LPAPA Paint Out with Saim Caglayan

It was a perfect day to paint but it did not look that way when I woke up.  The 35 mile drive to the mission made a big difference in the weather conditions.  

Saim was running late so it gave me the opportunity to walk around the grounds and take pictures.  I had picked the location I wanted to paint a week before the paint out.  One of my recent projects is to paint in the same location as historical plein air painters.  I found the spot with no trouble.  The idea of painting in the same spot 93 years later changed my perspective.

This location is so ripe with subjects to paint it can be a distraction.

A rare group photo.  Usually we just meet for a quick introduction and then begin the demonstration.  I really like it when a large group of painters show up.  To see everyone painting and sharing their ideas is a highlight for me.  The different perspectives and styles lends me a glimpse into my own growth.

I want to start painting some plein air florals in the future.  I think that it will be interesting to paint some larger color shapes that will fill the composition in a different way than my landscapes.

Saim came walking into the mission like he was walking onto a movie set.  He was the star of the show and had no problem playing the part.  He greeted the painters, shared a quick moment with some of the people he knew, and then strolled the grounds looking for his subject.  He used his hands like a telescope to find the composition.

Once he settled on his subject, he spoke a little about his decision making process.  He chose a part of the mission that was back lit.  It was nice to see him painting on a slightly larger canvas than last time.

I really like the colors he makes.  He is always bringing the heavy saturated colors into his paintings.  There was not a lot of instruction, which was nice for a change.  I had a lot of painting to do and I would need every bit of it to get done.

What a great location for a demonstration.

Saim's painting blocked in.

Saim had a very interesting composition.  His use of the edge of the lily pond was something that I would not have thought of doing.

It is always interesting to see what everyone is drawn to from a composition and subject matter standpoint.

I already had this board in the car.  The board acts as a cue to the colors that I use in the painting.  The other way I could have gone would have been to go with a sienna or purple color.  Because I was painting the same scene Alison Skinner Clark I was influenced to a certain degree by the pallet of colors he used for his painting.

After I set up Bing set up and started painting.  As you can see we have this walk way on lock down.  A docent asked Bing to move a couple of times but she held her ground.  She would just agree to move and then keep on painting.  I thought she was going to get us kicked out.  After the second request the docent just gave up.

This composition was different for me.  I usually do not put a lot of buildings in my paintings.  The perspective of the arches and the posts was something I really have not done.  I was patient and took my time to let the perspective take form.

I had to change the angle of the shadows.  

Saim's finished painting.

Fernando's finished painting.

The finished painting.  24"X 36" soft pastel on board under painted with acrylic paint and pumice gel.

The value shot.

The detail shot.

The painting by Alison Skinner Clark on a post card for the current show at the Irvine Museum. Irvine Museum