View from Red Bud Isle

View from Red Bud Isle, 8 x 10

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This was painted all on-site last Saturday morning at our Plein Air Austin paint-out at a beautiful municipal dog park on Red Bud Isle in the middle of upper Ladybird Lake. I've been across the bridge that passes the isle hundreds of times, but had never stopped. Downtown Austin is a little over a mile downstream around this bend. This was painted relatively quickly (for me), as we got a late start due to the line of cars waiting to get in. Including set-up and packing up afterward, it took a little over two hours.

Drying Up

Drying Up, 8 x 6

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This belated posting is from a PAA paintout in May along the Blanco River in San Marcos. I initially wasn't sure it was a worthy attempt, but every time I've come across it since, it told me, very quietly at first, that it just needed a few strokes to bump the contrast and add a bit more clean color. There's probably not a drop of water at this spot today, but I'm glad this plein air moment refused to let me ignore it. You can view the start below.

Waiting for a Ride

Waiting for a Ride, 12 x 12

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This was painted from a friend's photo reference taken on Balboa Island this spring. A typically beautiful morning at the marina, I'm guessing.

Workshop Work

Corona Del Mar State Beach, 8 x 10

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Last week I had the pleasure of attending a workshop in Newport Beach, California with Randall Sexton and a dozen or so other acolytes. Randall gave a demo each day and, among many other things, emphasized the importance of squinting down to help, not only identify value relationships, but to help with the overall composition through the abstract patterns made by the large dark masses. He also stressed the benefit of painting in "large puzzle pieces" to cover the canvas, without necessarily mapping in a line under-painting first. This can help keep the painting loose. The study above and the three following are all fairly quick plein air attempts at using these methods, without later going back to "fix" imperfections.

Continental Club

Continental Club, 20 x 16
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The Continental Club has been around since the late fifties and is one of the most beloved of Austin's music venues. I like to think it will never disappear.

South Congress

South Congress, 12 x 12

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This picture was painted from a reference photo I took while painting in south Austin a couple months ago  (click here to see my November 16 post from last year, "Jo's"). This view looks north from in front of the Continental Club. The state capitol is about a mile and a half farther in this direction, across the Colorado River.