Even in San Diego, the afternoon light becomes softer and more diffuse.
Thursday, our plein air group painted at Liberty Station, the former Naval Training Center in San Diego. It is a large complex with tree-lined promenades, old Spanish-style buildings, and large open fields where recruits once learned to march. I chose this view with the walkway, trees, and the North Chapel because it shows some of the key characteristics of the old training grounds.
Most Tuesday evenings, I participate in a Tuesday night still-life group that meets online. This week we had a bowl with deep murky colors, a white table cloth and lots of fruit.
I used a large full sheet of Art Spectrum Colourfix paper, which a friend had recently given me. Within minutes of beginning to paint, this new paper captivated me. It has a gritty primer and is responsive to both gouache and pastel. The primer comes in different shades; this one is a mid-value violet. I put the paper to the test, so parts have multiple thick layers of paint while others have only a light wash. I did a lot of overpainting and lifting, and I am impressed with how strong the paper is. I ordered some more sheets and look forward to learning how to use it well.
Our plein air group met at Santee Lakes this morning. The air was still, the trees were losing their leaves, and it was a perfect morning for painting reflections.
Another artist placed a sprig of fig leaves on dark fabric for our Tuesday night Zoom still-life group. Her lamp lit the fabric in a way that suggested the feeling of looking out a winter window.
I was out at Coronado Beach painting with my Thursday Plein Air group. I was just getting set up when an older couple from Chicago stopped to chat before setting off on their walk. As they walked on, I hurriedly found a pencil, sketched them in, and then built the rest of the composition around them. They seemed so happy together on the beach, and I think I caught a bit of it in this Plein air painting.
The holidays are coming, and what better to paint for our still-life Tuesday than poinsettias?
Deliberate Sketching 