Outdoors Again

On this hot but beautiful day in Michigan I felt the need to go out to lasso a subject for today's painting. I drove around for quite awhile before settling on the above location, which is one I've been attracted to for some time. At noon the direct sun overhead is too strong, but by 1:30 0r 2:00, the shadows start to take shape, defining the shapes of buildings, and sometimes casting shady spots beneath trees where I can situate myself to paint. The problem with so many inviting subjects is that there's no place to park near my subject, or that there's no place to set myself down without intruding on someone's personal property. Today, sitting on the opposite street corner from this building, I was able to park near a meter, sit in semi-shade, and feel that I wasn't interfering with anyone's private space. The shadows cast by the tall chimneys which were designed as an important part of the structure make me look twice, every time I pass the location. Today I finally seized my opportunity to paint the beauty of that. As usual, the main thing that interested me was the two parallel verticals, and perhaps the tree trunk I sat near across the street, as adding to the visual repetition. As usual I spent a good deal of time drawing and photographing before I got out my paints. I really wasn't interested in the details of the front face of the dwelling, but chose to concentrate on a few darks and subtle green passages in the foliage, as well as the warmer tones of the two smaller trees flanking the steps up to the front doorway. I watched as the shadows on the roofs became darker and bolder as the afternoon progressed. At the height of their interest I decided to alter what I had sketched somewhat, and to paint them as they appeared a little later in the day.

At its conclusion I decided to trim off a few inches from the righthand side of the paper that I had chosen NOT to paint...of NO interest to me. It may have been a hasty decision, but I knew I wasn't interested in painting the other side of the street and its lawns. So what you see is the end result of another day "in Paradise", pleasuring in the world as I enjoy recording it.