White House Cafe

 

I loved sketching the White House Cafe during the Augusta Plein Air Art Festival!  Standing in front of my booth - I had this amazing view of the White House Cafe, so I sketched it!  This place has been restored since I last was here, and it is great fun to capture the progress. Once sketched, I added watercolor, as I visited, and this painting was finished before I knew it.  I love the small town charm in this historic place!  Painting number 3775 in 3775 days. 

Family Tree Umbrellas

 

It's a tropical getaway each time I sketch at Family Tree Nursery!  My first time back after renovations - I love what they've done here.  There were so many gorgeous things to paint inside, but I just HAD to spend my time in the greenhouse, soaking up warmth and humidity on this cold January day!  LOVE painting here!  Painting number 3679 in 3679 days and day 31 of the #stradaeasel challenge. 

Rozelle Court

I love meeting artist friends on Mondays for a little sketch time and lunch!  Wanting to use my ink and watercolor, there are only a few places inside the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to do so.  One of them is Rozelle Court, the terrace cafe where lunch is served, complete with the fountain.  I love the complicated architecture, with columns and arches to up the drama in this historic interior.  Added bonus - a delicious lunch is my reward!  Painting number 4400 in 4400 days.

Chezelle

I could not have imagined such an inspiring cafe scene as this, when I headed up to the city's west side to meet artist friends. They all knew this place - and somehow I never knew it existed!  The light poured onto those red umbrellas, lighting up the whole place.  This first sketch I've done in ink and watercolor, but I am already painting this in oils in my mind! Something large and flashy, and very French in feel - it will be a if in visiting a French Cafe every time I walk by the painting!  I can hardly wait to start!  Painting number 4223 in 4223 days. 

Stella's

 I love a quick sketch on the street - especially when the scene is as lovely as this one!  Upon arriving in the charming town of Sainte Genevieve, we stopped into this little Cafe for a late lunch.  It was delicious, so I captured a slice of our day in ink and watercolor.  It was too hot to sit outside, but maybe next time we will!  Painting number 3099 in 3099 days. 

Wine for Two

Although I rarely get the chance, I love to paint en plein air at night.  This table set for two, complete with wine and glasses made the perfect subject for a nocturne painting.  I start with a dark panel, and begin by laying in the light masses where I find them.  Trying to pay attention to the temperature of that light is trickier when done in low light.  I do not like artificial light for night painting, so I use a porch light to see what I can on my palette and panel.  I never truly know what I have until I view the painting in the light of tre next day!  Painting number 2317 in 2317 days.

Roasterie Roaster

What a fun urban sketching event!  This morning we all met at the Roasterie in 27th Street for our monthly sketch crawl.  SO much to paint!  The cafe, the bakery, the cupping room, and this big, beautiful roasters - wow, what a treat!  I could have stayed all day to capture all the wonderful equipment and bustle!  Painting number 1840 in 1840 days.

Red Oak Autobus

I knew I had to draw this as soon as I rounded the corner.  So much nostalgia and character on this autobus-turned-cafe!  After painting the street scene with the Town Hall as the focus,  I pulled out my favorite journal to sketch this bus in ink.  Perspective is everything here,  so the lines needed to be correct.  I paused before adding watercolor,  but decided to wash in the color gently,  skipping over the rough surface.  There are so many historic buildings here - I wish I could paint them all!!  There is just never enough time!   Painting number 1555 in 1555 days :)

Coffee & Red Umbrellas

Coffee & Red Umbrellas
Acrylic on masonite, 6x6

Today, I feel like I have turned a corner on the small street scene paintings.  After struggling with these compositions, this one came together more naturally.  For one thing, I squinted way down to see the masses, and blocked them in by chunks.  I had been blocking in each person as they entered the composition, and this was not at all fluid.  I also used my palette knife (Princeton catalyst) to add some interesting texture.  I have not picked up a real palette knife since I first used a catalyst.  They have completely taken over the knife work for me.  I hope the next cafe scene flows even more smoothly!  This painting makes 1177 in 1177 days :)

Pink Umbrella Lunch

Pink Umbrella Lunch
Acrylic on masonite, 7x5

Back to the cafe scenes - and back to struggling my way through!  I want to be loose, and therefore use impressionistic strokes, hoping to define the people with a few gestural strokes.  Why is this so challenging for me?  I may need to do 100 of these before they become natural - and I will surely need a straight jacket by the end of such a feat!  I will stick to it, even though I very much want to lapse into something fun and easy!  This cafe scene is the 1176th painting in 1176 days.

Blue Umbrella Cafe

Blue Umbrella Cafe
Acrylic on masonite, 6x6

Oh my gosh!  This was such a challenge!  I think cafe scenes with people, chairs and umbrellas are SO HARD to paint successfully, and I really want to master this - so it is my subject du jour!  I started with my block in, and I had to keep correcting shapes and angles all through the process.  I had trouble seeing each plane as it really was.  With such a complicated composition, my left brain kept feeding me all of this linear information, which was completely wrecking my “painting all the masses” method.  I am not yet happy with this, but I have to start somewhere.  I will look at it again tomorrow.  I already think I need to pop all the lights, and loosen some of the edges on the main umbrella.  I think I’m going to need to paint a month’s worth of cafe scenes before I get them right.....and I’m already dreading the work.  Oh why didn’t I draw butterflies in pen and ink today?  I should have listened to my inner voice!  Grueling painting number 1170 in 1170 days.

Streetside Umbrellas

Streetside Umbrellas
Oil on masonite, 10x8
Parkville in Art Paint Out - purchase here

As I stepped out of my car, I saw these gorgeous umbrellas from two blocks away.  Walking past the little shops dotting Main Street, my focus was already on the composition, the first strokes being laid in my mind.  I had not left enough time for this complex painting (hmmmmm - seems to be a pattern here....), so I would need to work fast.  Setting up in a small square of shade, tucked unto the side of “Finders, Keepers”, I sketched out the cafe scene.  The bright, late afternoon light and the bold color of umbrellas, cafe and foliage is what drew me instantly to the spot - so I had to capture that glory before it faded into shadow!  Once all of the block in and some of the finish work were done, the light had changed - and my time was up.  Time to get to the award presentation for the English Landing, so this painting required one more visit to finish up, which is something I almost never do.  Painting number 1018 in 1018 days :)

Red Umbrellas in Fish Creek

Lunch in Fish Creek
Oil on panel, 10x8 - purchase here

This painting has a secret - another painting underneath it!  I have done this before, but today I decided to show the progress as I painted over the first landscape.  I chose it because it was a bit lack-luster, and I don't want to leave substandard paintings in my wake!  My pastel sketch lines are visible, where I simply drew my composition over the existing painting.  The second "in progress" pic shows how I have painted down, adding in details.  I have finished this painting after dark, and you can see how the color is visibly warmer under the artificial light than the north light I work in.  I will try to take a pic tomorrow in good light - as the colors are cooler than they appear!  I pulled this from my Door County reference photos, and I think it is in Fish Creek, but I can't remember the name of this place!  The gardens were fabulous - and the ambiance so charming, it simply begged to be painted! Painting number 778 in 778 days :)

Summertime Cafe

Summertime Cafe
Oil on panel, 8x6
buy here

Today finds me painting one of my favorite haunts in Fish Creek, Wisconsin - the "Summertime" Restaurant.  A great place to grab a quick meal on the terrace, it is full of ambiance and fragrant with blooms!  I have been wanting to work on these wonderful cafe scenes for some time now - so today is the day!  Going through my abundant photos, I picked out a few to turn into paintings.  It seems that most of my reference is from Door County!  I just love those charming little towns, each with their own cafes with umbrellas open and waiting! Nothing is as inviting as one of these spots after a day of painting! Painting number 777 in 777 days - now I'm off to buy a lottery ticket!

Lunch at Rozelle Court

Lunch at Rozelle Court
Oil on panel, 16x12

I must be crazy.  I chose this complicated interior for my daily painting.  I have never painted an interior so complex, or added gestural figures to a scene, and I also threw in difficult iron chairs and tables to the mix.  Oh, and I worked in a larger than normal size for a daily painting!  Well, the figures got easier with each one, the interior was actually fun - but the chairs were not!  I already see things I want to edit a bit - but the day is almost gone - and I have to get this posted for the 30 day challenge.  What a challenge this certainly was!