Day Dreaming - A Plein Air Figurative Painting by Marian Fortunati

Day Dreaming © Marian Fortunati 9"x12" Oil on Linen

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The California Art Club's Annual Gold Medal Exhibition moved this year to the extremely impressive Autry Museum located near Griffith Park in Los Angeles.




Although previous exhibitions have been wonderful, I felt
this year's artwork, venue and all the hoopla and extras were the best yet.

Ray Roberts' amazing painting deservedly took the gold medal.  It was an eye poppingly beautiful coastal scene that I wished I could take home for my very own.

The Club hosted many events during the run of the show.  All were different but designed to bring people back to the show in the hope that they would find an artwork they couldn't live without.   I don't know for sure, but I think the show was a financial as well as an artistic success.

The day of the show's closing, the CAC hosted a paint out for all members.   While weather during the previous week was really awful, on Sunday, the day of the paint out, it was amazing!

Chuck Kovacik, who is an actor as well as a wonderful artist organized a group of models and reinactors... all in period dress.   They posed in long poses or short pose vignettes.  Between 70 - 150 artists and guests wandered around chatting, snapping photos and painting or sketching the model or models which struck their fancy.   I painted Toni a well-known artist's model from the Los Angeles area.   I've painted Toni many times.   This time she was in a vignette called "The Letter".   I decided that I didn't have enough time to paint the entire figure, so I narrowed my field down to a head and shoulder view.   I really loved the way the sun created light and dark on the hat she was wearing.

I am continually thrilled with how friendly artists in general are... even those I hadn't met before were happily chatting with anyone who seemed interested in talking.  I spent a lot of time chatting with friends, but I got most of what I wanted to capture there on site and then finished up at home.   I'm now wondering if I need to grey out the flowers on the side of Toni's head..... What do you think?

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