Lincoln Heights, hidden paradise.

Oh no no, Don't think palm trees and beaches. This is a rust and cement paradise as only the mangled urban planning in urban America can manage. The kind of planning that converts the original floor of the town into a basement. Jennifer, Eric and I had a blast painting in this area which is about to explode with lofts and gentrification. For now, it is full with the carcases of giant hangars and railways to nowhere, bridges and graffiti.

Global Warming is here

Los Angeles reached 110 degrees last Labor day weekend. It was miserable. And yet, Iwent out to paint. Besides shifting light, plein-air painters are exposed to the weather. Can you capture weather in painting? If you ever saw a Miyazaki movie you know weather can be evoked. In his movies, the landscapes are more of a character than any of the humans that populate them.


Little witty tid-bits aside. This is what I managed in the 100PLUS weather. It is a view of an Altadena road. After painting this I have observed cars more closely. Nothing in a landscape can be brighter than the metallic reflection of the sun on a car's body on a sunny day . Not even the sky. From now on, I'll keep this in mind to be able to evoke the specular glints that make cars so distinct.