The third event of my marathon run of plein air shows was the "Gualala Arts Open Plein Air Affair." Kind of a mouthful of a title, right? A lot of people aren't familiar with the small seaside town of Gualala, but it's right on the border of the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. It is a beautiful stretch of coastline, and the boundaries of acceptable places to paint stretched from Jenner to the tiny town of Elk. Being in Santa Rosa, an hour drive just to start painting for this event does take some effort, but at least I know where to go, being one of my favorite places to paint anyway.
Stamping is required for this event, which seems unnecessary if you ask me. With most of us being from out of town, having to drive nearly two hours just to check in makes it a big effort to participate. Vanessa and I drove up on Sunday the 8th to check in and get our canvases stamped. From there, we continued north to Stornetta Public Lands, which is just north of the town of Point Arena. There are beautiful unique cliffs there that are really fun to paint. Though the sun never quite came out the way I wanted it to, I still enjoyed the painting I produced there.
"Coastal Cliff Colors" 6x8 inches. Gouache on illustration board.
I went with a close-up of this outcropping of rocks and cliffs. Not much of an iconic view or anything, but I enjoyed the overlapping diagonals and the shadow patterns created there. When you're painting on a relatively smooth surface in gouache, your tools need to provide the texture and edge control that's needed to make a complete painting.
After finishing this piece, we went to try and go find some amount of sunshine. Unfortunately, the fog hung around the coastline the entire day, always threatening to go but never doing so.
We went to a favorite spot in Salt Point known as Phillips Gulch. It's best known for having a small waterfall that goes straight into the ocean. I painted a scene that was more of the creek that creates the waterfall because it had these pretty monkeyflowers growing around it. It added a pop of color to an otherwise very gray scene.
"Foggy Hues At Phillips Gulch" 8x10 inches. Gouache on paper mounted to board.
The challenge of a complex scene like this is making sure that all the parts feel cohesive. This was achieved by keeping things as neutral as possible in the color (while still varying the grays) and making sure a clear hierarchy of values is established. As things retreat into the fog, they get lighter (closer to the value of the sky) and contrast less.
The way I had to plan out this event meant that if I was in the boundary of the event during this week I would paint one for this event, and another for Sonoma Plein Air. I had already predetermined that I would try to do an 11x14 inch painting somewhere around Jenner on Wednesday.
The fog had threatened to make its way over to me, but I thought I'd have the opportunity to paint in the light I wanted.
"In The Cover Of Fog" 11x14 inches. Oil on linen mounted to board.
It turns out I was very wrong in my gamble. As soon as I put the first stroke down, the fog completely enveloped Goat Rock, my subject in this painting. The fog was thin enough to still get some highlights on some of the rocks.
I was a bit surprised that so many people were drawn to this piece, even though it didn't sell. I think it's a painting that has the appeal of black and white photos. The judge remarked to me that he almost gave it an award. I am not surprised that it didn't find a new home. Most people don't like to be reminded of the fog when they think of the beaches of Northern California. This isn't to say that I've never sold foggy coastal paintings; they do require a certain personality type though.
It wasn't until the following Monday that I was able to paint specifically for this event again. Sonoma was in the rear view, and I could finally dedicate my efforts to one event.
"The Tranquil Cliffs Of Black Point" 6x12 inches. Gouache on paper mounted to board.
I had to go back up to Gualala Arts Center to get a couple of panels stamped. I didn't realize I hadn't gotten a couple of my panels I planned to work on stamped yet. In all the shuffling around of mediums and other supplies from car to studio and back, things get lost or left behind. My oil painting tripod met its end during the Sonoma event, so I had to put the tripod mount from my gouache box on my oil easel. I did not remember to put it back on my gouache box. Oops! Fortunately, I had my portable camp chair, and I could keep my box on my lap. Not ideal but it works in a pinch. It was another really nice day without a lot of wind so it worked out ok.
For my final painting of the event, I did something I really don't recommend doing for events if you can help it: I went to a spot I've never explored before. Especially as the light was rapidly going away, I knew it was gonna be a risk. Fortunately I found a great spot to paint from, and I think the gamble paid off this time.
"Evening Glow On The Pacific Edge" 9x12 inches. Gouache on paper mounted to board.
I only had about an hour to work in the light around me, so I didn't have time to really compose this one. It was going to be all instinctual painting. I did do some work on it in the studio, but it was mainly refining the shapes established from life, and punching up some highlights here and there. The sky got dirty too, so I had to repaint the washes.
I also brought "The Mist And Roaring Tide" from the Sonoma Plein Air event to the show for judging, bringing my total paintings submitted to six.
For my efforts, I was able to get a $100 Judge's Award for "The Tranquil Cliffs Of Black Point" from Clark Mitchell. Vanessa also got the same award for one of her paintings. Joe Altwer was awarded the grand prize for his painting of a house in Stewarts Point.
If I were to do these three weeks over again, I probably would have dropped the Gualala Plein Air event from my schedule. As much as I love painting out there, it took too much away from my Sonoma Plein Air efforts. I don't think I would have made nearly as many mistakes had I not been having to juggle priorities for so many weeks in a row. Not only that, but I would have put more time and care into my paintings for Sonoma. Sonoma is just inherently more lucrative of an event than Gualala's could ever be, so it makes more financial sense to focus more on it.
For all of you painters "on the circuit," I would recommend really considering if doing so many in a row is really worth it. There are a lot of ways that things can go wrong, and there's no guarantee that it will all pay off in the end. If this is your livelihood, then sure go for it, but you have to have the type of mind that can keep track of everything. If you don't possess that type of mind, then you might not succeed in this situation.
If you are interested in seeing these paintings in person, then kudos if you make the effort. Gualala is not an easy place to get to by any means, but if you can make a weekend out of it, I highly recommend either staying in the town of Gualala, or a cute little roadside boutique motel in Point Arena called The Wildflower. Make plans soon though, because the show ends on the 6th of October.
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