My Tuesday night still-life group has made a change for the fall. We begin our weekly sessions by viewing select artwork from artists who paint in distinctive styles. Then, using a still life or photo, we attempt to evoke something of the artist while we paint for 90- minutes.

Our artist this evening was David Park, who was part of the Bay Area Figurative Movement in the 1950s. He used intense color, unusual perspective, and geometric abstraction to create paintings with psychological depth and mystery. He often painted people in boats and along the beach.

I used a photo from this past summer of people paddling about in rented boats because the colors were so bright, and I thought it would be a good reference for tonight. I like this sketch but need to go darker and more abstract if I want to paint in David Park’s style.
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