I’m hardly ever out of my basement studio during the week and hardly ever home on the weekend. This Saturday I drove over to Crab Apple, near Alpharetta to paint this somewhat iconic Plein air scene of a red barn, majestic oaks, and newly planted fields. I usually avoid this type of cliche but I couldn’t resist it —like McDonald’s fries.
Sunday I went right back over to the same area to paint a larger canvas of an older property down the road but decided the view would not work. I spent a good hour driving the ultra-exclusive suburbs around this area, all gated and walled or fenced off from the rest of us. They just go on forever and in the end, I stopped in the older part of town and set up in front of this old abandoned house that I’ve noticed several times. It’s been very wet as of late and as soon as I set up it pored. Oil and water don’t mix but the panel got infused with water ruining the paint so I gave up. When it stopped I pulled out another panel and gave it another go.
It’s interesting that so often people just stop by and that many times I know them. Chuck Palmer, one of my clients and good friends stopped after recognizing my car. After this and a few more bouts with the rain, I finally finished up this view of a Victorian beauty that’s been neglected but still shows some grace. Been using some new linen boards that I made a few weeks back and trying to get used to the thicker weave. They soak up the paint a bit and make it harder to leave a mark that’s not fuzzy. I think I’m going to put a few more coats of primer on the rest of them to see if that will help.