the Immigrant Neighborhoods up-coming show and a perfect painting for the end.

Marilyn Hill
Watercolor
15 X 11"

marilynhill.com

Nolan Andress Memorial Fountain

This fountain is in the Alvarado Square near some city offices in San Pablo, CA. I started to draw this and was rushing before the shadows covered it. I didn't succeed. After the shadows covered it, all the life and sparkle of the fountain disappeared. I took some photos, however, and was able to work from them to complete the painting. The fountain is in a walkway between the building and another wall at the foot of some stairs. So, it is not in full light for very long.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5" Watercolor

Monday 7th February

We will meet in the parking lot of the San Pablo City Gallery at 13831 San Pablo Avenue. The Blume House, the Bunk House, the Alvarado Adobe and the gardens of the city are all at this location and will offer a variety of subjects and some shade too. Bathrooms are located in the city hall complex.

Directions:

From 80, take the San Pablo Dam Road exit, turn right onto San Pablo Avenue (the casino will be in front of you). Continue along San Pablo Avenue and pass Church Lane. The entrance to the parking lot is the next left turn.

RFD No. 1

It was a warm and lonely day painting by myself. I spent at least an hour walking around in Point Richmond. I kept looking at the fire house but it was difficult to find a place not blocked by cars and vans and not in the sun. I decided to do only part of the building.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5" Watercolor

Sakai Nurseries, Richmond

The site of the former Sakai nurseries is going to be demolished soon. Since most of its toxic grounds will be replaced with brand-new, low cost housing, Marilyn arranged for a visit led by her friend Ellen. Visitors have to register and show ID, so it was drizzly by the time we started setting up. The fine mist did not allow the paint to dry or even become tacky in this large canvas (30 x 40") and I ended up doing the same as Fran, I took cover inside one of the warehouses. I had to wipe everything and start all over again. The sky got darker and darker,  and by the time we had to leave, I had painted 80%. I finished it the next day in my studio. I used a cell phone picture, and a photo that Marilyn took and sent me later. This painting shows the Sakai family house (which will not be demolished), two greenhouses, and in the middle, one of the workers' quarters.

Saturday, February 5

We will meet at the only Starbucks in Point Richmond, on Washington Ave. Try to arrive on time to this Starbucks, if you've never been to the end of Crest Ave, where we'll paint. From 80, take the Cutting exit or the Richmond Parkway to Castro. Once on Garrard Blvd, turn right almost immediately on West Richmond Ave, and right on Park Place. No water, no bathrooms at the end of Crest Ave. Bring your cell phone and clothes appropriate for painting in a moderate breeze at the top of a hill.