High on San Miguel

"Late Afternoon - calle Hernandez Macias"

24x30 ins. oil on canvas

This one is a studio painting done with the palette knife. I didn't want to get too fussy with this one and the knife generally insures that you don't. I was going for that 5 pm. atmosphere and I think on the whole it came out pretty well. I'm no expert with the knife but I like the effect. I've been putting little dashes in with the knife for some time now but haven't done too many dedicated knife paintings. This was fun, so maybe there will be more "down the line". 

The painting below was started as a plein air last Monday. There was a huge eucalyptus on the right at the start of the session ( note shadows on yellow wall ). As we painted a work crew came along and felled the tree !! I just couldn't concentrate on the tree with this guy with a chain saw, swinging around on ropes dodging "widow makers" as they came down. Most of the group were down the street about 50 feet from me - much closer to the action and indeed in some measure of peril. However, the senor was an expert and there was no loss of life. The group showed good plein air metal even as they found themselves blanketed in a fairly constant snow of saw dust.

I've said it before:    as you set out to paint in the morning, you never know what the hell is going to happen to you. We've watched and admired that beautiful tree growing the whole time we've lived here and wouldn't you know - the vary day we chose to paint it, it drops in the sidewalk, piece by piece before our startled eyes. However, I must mention that Les did a nice, historic as it were, painting that day in which the tree figures largely, in all it's prior majesty. Les works pretty fast sometimes .....................

"High on Montitlan"  12x16 ins. oil on pamel

Tectonically Mexico

"A lo Largo del Rio" 30x40 ins.  oil on canvas
..... this photo is a little on the dark side - sorry, sorry, soorrry ..........

This is a largish studio painting inspired  from one of our plein air painting trips into the countryside of Guanajuato State. The rising hill on the left is actually a spur of an extinct volcano and the river is running around it's base. The whole region is peppered with these things. In fact, where we live in San Miguel is at the base of a rather large one! We don't lose any sleep over it as the vent has been inactive for over 10 million years but it does give you a sense of "the Living Planet" you're parked upon. You don't really have to go all that far from here to find some warm to hot ones either. Paricutin for example (a couple hundred miles from here) arose out of a corn field in the '1940's, buried nearby towns and is now a quarter mile high ......and there is of course, famous old Popo smoking away outside of Mexico city - plus lots more - about 1400 in all, scattered around central Mexico. Can't complain - they make for great backdrops to an exciting landscape! - Love It!

"Evening Vista, San Miguel de Allende"  24x30   oil on canvas

Looking north at sunset - the other direction from that nasty Volcano.

Monday Morning on calle Aldama and YES, that is the backside of the Parroquia.

"The Parroquia from Aldama"

12x16 ins. oil on panel

This scene has been painted thousands of times in San Miguel. I myself did it years ago when we first moved here permanently. I remember it was in the afternoon (this one is morning) and from a slightly different vantage point on the street. I saw the photo of that painting a couple of months ago and if I could find where I filed it (not in the obvious place) I would post it alongside. When I saw the pic of the old one I was pretty shocked at the tightness of approach. If I come across it and remember to do so, I'll sneak it in to this post - would be an interesting comparison. I'm a lot freer in my handling of the paint these days. My colors are more vibrant too - I like the direction things are heading. And just when I thought old age was going to be boring!

On a scale of Ten ?

ESQUINA SOLLANO 9x12 ins. oil on panel

 This one was from Monday's plein air session in which Donna and I had absolutely zero students show up! Yes, the busy season is really winding down. - must confess though, we enjoyed the peace and quiet. Donna located about 30 feet away and had the park car wash (north park side) guy watch every stroke she made - business was a bit slow for him that day too I guess. Her painting did survive the close scrutiny - the Sr. gave her a 10 on the scale and assigned me a niner ................. oh well, there is always room for improvement.

SPRING MORNING 9x12 ins. on panel

I missed last weeks plein air, so this was from 2 weeks back. I don't know where the Senor would place this one on his scale. It would be interesting to see his reaction. The style is quite different of course.

What is quite interesting about this scene is that the week after we painted this tranquil street a small contingent of mural painters was unleashed on the neighborhood, totally transforming the place. Everyone is waxing ecstatic about the result. Sorry folks - I find the effect of murals painted on walls abominable. To me, this typical, already colorful Mexican neighborhood, with a spirit all it's own has been trashed - it's prior identity submerged under something too loud and strident. People used to have more sense at one time.

.................So go crucify me...............

A few of my paintings from the February workshop

 "Callejon Cruz del Pueblo"

12x9 in. oil on panel

from day 2 of workshop

I like this one a lot. I perched myself right at the very top of the steep callejon, with the rest of the group below me and it was so peaceful and calm - a great place to paint!

  "Umaran Corner"

9x12 ins.

"Magazine Seller"

12x9 in.

This one was a demo done inside the studio for the students when it turned a bit cooler on the 4th. day. I used a photo from Guanajuato and laid the color over a medium dark background. I explained what I was doing during the process and the students seemed to feel they got a lot out of it. I'm not at all used to talking while I paint so it was quite an experience for me. 

I've only included these 3 paintings as I couldn't bring any of the others I started any where near completion during the workshop - I'll maybe work on the others this week.

Photos from our 2013 San Miguel de Allende Workshop

Feb. 2013 San Miguel de Allende Workshop Students and Instructors

back row: Tom Lips,  Leslie Roundstream,  Gail Pendell,  Kathryn Boll,  Mary Li,  Lucie Michel,  Gary Heger,  Donna Dickson,  Tom Dickson,  Eadie Richards,  Ian Carter

     front sitting: Cynthia G. Smith,  Carol O'toole,  Elena Sacal

We had a great group and a wonderful week of painting. It's always nice to see impressive results and also gratifying to hear appreciation for the teachers efforts. I want to congratulate all of you for work well done. It would be a pleasure to paint with you again in the future.

We had quite a mix of media, techniques and even weather this year. It was warm the first 3 days but on the last two it turned quite abnormally chilly. Most opted to paint indoors at the gallery on Friday and Tom Lips was nice enough to offer the use of his beautiful home on Saturday. So, we ended up with some very nice interior compositions in addition to the street and landscapes done earlier in the week. 

Tom Lips and Mary Li tackling a very simple subject..... and tackled well it was, as it were, in their hands! Congrats - it was a tough one! Both paintings had a tremendous feeling of depth, good color and design. Obviously these two have got "the stuff".

Our first morning out, drawing lots of attention from tourists that can't be seen in this picture. The famous parroquia is just behind us but I think on this particular morning it was us getting most of the attention. How could we concentrate? - no problem for plein air painters - we ignored the crowd and had a great time learning about the principals of color.

Kathryn, Lucy and Carol in the studio building on that first cool day. They, Eadie and Gail picked the brightest location under the huge central skylight and painted with water media to their hearts content.

I'm giving some pointers to Tom Lips here, who soaks up information pertaining to oil painting like a sponge. He has made tremendous progress since we've known him and he claims our instruction has had a lot to do with it.

Leslie Roundstream with full plein air gear painting alongside some company in the form of an ancient Otomi Indian shrine in the middle of a field in San Miguel Viejo. Les got 2 terrific results that day in the space of about 3 hours!

from left: Kathryn, Ian and Carol, painting at Cruz del Pueblo

Gail with some new amigitos assisting her in the Jardin

Eadie painting at "the Cruz"

Gretchen and Cynthia higher up the "mountain" at Cruz del Pueblo. They were a little chilly in the shade that morning - their blood having been thinned by too much time on the tropical beach sands at Syulita.

Tom demonstrating oil technique back in the gallery with Gary and Mary.

Elena with her chosen terrace, mid-elevation at "the Cruz"

and Lucie a little further down-slope, at the end of another happy session of plein air painting.

From last weeks workshop

....... from Monday morning. Cruz del Puebla 12x16 ins.

(unfinished)

.......from Monday afternoon in the Jardin Principal 9x12 ins.

(unfinished - needs some bench sitters)

"Iglesia San Antonio"  12x16 ins. oil on canvas

........ form Tuesday morning (completed)

......... from Tuesday afternoon at the Jardin  12x16 ins. on panel

(completed but untitled so far)

The restaurant owner apparently wants to buy this one. He stood at my shoulder for a while and watched the process. He gave me his card and I seem to have lost it somehow. I walk by his place all the time but can't remember the restaurant name. When I find out I'll grace the picture with a title and let him know it's ready. Our group attracted a lot of attention that final afternoon. For some it was a bit nerve wracking. We couldn't have parked ourselves in a busier location. The attention comes with the territory - you just have to get used to it. Some really get off on it - they either like the showman part or they love talking to all the people. Personally I can't say as I like either of those aspects, so I just about totally ignore the crowd and immerse my consciousness in the process. Some probably think I'm pretty grumpy but it's actually a case of total involvement. I can't imagine how anybody can paint plein air and talk at the same time - amazing -

I made the mistake of smiling at a little boy who seemed particularly enthralled and hung behind my back for a while. When I packed up my gear I couldn't find my "wet painting separator strips" and I fear this ninito had something to do with it. I'm always pretty careful with my stuff but it shows you can't be too careful. The strips of course are worth about 1 centavo and will be totally of no use to the kid - just made the carry home a little miserable for us. Anyway, I was happy with both the paintings I did on Tuesday and it was a really good group to share two perfect days with. I hope we can do it again some time.

All next week is our yearly San Miguel workshop so we'll be doing lots more plein air and I'll post the results along with group photos the following week. It's a large group and some are pretty advanced painters - the weather coming up looks great and I'm looking forward to having  another exciting week!!