WATERBABY'S CIRCUS

At China Camp Acrylic, 11x14" So I've been doing a bit of plein air painting over the summer, both in watercolor and acrylics. When I returned to China Camp on the San Francisco Bay, it was only with the intention to continue learning how to handle acrylics, but after many hours of struggle, the painting above began to take shape. So much so that I decided to frame the resulting small exercise, and then submitted it into a show. Imagine my shock when I learned it had won first place in the acrylics division at the Napa Town & Country Fair! It looks like there's no turning back now. Onward!

Our plein-air group returned to a favorite spot in Marin County, China Camp . We were joined by kayakers, sunbathers, and a fair amount of guys on bikes taking a break from the surrounding trails. A windy day, so just a quick sketch in the Moleskine.

This is what followed the previous smaller sketched version. I think I left too much open space with the sky and foreground, although I have already cropped a large strip from the sky at the top. I sorta like it, it's just not grabbing me. I'll put it away for a while and come back to look at it. Maybe I'll like it then, or maybe I'll see what it is that's bothering me. Comments, as usual, are appreciated.

I occasionally go out painting with a pick-up group of artists, mostly but not all members of the El Cerrito Art Assn. On a return trip to China Camp a couple months ago I did this rough sketch. It was only intended to help work out the values and colors of what was to become a larger painting. So it's blurry, with pencil smudges and not a lot of detail, but now that the large painting is completed, I prefer the spontaneity of this small unfinished version. The atmosphere of a bright summer day is still there, and though the old fishing boat looks a bit awkward, it seems to help it look like the relic it is.

A half dozen of us, some members of the El Cerrito Art Assn. and others not, spent the morning at China Camp State Park . I like to paint there. Give me a beach and some sun and I'm a happy little camper. I think I did a little better this time. My attitude has changed. Now I'm more, just get the paint down on the paper, quit screwing around. No more wimpy little bleats of watery color. You've got two hours, Just Do It! So I'm getting down a very rough pencil sketch, not dinking around like I have a tendency to do. Mix up a nice soup of colors and go for it. Well, the results. Once you get it back home, you can always find plenty to not like. I tried to think about saving some light areas, but they mostly disappeared. The overall mood is pretty subdued, except for the bright sky, which now seems incongruous. And those white ripply things in the water just don't work, if they're waves, they're heading the wrong way. The hills in back are too intense in relat...

I checked out Oakland Art Assn's online gallery today, and found my latest painting. Sorry about the watermark, but this is the only copy I have - I painted it, matted and framed it so fast I didn't get a chance to have it decently copied. I'll do that in a couple of months when I get it back.