Joshua Tree Field trip

Last Sunday the Mt. Washington Painters organized a field trip to Joshua Tree. Our first.
It was hot already but lots of flowers greeted us , albeit not in big masses. Boulders like those of Joshua Tree are interesting by themselves but it is an easy mistake to think they will translate into interesting paintings. A painting has to explain itself and curious shapes and stains that look perfectly natural in real life might look as bizarre design elements in a painting. Rocks color shifts are very interesting and subtle and the form beautiful layers. So the utmost observation of tones and realism, or else, invention and design seem the best approach. I chose the former but my piece became a little cloyed nevertheless.




And here i am looking dashing but dehydrated.












And one of the results of my toils.

Thomas F Riley Wilderness.

I got an unexpected vacation so I wasted no time scrambling to find painting opportunities. The Laguna Plein Air Painters had organized an outing with Michael Obermeyer at the Thomas F Riley Wilderness by Coto De Caza (can you say $!) . It was rainy and it was far but I was desperate to start being productive. I got there and it was ...closed. Due to the rain. Fortunately, fellow Pasadenian and european artist Mathias Fischer pulled right behind me on his car with the same disappointed look and so together summoned the courage to jump the fence. Just to find everyone had gotten inside ahead of the closure. It was a wet morning but I soldiered on until the sun gave us the most amazing clouds in the afternoon. No flower masses bur extensive green meadows and some challengingly "simple" compositions. I did three pieces.