Una Tarde Tranquilo

"Una Tarde Tranquilo"

12x16 ins. oil on panel

This was started in the Jardin  (just across from our gallery) on Monday afternoon about Siesta time. I had the color and design worked out that afternoon but in my opinion the scene deserved a lot more "finish", so I worked on it during this week. It was quite a challenge from start to finish but I enjoyed the task immensely. Luc joined me on the park bench I'd already laid claim to and we had a great time discussing everything from general ethics to the federal reserve. I find it more than a little distracting to deal with heavy issues like that when doing plein air but in this case I'd already made a lot of decisions before he arrived so it sort of worked .....in a way. All in all it was a memorable afternoon. We had a lot of grinning people watching us as the work progressed. They probably thought we were making "artist talk" - I can't help but wonder if they'd still be grinning if they knew what we were talking about.

Monday Morning in the Jardin

"Early Monday Morning"

9x12  oil

It's always nice and quiet in the Jardin Principal on a Monday morning. Donna's group picked a very nice scene out on the perimeter but there was no shade and it seemed like if I joined them it would create a bit of a bottleneck between a set of benches and the Jardin wall. So I chose a nice spot in the shade and really enjoyed putting this one together.

Yes, it was fun but as you can see in this photo taken by Sylvia Brenner, I was more than a bit chilly. The students out in the sun were all melting and here I was working on a case of mild hypothermia. This has happened every plein air session this month. I try to find a place in the shade which is fine strategy for 10 months of the year but in winter if a breeze comes up you can end up miserably cold. This year it has been especially cool here in S. Miguel. It still struggles up into the 20's (celcius) every afternoon but goes to near freezing over night. However, Spring is about 4 weeks away and I guess we'll soon be complaining about the heat! ................... at least our paint won't be going stiff on the palette - hate that!!

2 nu 4 u

  SHADY NOOK

9x12 in. oil

We finally had a nice fairly warm morning on Monday and 4 of us painted up on the Parroquia grounds. I've painted the church once or twice before so I turned my back on that worthy subject and found the above to be an interesting challenge. I'm not sure anybody else will like it but I do .......so there!

In the afternoon Luc, Donna and I met up again and did another one - this time on the other side of the Parroquia fence, facing the Jardin. C BELOW

LATE AFTERNOON

9x12 in. oil

All in all it was a very nice, full day of painting shared with a small but very enthusiastic group. A lot of regulars have returned for the winter lately so I expect the plein air sessions are going to get more crowded but I'm looking forward to it. It's always interesting to see what everyone else is doing.