State Park Marina

SOLD

If you ever stop by Morro Bay, California and by the State Park Marina, you will see a sight like this. The marina has about 8 slips to lease out.  Standing on the north shore, facing south, you could see a similar  view repeated on each of the 5 docks.   I've had the idea to paint this for quite a while now.  The kids and I go to the state park every so often.  On the south side the park system has installed a wooden boardwalk  that circles the peninsula.  Its a great walk if you have an hour or so.

Those of you who have been following my painting since the beginning will recognize that many of the first paintings I did were boats, and I always knew I would make my way back to them.

I've been getting to "tight" with my painting recently, and I purposely painted this one more quickly that ones I have done recently.  Sans drawing, this painting took me about 40 minutes start to finish.  Not bad, that still gave me time to eat my lunch at a leisurely pace.  I like this one, and hope you do too.

Bayside Cafe

I have been thinking of painting all the landmarks in Morro Bay.  To see if I could do it I did a few quick paintings yesterday.  They turned out OK.  The problem for me is that same problem I've had all along.  DRAWING.  Having not had a drawing class since Mrs. Mudrack's class in high school.  Drawing is tough.  I have been working on it.

Yesterdays quick sketches gave me a little hope so today I decided to give a go on the Bayside Cafe.  It is located in the State Park, right on the water.

So, armed with a little confidence, resolve and dogged determination, I set out to draw, and paint.  Let me pat myself on the back for a second (pat, pat).  This was drawn in PEN.  Did you get that?  PEN, no pencil.  Once I started, I was all in, for good or bad.  It did take just a while to draw it, but the painting went great. OK, there are a few problems.  The perspective is off in a few places.  I know, I know.  But without an eraser, i was forced to forge ahead.  From a drawing perspective, this is like 5 times as difficult as most of my others.

In talking to my painting partner, Ed, (who is learning to watercolor at the same time) he suggested that it may not be quite enough to mix colors in the tray and then put a homogenous color on the paper.  These are watercolors after all, let the paint mix on the paper.  I am trying to take that advice to heart.  If you look in the painting, you can see that most of the colors change ever so slightly as they lay across the paper.  I do think it adds to the interest of the painting.  I am trying to do it even more.  Please click on the picture to enlarge it, it will look much better.