Every moment is filled. There are too many places to see, too many people to meet, too many places to paint. So, today’s blog will only show the morning painting session on Day 4.
Roomie and I skipped the morning announcements and found our way to the Carmel Mission. I love those 21 missions and give the credit to my 4th grade teacher at Ivanhoe Elementary School. I drew the Carmel Mission a long time ago.
The mission seems to be more of a museum than a church now , not opening until 10 a.m., and charging admission, so Roomie and I set up behind an elevated cross where we could look over the wall into the courtyard.
I propped my borrowed easel minus a tripod on the wall, and started with a horizontal format.
Nope, the tower was too tall so I flipped the canvas around. Looks square in this photo, but it is vertical, 8×10″.
This is the view, and that tree blocked the rose window. Nothing to be done except to try and paint the tree.
Roomie and I painted together, and I quit before she did. She is accustomed to plein air painting and knows how to push through to a completed painting whereas I reach a point where I just give up, figuring on fixing all the messed up places later.
So, while I waited for her, I walked to the gate and held the camera on the other side of the slats for this photo.
There were so many flowers in bloom in the garden, both inside the gate and outside. This is Lady Banks rose, which blooms in about April in Three Rivers.
Check out the matiliha (matilija? matilijah?) poppies!
Good enough. I want to finish this at home, get all the architectural details right and fix that dominant tree. I don’t know why it was so hard. I texted my friend JC this observation: plein air is desperately difficult.
But I KNOW I can make this painting look better (when I can reclaim my life and have some uninterrupted studio time!)
One last photo, and then we headed to our next destination for afternoon painting. I think I could fill two weeks of just painting at the Carmel Mission (and then taking them all home to fix).
2 Comments
Matilija. I love these poppies.
I think your drawing of the Carmel Mission is better than any plein air painting could be. Is the goal of this plein air painting workshop to make you a better artist overall? It doesn’t seem to match your style of more detailed painting.
Marjie, you are exactly right. There is something about plein air that is supposed to improve one’s painting abilities, and I am learning a few things that will possibly make me a better painter. But overall, plein air looks messy to me, and every painting that I do will require much studio repair in order to meet my standards.