Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert VIII

Painting on Main Street

Calvert, Texas

Plein Aire Painting Workshop with V....Vaughan

Saturday February 21, 2009

Top Photo- (by Barbara)-V.... shows Toni how to look through a view finder, made with the hand, to isolate parts of a subject when drawing or painting. This was taken on the south side of the Mud Creek Pottery building, out of the north wind of a new cold front.

Second Photo- After lunch at the Wooden Spoon, we returned to Mud Creek Pottery, moved our equipment, to do some painting on location on Main Street. This time, architecture was the subject. Clear blue skies were such a change from the morning clouds. But colder temperatures and a little wind, made painting a challenge. Most of the group set up on the south side of the building, making some protection from the wind. In this picture, Kerrie and Barbara set up on the street, behind a retaining wall, and painted the Masonic Lodge across the street. In this photo, you can see part of the old brick streets in the cross walk.

Third Photo- SuZan set up her French easel on the sidewalk on the south side of the building.

Fourth Photo- Despite the protection from the building, SuZan still battled a little breeze. You can tell from the way her paper towels are blowing!

Fifth Photo- Toni selected a bench on the south side of Mud Creek Pottery to do her architectural painting.

Sixth Photo- This was the view that I selected. Through the show windows of Mud Creek Pottery! I really thought that others might join me to stay out of the wind, but they all ended up going outside. I had already moved my things to this spot and didn't want to move again, while others were moving outside.

I painted in comfort from a place where I spent a lot of hours during my life. When this was my grandfather's dry goods store, I spent a lot of time, looking out these windows, decorating the windows, watching people on the street and the cars passing on Highway 6, and, especially, watching the Eloia (the picture show) to see if it was time to go to the show or who might be going when it opened. It's still sad to see it closed. My focus was on the old theatre, which has been closed for years, another place where I spent a lot of time during my life.

V.... talked with me about my choice and we discussed focusing on the lower part, more than the whole scene. I had decided to just indicate the two buildings on each side, the old bank and the old Allen Hardware store, and focus on the Eloia.

Wish they would restore the Eloia to the way it was when it was rebuilt after the fire in the 1940s. It had all the latest features, back then-just before wide screen came in.

Another thing that I spent a lot of time doing in this spot, was straightening underwear boxes and displays, sitting on the floor of the show window, putting on pin tickets and stringing handkerchiefs. Toot used to sit on the show window ledge and write letters when there were no customers. I liked to get behind the counter when we had to do inventory, while others were counting merchandise in other parts of the store. Grandpa would wrap the inside cardboard from bolts of material with butcher paper and we would write on those. When we finished, he would take all the boards to the desk in the back of the store, and transfer all that to one of the books. I liked counting the boxes of hose and socks, behind that counter, where I could watch out the show window and dream while I counted.

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Here's an interesting site. Margaret loves to sew and create! If you need jeans or other things altered, or if you need a cute creation, or something monogramed. Margaret is the person to call. I'm going to put a link to her website in my sidebar under The Jeans Lady.

http://thejeanslady.com/ .

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It won't be long until the 22nd World Wide Sketch Crawl! There is some discussion about it on various blogs and lists. The big day is Saturday April 11, 2009. I hope that you will join in. It really makes a nice day.

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I'm trying to decide if I should add the sign that used to be on the Eloia theatre in Calvert, or leave it off as it looks today. I like to do things the way that I remember them, when they were at their best. But, on my painting, I have the slanted awning on the old hardware store, the way it is today. In older pictures, that awning is flat and flows into the overhang at the Eloia, with windows above the overhang in the hardware store.

I thought it should, perhaps, have life, with people, and the popcorn machine. But, maybe, that is another picture. Decisions.

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