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Musings Of A Painter
by Marian Fortunati on 2/2/2010 12:25:19 PM
The CAC's monthly paint out was rained out by the spate storms that came through SoCal in the last few weeks so some of us emailed one another decided to try to team up and go out on a different day.
"Leo Carrillo" SOLD
Maria Klar had suggested that we meet at Leo Carrillo State Beach and since I'd not been there painting, I jumped on the opportunity. I drove out with Sharon Weaver and there we met Maria and Nita. WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!!! When Sharon and I arrived, it was calm and warm and clear. we each set up and began painting. By the time Maria and Nita arrived just a short time later, the wind had kicked up a bit and the temperature dropped some, but it was still clear and beautiful.
I had decided to take a larger (11x14) RayMar board... I wanted to stretch myself a bit. It was also (gulp) linen. I really enjoy painting on linen but I'm so darn cheap thrifty. Since not everything I try turns out wonderfully, it KILLS me to spend the extra bucks on a support with out knowing it will be WONDERFUL. (OMG!!! ;o) ) I know............ I need to get over it. Interestingly, since I've started experimenting with different supports, I've found that I like plain MDF boards that I've coated with toned gesso, canvas boards AND linen boards... I like them ALL... but for different reasons. It adds another layer of decision making before I start out... but that kinda adds to the fun, too.
If time spent trying to get something down on the support counts as progress, I know I've gotten to be better as I've been painting outside over the last few years. I used to go out with a small board or canvas - usually 8x10 or smaller and I'd labor for well over 3 hours and end up with ..... well it was the best I could do... but ... well, you know. Now I can go out for an hour with a 6x8 like last Thursday and come up with something I liked. After about 2 1/2 hours on Friday I felt I had gotten a decent painting and was fearful of doing more and messing it up.
 I walked to the port-a-potties then to the car to get our lunches and came back to see how the others were doing. Maria was finished and the others were wrapping up. I left my lunch with Maria to watch and went back down to the rocks to clean up my stuff. There I found my brushes all over the rocks!! A seagull had apparently flown down to snatch what he though might be a snack and LUCKILY dropped the bag of brushes on the rocks and not over the side of the cliff! Just then I heard a loud yell. When I returned to find out what was going on, I found that as Maria had turned her head away, another fearless gull had grabbed my PB & J sandwich bag right out of a big paper lunch bag and flown off with it! We stood on the cliff and watched as the gulls fought over my lunch, (Maria even took a photo!) then later we walked down to the sandy area where my lunch was no more and chatted as Maria and Sharon ate their lunch.
No worries... I'm a LONG way off from starving to death and it only made the day more memorable!! 
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7 Responses to Plein Air Adventures
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I really like the photos you took as well as your painting. Very nice and I hope you and Sharon had a nice day.
Ruth
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I appreciate the visit and the time it took for you to leave your thoughts!
We had an absolutely terrific time that day.. Going outside to paint is always an adventure.. that's why we keep doing it I guess!
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Also thanks Marian, for those lovely note cards; beautiful scenes, and I like your heightened color sense.