Another great day of plein air

"Old Niles Depot"

7" x 10" Watercolor

 My View

Photo by Bob Eltgroth

Today's destination was 30 miles north of the house at the historic Niles Depot. Niles is one of those charming old towns, with homes from the Victorian era and turn of the twentieth century, plus a quaint downtown that has managed to survive amidst the sprawl fueled by high tech. From miles away you can spot the name of the town on the steep California mountains that flank the town. When we arrived there were cattle grazing near the white "Niles"  and I marvelled at their ability to navigate their huge bodies over treacherous inclines. Bob joined Janice and me as he is a historic railroad buff. He roamed the town taking pictures.

Painting at the depot
Photo by Bob Eltgroth

I was very taken with an old wagon on display, but I did a very detailed rendition (sometimes I can't think how to simplify) and it's just not me. I recalled Maggie Siner in Provence saying about our detail, "That's just noise). Of course that is her style and it suits me, but not for everyone. Now I was down to my smallest watercolor block, 7" x 10". I moved the end of the building and painted the piece that you see at the top of this post. I see now I missed some opportunities for shadows on the roof. I will probably add them.

Grazing on Niles

7" x 10" Watercolor

Next I turned slightly and sketched the hillside, recalling the cattle that were grazing earlier. I mixed the color on the paper and lightly indicated the fence that traversed the hillside. I would like to have included the cattle, but I haven't mastered suggesting large animals at a distance.

About 1 p.m. we gathered for our picnic lunch. Bob's daughter Deborah gave him an old Lionel lunchbox one Christmas, so he carried some of our lunch in it. I love whimsy! I had brought him a Guiness courier bag from Dublin, Ireland, last summer, so he used that as well. When we got home, he photographed both and his Facebook friends are "liking" the photo.

Bob's Lionel lunchbox and Guiness Tote from Ireland

You can see some of the charming old buildings in Niles. We always have a mini showing of  art and it's great fun to see everyone's interpretation of the area.

Dave, Leslie, and Bob in charming Niles

My 2 paintings and others

I believe this lovely painting is by Janice Faulstich.

Check out herb blog.

More gems.

Michael Rogan's handsome piece on the left.

The middle painting is my failed attempt at the wagon.

A few of our SCVWS Plein Air group after the mini show

Here I am with Scotland's missing link