Laguna Recap Day 2

(Sorry for the centered formatting, for some reason blogger won't let me fix it.)

Second day into the LPAPA event, me and Jennifer head out to the shoreline just below Heisler park in Laguna Beach. It was an overcast day with a hint of mist in the air. Unfortunately, I was not feeling very well and definitely not interested in painting an overcast day. I get enough of that in Portland. 

Looking south at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach.

So we decided to paint something on Balboa Island, an area just outside of Newport Bay where it appeared to be sunnier and more promising on the eye. I heard it was a very colorful, unique place and it sure did have plenty of subject matter for an artist to consume.  Even though there were a lot of beautiful boats and sparkly water, for some reason I wanted to paint an alley. I think just the sight of one took me back to when I lived in San Diego as a teen running up and down those long sunny alleys to pluck avocados and pomegranates from the neighbors trees.  Mostly, I was interested in the warm and cool temperature of the high key scene.  I chose a method of underpainting that I learned back in 2009 from Master pastelist Maggie Price. The technique requires 3 blue pastels and 3 yellow pastels, ranging in values from dark to light, and they should be intense hues.  

Here is my underpainting using  the 3 blues for everything cast in shadow, and 3 yellows for everything touched by light. It gave the piece a sence of bright light and cool shadow.  I haven't used this technique very much, but I think I just may.

The Backway, 14x11" Pastel ©Brenda Boylan

After I completed "The Backway", I picked up a lunch and then returned to Laguna Beach to continue work on my ambitious urban scene.

Still much to do...

I'm 2/3rds of the way through this piece on Pacific Coast Hwy 1, near a busy intersection. As I was painting this piece, my adventure gets a bit coincidental.  My aunt Linda drove by with her dear friend Mary. You see, she lives 85 miles from this spot, so it was truly a coincidence that she passed by that very spot, at that very moment I am painting. I hear and see a lot of things while painting on the streets, like people singing to the radio in their car, cigarette butts thrown by my side, homeless trying to survive, sometimes a loud roar of a Harley engine, but the joyful yell "BRENDA?"  "Hey that's Brenda!" was welcomed. I recognized those voices and so they stopped to visit.  Good times.