Between the Storms

Between the Storms  acrylic on linen  16 by 20

Last Monday we went to the Emeryville Marina on a cloudy day between storms. It was pretty grey and cold but I settled into a spot of sun and the trees acted as a wind block and painted for a few hours untill the wind picked up pretty hard. It was good to be outside.


Karen

Painting at Lake Anza

Lake Anza #2   acrylic on 22 by 28

I almost cancelled todays session because of the heavy fog but decided to go after all. It was foggy all the way to the park but once inside the fog was gone and there was even sun.  The lake was glistening.  I did this painting last week  at the lake and have been working on it in the studio.   Karen

Somewhere in El Cerrito

View from El Cerrito Hillside  acrylic on canvas 24 by 36

This was done in El Cerrito sometime this summer. I think it was near the Nature Area. We went back there today and I did another one that looks similar.  Karen

On the Top of McBryde

I have done a painting of the bottom of McBryde where it reaches San Pablo and when we went to Alvarado Park I decidedto do a painting from the park entrance of the top of McBryde even though it was in the full sun.  It is an 18 by 24 canvas.  Karen

Monday, November 1

We will meet at Indian Rock Park in Berkeley.  If you pack light to sketch or work in watercolors you can climb the rocks and get stunning views.  There are also place to set up an easel. The rocks themselves are pretty dramatic.

From 80 take the Albany exit and follow Buchanan across San Pablo where it becomes Marin. Take Marin all the way to the Circle.  Go around the Circle and bear right on Indian Rock.  The park is on the left.

You can also come from San Pablo or Richmond on the Arlington. Go all the way to the Circle and go around an bear right onto Indian Rock.           There are no bathrooms.

View From Albany Bulb

I thought I was alone but Marilyn was at the bulb also that day. I took a position at the front of the park with a view of Albany hill. I had a black lab and a long haired  dachshund as models.  Karen

Yellow Car Corner of Santa Rita and Appian Way

Today we painted in El Sobrante. It was a busy little shopping center just at the end of lunch hour.  There were a few groups of men hanging out drinking near the church and at first it seemed like not a good place to set up. But after awhile the crowd left and I put up my easel at the corner with a view of the church and a closed auto repair shop.  This large yellow car sped by.  It is an 18 by 24 acrylic. Karen

McBryde and Mclaughlin

It was so great to be back painting after all the work putting up our figurative show.  But the figure was on my mind an I managed to get one into my painting of this corner on McBryde just half a block up from San Pablo. It is an 18 by 24 acrylic.  Karen

Tormey

This is from a couple of weeks ago in Tormey. It was a beautiful day.  I choose a view that showed the road curving above with the trucks near the roofs of the houses.  I found some shade to paint in.  It is such an unusual place and very peaceful for painting.   It is 18 by 24.

Karen

Carquinez Regional Shoreline

I couldn't find any shade to paint in but set up anyway. Larry had an painting umbrella he offered to me but I couldn't get it attached to my easel. I was also using a large canvas 24 by 36 inches. So I worked until I couldn't stand any more sun.  Karen

Tormey

It turns out we were not in Selby but in Tormey.  Across San Pablo it is Selby but the row of  houses where we were painting is historically a town called Tormey.  It is all considered part of Crockett now I was told by some of the residents on the block.  It is a wonderful painting location with hills and houses, goats and horses and many varied views.  I am still working on this painting but wanted to post it because I gave out my card with our blog address on it to some of the people that lived in the houses I was painting.  We plan on going back next week. It is 24 by 36 and large to finish in one session. Karen

Albany Hill

It was a rare day at the Albany Bulb with little wind. I wanted to do a view back at Albany from the Bulb and their are some great views without going to far from the parking lot.  I worked this quickly and strangely used little water. The canvas seemed miniscule after working on the larger size in my last painting. It is 18 by 24.  I was glad the sun was not out because I loved the grey of the sky. It started to come out just as I finished.  Karen

Below San Pablo

There is a lot of possibilities for paintings below San Pablo Ave.  On some of the side streets on Saturday it is pretty quiet. I worked on a large canvas- the largest I have done outdoors and although not finished I like the rough quality it has so I am worried about working on it again and loosing that  and may start another instead next week. This painting was done on Cedar at 2nd Street. It is 24 by 36.
Karen

A Hill in Martinez

It was just Larry and me in Martinez today.  We decided to look for another view and drove up the Carquinez scenic road. It leads to Crockett but you can't drive all the way because the road is damaged by past storms. There were beautiful views but we couldn't find a spot out of the wind to stop. So we went backdown the hill. I painted this looking up at the area we were driving.  It is 18 by 24.    Karen

Martinez

There were many things to work with at the park in Martinez and we should go back many times.  I chose a view looking towards the hills. Again it is a large canvas and I worked pretty fast. I am posting this one and the one below in the xlarge size option because the texture  and brush strokes are showing up much better.

Point Richmond

We  hiked up the hill from Crest Ave and there was a spectacular view in all directions on the top. I found a place facing west toward San Francisco.  Rebeca was facing east.  All of a sudden a helicopter started flying around  us lower and lower. they must of thought we were up to no good.  The finally left and we were able to paint. My canvas is 24 by 30 which is the largest size I have used outside. I am happier with the large size and will try even larger.  When my easel is staked it  resists the wind pretty well.

Point Richmond and Mare Island

 

Both these paintings incorporate parking lots. Mare Island was a very quiet place. We wanted a more urban view but actually it felt so abandoned that it had no real city life. Point Richmond has a lot going on but it is hard to find a spot to paint that is closer to activity of the town so I ended up with an overview.  They are both acrylic.

The Bay from Blake Garden

This painting was a struggle to work on after my easel broke and I had to work on the ground. The colors developed in a way I liked but in the end I lost some of the  composition and may work on it from memory.

I like Blake Garden but never get a painting i like there. This is a 15 by 30 acrylic on canvas.  Karen

inspiration Point and Blake Gardens

Inspiration Point 

Blake Gardens

I am behind in posting.  I was reminded at Inspiration Point about how much I like to look at the hills in California in the summer. I think we should find a place near Mt Diablo to paint  soon.  And Blake gardens is a very comfortable place to paint but also very difficult because it is so inclosed. It takes some thought to find a structure for the composition for me.

Waiting for the Ferry, Alameda

It was a much better day in Alameda than last time. The ferry comes once an hour at the time we were there so it gave me a little time to do the people waiting. The van drove away at some point and was replaced by a black one. I did a grayscale underpainting and got things blocked in and then worked in color. It is an 18 by 24 acrylic. Karen