Sunday, June 5, 2011

2 From Pt. Reyes

2 weekends ago, I made a trip out to Pt. Reyes with Ernesto Nemesio and Sharon Calahan. The wind was a major factor the entire day. We hiked out to the lighthouse, as well as Chimney Rock, where we all went off trail to get out of the wind a bit, and paint a cliff. Next we drove to Drake's Beach and the wind came right with us, so we ended up huddled near a cliff, painting some rather suspect looking water at the back end of the beach. We drove around quite a bit studying other locales, finally ending up in Bear Valley by the visitor's center as the light was turning golden. Thankfully there was less wind in the valley, and I worked on a simple composition of silhouettes and grasses in the warm light. It was a good day.


8 comments:

James Baker said...

These are lovely, Bill. We were in the wind that same weekend but up a little further north, in Mendocino

Julia Lundman said...

ha Jamie beat me to it! Yes, I was going to say we had a difficult time with the wind as well up North in Mendocino that weekend.

These are beautiful as always! Gorgeous!

Matt Jones said...

Those 2 pieces are stunning Bill - all the more impressive considering the weather conditions !

Sonya Johnson said...

Beautiful as always, Bill. Kudos to you to braving the wind to paint - it kept me from heading outdoors to paint last weekend.

Anonymous said...

Hi Bill,

Awesome!!!!

Does this mean that we will be seeing ocean related compositions? Hoping and will save money :) There are some amazing places in West Marin: Bolinas, Mt Tam, Point Reyes Station, Jenner. I know that Ernesto painted at Jenner from his previous shows.

Best,

cK

PS. A few months ago, I tried to attend your lecture at Oakland Museum. Unfortunately, it was super crowded and I could not get in. Waved but you did not see me.

karlsimon said...

Nice studies! Every time I see grass rendered effortlessly like that it reminds me of Bruno Liljefors' work.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Bruno_Liljefors_-_Katt_p%C3%A5_f%C3%A5geljakt%2C_1883.jpg

But no doubt you have heard of him already!

Bill Cone said...

@Jamie & Julia: Thanks for comments. Yes, the wind
really 'drove' our choices about where and what to paint that day. The seals of course, could care less.

@ Matt: Thanks!

@ Sonya: You just have to layer up and keep low and keep an eye on your umbrella. Mine almost blew over a cliff at one point.

@Charles: There is so much to paint around the bay area I'll never be done with it. It would be fun to make more painting trips out to west Marin. Who knows!

@Karl: Thanks for the link! I'd never heard of or seen this person's work. That's a nice piece. Yes, the same foliage 'challenges' I think have caught many a painters eye over the centuries. It is a fun problem to try and decode. A lot of sliver shaped hues and values, and these recessed, trapped 'holes' of darkness. Its a persian rug of sorts, though perhaps more subtle and irregular...

Paul's Blog said...

Really enjoying reading your blog and admiring your work Bill. A fellow artist "Carolyn" PSWC gave me the links. I just bought a Better Brella, and am hoping it performs well in windy conditions. I have read good reviews on it.