Micheal Obermeyer Demo for LPAPA at Brommer Canyon

Brommer Canyon plein air pastel on board with pumice gel and acrylic underpainting 24"X 36"

I had never painted at Brommer Canyon.  It is held by the Irvine Conservancy.  I had never painted with Michael but I had seen his paintings and I thought they were beautiful.

I got there a little early but there was very limited parking.  Other LPAPA members were parking in the fire lane.  Because I intended to paint as well as watch the demo I decided it would be better to not risk getting ticketed or towed.  I parked at a park a mile down the road and hiked back into paint out site.  I carry about 50 pounds of gear.

By the time I got back the demo was in full swing.  Michael had chosen the perfect location for his demo.  He was extremely easy going and his painting appeared on the canvas the same way.  It just appeared like magic.

Michael shared stories about the painters he has met along his journey and some of the advice he had taken from them.  He spoke about his progression as a artist and the friends he has made because of painting.

I found myself searching for the subject of my painting.  It seems I can't help myself.  I anticipate painting for another three hours after the demo and I just have to start painting.

There are so many options for the composition at any location; it becomes a matter of your unique vision.  I use my camera to help develop the initial idea for the composition.

I really liked Michael's color choices for the hills and the way it all fit together within his painting.

The clouds were interesting to me but they were fast moving.  It is always difficult capturing moving elements like waves.  You have to pick a point and commit to it.  I find it especially true with waves and moving water.  

Michael was just about finished with his painting.  I could sneak away and start without being rude.  It is always interesting to see these accomplished artists paint.  I am always secretly optimistic about getting some magical advice that will open the door to another level of skill for me.

It was getting warmer and the clouds would disappear soon.

I picked this location because it appeared to have been cut back recently.  I did not want to be stomping on an area that they were restoring.

One last look at the demo and I was off to the race against the light and the changing elements.

The following pictures are compositional reference photographs.  This vista offered many possibilities.

I started laying in the basic shapes within the painting so that I could put the clouds into context.  When I saw an arrangement of clouds that were interesting I quickly put down their shape.  I also established the range of values within each of the other parts of the painting.  The trees running along the left hand side of the painting, the hills in the background and the field and path in the foreground were distinct areas that I tried to pull together though color and value.

I worked to establish the range of values within the clouds while the shapes were still fresh in my mind.

The biggest success of the painting were the clouds.  I came into this painting most interested about them.  I nailed them early in the painting and left them alone.  You can see that from the beginning till the end they are essentially unchanged.

Although the painting is not near finished; I think it is stronger at this point than when I finished.  I really like the shapes with the exclusion of the path.   I should have changed the shape of the path and the way it cuts through the composition.  It is too parallel to the bottom of the painting.  The shape around the turn is not graceful.

About 2 hours into the painting a volunteer for the Irvine Conservancy said the ranger was coming and that it might not be ok to paint where I was.  This after I specifically asked him if my location was ok to paint from.  I picked up my stuff and moved to where Michael had done his demo.

There was a great turn out for the this paint out / demo.  This put some pressure on the facility and the people who volunteered their time for the Irvine Conservancy.

When I paint I try to stay out of the way as much as possible.  My gear takes up quite a bit of space.  

When I was asked to move I was in the last stages of the painting.  It was all about finishing touches.  Even though there were elements I was not happy with it was past the point of return.  I moved to the space where Michael did his demo.  

The change in viewpoint would have been a big deal an hour or two earlier, but at this stage in the painting it did not matter.  In fact, I had my back to the scene I was painting.  It was more about manipulating what was already on my board than anything else.

In the end you have to know when to stop.  There is only so much you can do.  To go farther to try to save a painting is worse than leaving it with opportunities.  Keep things in context.  It is just another painting along your journey towards full expression.

The finished painting.  Bommer Canyon 24"X 36" plein air pastel on board with pumice gel and acrylic paint.

The value shot.

The detail shot