Painting out with Regina, McKinney Falls

It was good for the heart and soul to get out and paint. Regina and I went to McKinney Falls on a near perfect day on Tuesday, November 17. Seems like ages ago. It rained all day yesterday and was rainy and cool this morning. It also rained last Monday, so our perfect day was right in between.

We have painted together there, before on a hot sweltering day. In fact we painted on the same painting. For that painting, Regina sat on a stool and painted and I stood up. Regina and I had a show together called the Pastel Pair and we featured the dual painting. After the show, we donated the painting to a charity event. It was interesting and different.

McKinney Falls
by Regina Burchett and Jo Castillo
Pastel on board with pumice, 16 x 20

This time we each put up our easels and painted separately. We also sat down to paint. We neither one do that, normally. I find that I paint better when standing as I step back and observe more often. My painting is usually better and less static. I also forgot a hat. Sitting in the sun and having my pastels in the sun is not a great way to paint. I think the painting came out much darker than it would have.

Regina, checking out the falls.

The falls from above.

Regina painting.

Jo (me) painting.

The start of Regina's second painting. I didn't get a photo of the first, maybe she will post it, soon. She did get up some photos, here.

This is the scene I picked to paint.

I worked on a Richeson board that I had used previously, I just brushed off the pastel, wiped it with water and had a nice gray toned board to start on so I didn't do an underpainting. I roughly sketched in the scene.

I started developing the background and try to work all over the painting and put some of the colors in all parts.

Nearing the end here.

This was where I left it as we ended our painting day. We left the State Park and went to Manchaca to see the art exhibit by the Artists of the South Corridor at Chucks Diner. We ate lunch at The Texican, a Mexican restaurant that serves New Mexico style enchiladas. We have been dining there since 1986, I think. You can read about the exhibit on Karen Hargett's blog. She is also in the Austin Pastel Society.

A close up of the center of the painting.

I decided to work on it some more in the studio.

This is the first fix in my studio. I just wiped it off and highlighted it again.

This is the second fix and the end. I won't put in any more time on this. It is darker than it shows here. It is lit up to take the photo and looks lighter for that reason. It seems that painting outside does that to me, I paint darker. It looks fine in the bright light, but dark in the house. Practice in plein air will help that ... right?

I also went to McKinney Falls with Sue Modrak when she was here. It was in February so the trees were very bare. There was not much water either. Sue and I were sitting and painting right where the water is in my painting this time.