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

Pink Mobile Home

I missed out on painting the mobile homes last week. So I went to Church Lane to find some today. This pink one stood out, so I decided that was my painting for today. It will always be memorable for the electric wheel chair lady who rammed my ankle as I sat painting.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5 Watercolor

San Palbo Arch

We bombed out of the locations we tried today. So I went home and worked on this. I had taken a photo of it on San Pablo Ave. It is the welcoming arch to the city of San Pablo.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5 Watercolor

Jo Ann Dr From Fairmead Park, El Portal

This painting is a living testimony of my love of cars. Not of them as vehicles, but cars as rolling polychrome sculptures. I have never included so many cars and truck in a painting of this series. This acrylic on canvas must be 24 x 30," and was done during one of the last Saturdays in the fall. I revised it at home. I like the two bright sidewalks, leading the eye like runway lights.

Mobile Home Parks in San Pablo

I haven't been posting lately because my camera needed a new lens, then I found out I lost my camera chip, and could not buy an SD chip right away. Here are two mobile home acrylics roughly the same size, about 18 x 24".  The first painting, the one with the alley and the boxy mobile homes was done very recently on 23rd St and Market, in the company of a new member named Anne. I returned alone on a Sunday to finish it, when it was sunny enough. A man walked up to me and said he had seen us the day before, painting at 23rd and McBryde. The second painting was done in October when Darryl, Karen and I painted in front of Saint Anthony's Cemetery on El Portal Ave. The late afternoon light was wonderful. Inside the Chevy truck there was a Chihuahua named Little Toy that was very endearing. I may still place him in this picture (but on the street).

Ricos Pollos Asados

I went to 23rd Ave. San Pablo again near the U-Haul place. I found this interesting place. Rico was BBQing his pollos outdoors. A few people stopped to talk, all very interested and friendly. I was a little annoyed by the wind that blew dust, ashes, hair, leaves, dirt into my paint. Joys of painting outdoors.

I have no idea what the Giraffe and Elephant are doing there.

Larry Hatfield
Watercolor 10.5 x 14.5"

Saint Paul's Church

I wanted to do this church tower since seeing it on the way home last week. The church was established in 1864. There is another view with lots of red tile roofs visible. I had several conversations with people walking by as I was right next to the sidewalk. I told them about the show, Immigrant Neighborhoods, in late Feb. at the San Pablo City Gallery.

Larry Hatfield
10.75 x 14.5
Watercolor

Rumrill and Market

It was a very cold wintry day between storms when I worked on this near the taco truck in the parking lot of the hamburger stand. I came back next week and finished it and the weather was pretty much the same. I was very happy ther was the same truck there again and I realized after awhile that the truck was owned by someone in the taco truck. It is a 24 by 30 canvas.

Rumrill Road

Finally got myself sufficiently organized to share these recent paintings, mostly of the Rumrill Road and Market intersection. I've somehow grown attached to the place, have encountered many appreciative people and had some interesting chats. Color is what fascinates me at the moment, and especially the impact that different light has, so it's been really great to keep returning to the same place under different conditions, and to keep looking and noticing and looking some more. These are still in progress and quite close to finished paintings but I'm still learning when to stop, and when to go on. I really want to paint the area near the tracks and maybe a freight train if I can do it, and also to put more people in - maybe when the weather improves a bit there will be more people out and about.

Oil on canvas 16 x 24 inches

San Pablo Bells

I have seen these bells for years. The homeless guys who were on the bench just off the picture to the left said that they now have a recording rather than real ringing bells. The fountain in front is not working either. If I had known what the fountain looked like while working, I would have been tempted to try to paint it there. I learned a few other things from them too.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5 Watercolor

Sopitos Restaurant

We were near Market on 23rd Ave. today. Marilyn and I saw this restaurant. She was close up and I was across the street. It was cold and foggy for about an hour or so, then the sun came out with blue sky. I had already done the sky, so I left it as a foggy day. Some of the buildings on 23rd are unusual in design and decoration. This one has a medallion and interesting tile work.

Larry Hatfield
10x14 Watercolor

Paolo's Thrift Shop

After sitting by the bus stop for 2 hours, I had to get up and leave, the exhaust was getting to me, my throat was starting to feel gritty. But as gloomy as the day was, I was interested in all the buildings painted yellow and orange. One lonely palm behind Paolo's Thrift store brought some organic life to the buildings and surroundings for me. There were a lot of cars that I chose to ignore. They were very much a part of the scene, but I didn't think they added anything to the painting.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5 Watercolor

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

Trailer Park

This one was done outside St. Joseph Cemetary in San Pablo of the trailer park across the street.  I put in the man with his dog from memory later.   I am still not happy with the composition and I am thinking of cropping it and restretching where I think it works best. But I like the impact of the painting,

It is acrylic on 24 by 30 canvas.

Karen

Farmead Park in San Pablo

Farmead Park is above single family homes in San Pablo and affords a view of suburban life.  I painted a scene of this family getting ready for a Saturday outing.  It is acrylic on 18 by 24 canvas.
Karen

La Loma Market, San Pablo, CA

La Loma Market was a challenge to paint sitting in the median with cars whizzing past. Urban scenes are a challenge for me. They are not what I would naturally choose. So doing this one was a chance to push my comfort zone. I was going to crop it on the right, but I think I might just leave it. The light was actually behind the building, so it was a little confusing at times as to how to do shadows. I would like to see it in the morning light.

Larry Hatfield
10 x 14" Watercolor

John Hubert Davis Park, San Pablo

Karen and I parked on Brookside, the street narrowly flanked by Wildcat and San Pablo creeks, then walked to J. H. Davis using a pedestrian passageway between two houses. Wildcat was almost dry, while the previous week we had seen the still flowing waters of San Pablo. As we walked into the higher ground next to an impossibly green baseball field, I saw a group of boys ages 6-13 playing soccer, which I decided I would paint. I set my easel far enough to hope I would stay unnoticed, bu it wasn't the case. They stopped their game minutes later and walked over. They had great manners! Later, I found out none attended the public elementary school by the park. Some went as far as Berkekey to get their parochial education. They had very good questions ("If you're painting a car and it drives away, how do you deal with that?") and even helped Karen when the wind blew her whole setup. I decided to continue painting the empty field, as lately I am into "emptiness."

San Pablo Ave at Brookside

The brook was a creek, and in it there was an egret, fishing, and an old plastic chair that had been tossed over the bridge that was San Pablo Avenue. In this location we met numerous Latino and African American families, all very friendly and interested in art. There were other characters as well, all disarmed by the sight of middle-aged women painting what seemed so ordinary.

Wash and Dry in San Pablo

This was our most urban landscape location. We were just off of San Pablo Ave in San Pablo and able to set up in a dentist office parking lot that was closed on Saturday. We were also at an edge of a little creek where a lone egret was taking a bath.  I did a view of the laundromat.  There were many people that came by to take a look and they were all very kind.  It was fun.  Rebeca said a few told her they couldn't figure out why we were painting there.   My canvas is 18 by 24.  Karen