End of August Street Scene and Still Life , San Miguel

'Green pepper with eggplant friends'  oil  9 x 12 in. After a trip to the Saturday organic market last week, I came home with these beautiful purple mini eggplants to paint. The green pepper looks large beside them.

Steve was just here visiting  for one week but enjoyed getting into the detail of this still life. Well done.

Still life with Limes and Apple oil  9.5 x 8 .25 in. I liked playing with the yellows, greens and blues in this one.Of course I like to get Mexican pottery into it  too.

Callejon Blanco 14 x 18 in oil One of my favorite streets in San Miguel. There's always something to paint here, either looking up or down towards San Juan de Dios Church. It's very short only 1 block long ,but packed full of painting opportunities.  Saludos Donna

A San Miguel Market Scene and vendors on the Street Aug 17 2011

"En el Mercado'' 9 x 12 oil. This the market scene we did in one of my classes at the end of July. This is the one everyone was complaining about it being too complicated! I liked getting into the Degas pastel colors.

"Platicando en la Calle" 9 x 9 oil on panel.( Sold)  The doll seller and and old lady chatting on the street . I loved doing their clothes and shadows. The doll sellers here in San Miguel wear really beautiful dresses and skirts.Just like the dolls they make. They are a lot of fun to paint.Donna

Paintings for the Daily Paint Works weekly Challenge

This was in response to the birthday wishes for artist Carol Marine this week., on the painting challenge. I thought this looked cheery enough for a birthday wish or 2. Tequila and limas ! I love the blown glass that they make here in San Miguel. Especially the blue! Donna

This is a small oil study ( 6" x 6") of 2 guitar players at a corner store in San Miguel. (Calle Refugio at Orizaba) .I had planned to enter it in the "challenge " about music, but didn't get around to it. Always carry your camera with you on the streets of San Miguel .You never know what's around the next corner, happy painting!. Donna

New plein air class this week at "the Monjas " Aug 15 2011, Mon. 9:00 am

From last Monday morning at El Charco, Botanical Gardens. The mist in the early morning was beautiful over the lake . 2 students from New York, Marina and Raisa doing watercolors from the dam. This week we will be painting from the grounds of the very old Monjas church at the corner of Canal and Hernandez Macias, next to the Bellas Artes. Remember hats and water, altho' there is some shade from some huge,old Laurel trees in the courtyard.See you there Donna

PLEIN AIR Monday El Charco Botanical Gardens. AUG. 8th /11 8:00 am

 

 

I entered this in the Daily Paintworks Challenge last week. You could only use Red ,Yellow ,and Blue plus white. Only 3 brushes and it had to be done on location . Time limit was one hour! A challenge in deed but it was fun.   

                                                                                                       

One can paint the lake as well , it's now filling up with water after a very dry season.

.Plein Air this week will be at El Charco . We'll meet at the entrance at 8 am to get the best light.Remember to bring a Sun hat , water and snacks. We'll probably be finished about 10:30am. It's very beautiful early in the morning! See you there Donna.

The Nopal Cactus are full of red "tunas" at this time of year.

One of the paths to wander in the park, this one leading to the canyon.

Monday Plein Air in the manana. Meet at location. 9:00 am Aug. 1st 2011

The market scene we painted in the studio week. This has a lot going on but you have to simplify simplify!!c Try to see the big areas. Don't get caught up in too many little details. Sometimes hard to avoid.Learn to generalize and see how little you can put in and still have the feeling of a lot of details.

On the far end Ann and Sheila and Dee and Joan, just beginning the market scene.

In the studio, from the left, Joan, Delores,Magdalena,Leslie and Joan B.. Hard at work. We worked on  this one  in 2 sessions.

Plein Air: August 1st.This week we will switch back to the morning, as there's a very interesting corner at Recreo at Terraplen that is best to paint in the morning.We will meet at 9:00m there at that corner instead of going to the gallery first. Many of my plein air enthusiasts have left San Miguel, so I'm thinking we will have a small group on Monday.
In the studio we have been working on various projects, a market scene and a still life with a copper vase.

Plein Air from Relox photos July 23 2011

This is the  colorful corner we were painting . The sun and shadow were a bit weak just as I took this picture. The values were actually stronger then this. The location of the gallery is upstairs in this yellow building the other side of this upper window, facing the Jardin or plaza. If you're not in San Miguel right now you might like to try this scene at home.

The doll sellers in their colorful dresses and skirts like to hang out in this area.

I'm calling this the challenge of painting outdoors.Or what can go wrong! We just got started when this bus parked in front of us!! Luckily they moved after  some suggestions from Liz.

A perfect afternoon painting on Calle Relox . Liz and I among the throngs. "We" were definitely the entertainment on the street today  We had crowds around us at times. Funny though when you're involved in you're painting one barely notices. saludos Donna