Sunny Monday Morning

Start

You wouldn't know it from the look of this but it turned out to be a very busy location. Busy, maybe a bit chilly in the shade with a constant cool wind but in some ways perfect. There is motorcycle parking just behind where we were standing, with a 20 foot open space to the corner, so we were again in nobody's way. Not that it matters much in San Miguel - it's pretty hard to strain the peoples seemingly endless patience. But the sidewalks are only about 2 feet wide in places, so it feels a lot better to plunk our easels somewhere a bit out of the way. Being the slow season we only had 1 student again this morning and that too opens up a larger number of places to set up. We had a cool morning, all doing well. Elaine has painted with us for years and is freshly back from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She  thought the morning here was really warm and balmy. Donna and my blood has obviously thinned in the usual heat because we were freezing! I guess we won't be flying back to Canada to paint snow this winter - we would most certainly perish. 

Well, the colors of this scene really caught our collective eye and I was reasonably happy with my work this morning. I'll probably do a few strokes yet and maybe add some hominids. We had hundreds go by us and they seemed pretty appreciative, so we didn't have to yell at them to go away when they stayed to stare and stare.

"Calle Codo Colors"  9x12 ins. oil on panel

In the end I decided I'd seen bastante people today so I left all trace of the folks out. The interest in this picture was the color any way and I thought it was better left nice and bare. Maybe I'll do a bigger one of it some time and add some human interest - for now es completo.

This morning on Recreo

3 hours into this mornings subject

We had another small class this morning as not too many student painters are in town this time of year. I was a little late to the site but Donna and Yvonne had found a really great place to paint from on this busy, busy street. There's a parking lot inside the large gate to the left and the muchachos put out pylons to keep cars from parking too close to the gate - the street is so narrow that if they parked too close, cars (especially long ones) couldn't make the turn. As it is, biggies like suburbans have to do it in 2 or 3 goes. Well, there was a small car parked behind the pylon to their backs and the 2 of them squeezed into the space left between the trunk and the pylon. Best of all, the 2 of them let me squeeze in between them to paint. It worked out fantastically well and we all had a great time. The lot gate kept the view mostly clear in front of us and the guy with the trunk behind us didn't move his car.

I don't care for the alignment of the red car, dark doorway and church dome. However, it was even worse in reality and I had to alter things a bit to get the composition to come off as well as it did. I'll put a few finishing touches on this, this afternoon or maybe in the morning when I'm a bit fresher. I could almost leave it as is but I think it would be fun to tweak it a bit.

the subject

I used some license in removing both the yellow pylon and the back of Yvonnes head. Also, I should note that it was sunny at first but I didn't get around to taking the photo 'till about noon. Remember - always take your reference photo BEFORE you begin !!!  NO EXCEPTIONS !!!!

"Calle Recreo" 9x12 ins.

FINISHED