Early Bird Special

It sure has been paint'n weather. We put a good number of hours into the mural this week.
Most notable, the harbor seals. JC blocked them in with a mix of Neutral Grey, Titanium White, Carbon Black, Cerulean and Cobalt Blues, Raw Titanium and a little Raw Sienna and Yellow Ocher. To get it to flow into the VERY rough surface we added small amounts of Matte Medium. After some repositioning and a little "fat trimming" on one, JC sped right through it while I focused on some detail work in the Salt Marsh. Again, too many visitors to mention them all here, but Foster came by for a photo op applying a few brush strokes.

And CHS classmate Freddy Olivas (catch him playing at the Palms) shown here with his wife and JC.

Then a little later Tony Brown and his daughter stopped by for a good conversation.
The sun was setting so JC took the ATV back up the Mountain (animals to feed) and I was off to a meeting with Foster and Donna to talk about the mural dedication, some chile rellenos then spent the night on Walnut Ave.. The next morning my Mom and I went to Esau's for the Early Bird Special. I noticed the dolphin image at the top of their menu had the slender look. I needed to correct my plump mural dolphins so the cook gave me a piece of wax paper and the waitress loaned me a pen and I traced it for reference later (pens do not work well on wax paper). After our yummy breakfast and 1/2 price coffee we headed to the Salt Marsh for some yummy photographs.

We then checked out the main beach or "City Beach" as they call it now. Such a beautiful morning to have it almost all to ourselves. I needed to see some seaweed and get a feel for the sand. Turned out to be a good way to celebrate what would have been my Dad's birthday.

Then began the day of painting and blabbing on Wullbrandt Way. Early in the design process, Brian Mootz requested I put a "Beach Babe" in the mural. This one's for you Brian:

Carolyne Mootz does WSB

Seems like there are plenty of beach babes to go around in this town however:

Back to painting faces on the seals and then another CHS classmate Carol Koehler with her Dad, Lester Koehler (now 93 and still living on Palm Ave. a block from where I grew up).

Some more detail work on the seals and another Brown (Steve) drops by. Really appreciate his opinion since he is also an artist and a descendent of the family who once owned the entire Carpinteria beach.

No sooner was I back into the seals when Donna shows up with a white chocolate mocha latte and a camera to take this shot of me painting, just in case you were thinking all I do is chat and take photographs:

Now those who know me have heard me tell of my third grade teacher and how I credit her with really encouraging me to make art. Well, here she is looking way too young to have been my third grade teacher, don't you agree?

 

 

 All and all it was a great day on Wullbrandt Way. Foster is now speeding out of town in an Airstream for Spring training while I'm loading up to head back up the mountain. As I piled the paint and ladders onto the truck a young lady named Evelyn arrived for a close look at our happy harbor seals. Her approval meant the world to me and reassured me that I got the smiles just right.