Palo Alto Baylands

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I made new friends today as I [finally] joined the POPs plein air group. Most of them are oil painters, but there were a couple of watercolorists.
There is a hint of the very mirrorlike and reflective bay in the first painting. It was actually a small puddle. I made it much bigger, and reflected the building in it, to acknowledge the water all around us. A group of school kids stopped and chatted with me - I love plein air, though I was terrified of doing any brushwork while they stood around me. I need lots of space where people aren't moving erratically near me. There they are, on the path on the left. The shadows got even more dramatic as I ended this painting - they were slashing diagonally across each bay.
The second painting is of a cabin near where we had lunch. The shadow side is a strange color, but overall, I like the looseness and want to be looser still.
As I drove away after lunch, I saw an airfield/aviation club on Embarcadero Road. I need to go back and paint some planes.



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