| Cold and Crisp With A Hint Of Clouds © Marian Fortunati 12" x 9" Oil on RayMar Canvas Panel |
We are experiencing a short break between California winter storms. It rained most of last weekend and tomorrow it's due to rain again. The weather reporters are saying we MIGHT even have snow in the lower elevations... something very rare here in Southern California. But although it was cold (for us) it was bright and crisp and clear on Wednesday when the Malibu/Ventura Chapter of the California Art Club met for its monthly paint out.
Ventura / Malibu California Art Club Chapter
A year or so ago when Sharon Kaiser first encouraged George Malone to schedule monthly paint outs for the chapter, there weren't many painters. But now we can count on a nice sized group of people, which always makes it more enjoyable because we have a chance to chat during lunch and we usually can walk around to see the wide range of painting styles that we each bring to the table when we paint outdoors. It's not only fun to get to know fellow artists, but it's instructive to see how they approach similar subjects as well. My friend Sharon Weaver, and I drove to Peter Strauss Ranch together. We were the first ones there, and after exploring and finding the restrooms, we gathered our gear and headed to spots that had attracted us. On my way I chatted with Rodolfo Rivademar, Joe Napolitano and Kathy Ikerd.
We all painted away. I was entranced by my view. I tried to capture the reflections of the tall eucalyptus and the new-growth bushes as well as the puffy clouds in the calm water of the stream. The stream was full because we had recently had a lot of rain. Occasionally the clouds would block the warm sun and the breeze would come up. Brrrrr! I was really happy that I had worn four thick layers to keep me warm. Diane Nelson-Gold came over and painted with me and when we broke from lunch I chatted with George, Dyane Jackman, Janet Papkin (happy birthday Janet), Diane, Sharon and Kathy. We also met two new painters.. Sharon and Jill.
Combining Brushwork and Palette Knife Work
Sometimes you get a really good feeling about how a painting is coming along. It's rather exhilerating. This was such a case. After I had blocked in most of my painting, I began to develop some of the areas with the brush, but I also had a chance to pull out my palette knife and practice with some different strokes to add interest and detail. I had a GREAT time was pretty happy with this piece especially when remembering what Rodolfo mentioned as the day began..... we are going to do a study.
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