That’s an understatement, I realize. This has been the coldest winter I’ve seen in many, many years. And I live in Atlanta…bless all of you who live north of the Mason-Dixon. For the past two weeks I’ve been working on Saturdays only trying to get some stuff done around the house. The weather has been spotty—it’s below freezing here this morning! We have had some nice warm day though and spring is a wonderful thing in Atlanta. The Chinese magnolias are the first to bloom and I found this huge example a few Saturdays ago along Church Street in Marietta. I drove bye on this one way street and took an immediate right turn to circle back. I parked in one of the many church lots and walked back to this spot. The bright sunlight on the side of the house really helped this one. The owner came out with his darling daughter and gave me a lot of encouragement. Got quite a lot of hits on FB with this —pent up demand for a warming view but I like this one too.
Afterwards, I drove up to the other side of town for this view of the Brumby Hall gardens. I was thinking there would be some color but roses and such are featured here and they are no where near blooming. It’s a smaller 9 x12 and I did it in a few hours working hard to vary shapes and the greens and get some light on that path.
Friday night before all this I was in the backyard for another view. With daylight savings time I can paint until 8PM or later now and the light is very nice. The other view of the house I worked on several evenings trying to get that sun just as it hit the house and bushes. Talk about fleeting moments! you get about 20 minutes when it hits like this —five when it really torches up!
This last weekend (3/22) I wasout all day Saturday, again in Marietta just north of Church street along Sessions Street. I parked at Lewis Park and walked around this delightful neighborhood that follows the railroad tracks going northwest out of the center of town. I’ve never been back in this area and I was very interested in the older southern homes, many smaller and unusual. Up along St. Johns Way I found several brightly painted house and stores that attracted me. I ended up at the corner of the two streets looking south for the view I call Southern Charm. It’s a 12 x12 and although pretty complicated I did my best to simplify it and get some feeling in. The big green magnolia went in well. This one required about and hour studio work when I got it home to put the light in-it was cloudy most the day until around 4PM.
The other is of one of those small wildly colored buildings. This one a store with and almost western facade on it—and painted a shocking red with white trim. I played up the green shadows on this backlit view with a painting I saw by Fred Delesco recently in mind. His was frontlit though and bit more spectacular—to say the least.
All this Marietta work is in preparation for the Marietta/Cobb Museum Paint-Out this is this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. Wish me luck!
