In July, 1947, "outlaw" motorcyclists took over Hollister for three days. Sixty-six years later, in June, 2013, a pack of relatively law-abiding plein air artists from the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society took over San Juan Bautista, San Benito County's other incorporated town. Befitting San Juan Bautista's Old West atmosphere, residents in
hushed tones told each other "the artists are here today" and scurried for cover. Nobody
messed with us. We had the run of the town: The Mission, the old buildings around the Plaza, the quaint downtown were all fair game for our quick draw artists.
For more information about San Juan Bautista, see: http://www.san-juan-bautista.ca.us/
A "bonus" paintout will be held Thursday, June 27th at the Bedwell Bayfront Park, in Menlo Park. This is listed on the SCVWS website but not the June Newsletter. Check your e-mail for the Paintsite Announcement for additional details. For more information about Bedwell Bayfront Park, check: http://www.menlopark.org/departments/com/parks/bayfront.htm and http://baytrail.abag.ca.gov/vtour/map2/access/Menlo/Menlo.htm#Bayfront
21st Century Watercolor Society "Wild Ones" in San Juan Bautista:
And here are snapshots taken during the critique of many of the paintings. Some had not been completed, others were skewed or incorrectly cropped by the incompetent photographer; the dappled shade where we met for lunch played tricks on others. Check later for the accurately scanned and credited versions.
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| Mary |
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| Janice |
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| Helen |
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| Lisha |
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| Alan |
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| Elaine |
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| Anna |
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| Janice |
Now for the finished, polished up, photoshopped versions:
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| Jenny Tero |
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| Jenny Tero |
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| Jenny Tero |
It was a beautiful day, warm in the sun with a strong breeze. Deserted when we got there, but later swarming with visitors who were more interested in the roving cockeral than us. The vibes were right and I made three reasonably successful paintings! Jenny
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| Sylvia Waddell |
A delightful day and such a lot of subject material to choose from. This is definitely a site we should revisit! Sylvia
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| Laurie Barna |
Thanks so much for arranging this paintsite location--beautiful,
and with so much to choose from. The weather was beautiful, and I so
enjoyed using my new Soltek easel. I think because I was so eager to
paint, that I really got "off" on some of my building proportions, so am
not truly happy with the painting. For me, my struggle is always
design/mood vs. "accuracy." Laurie
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| Liz Siegel |
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| Anna Jacke |
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| Anna Jacke |
I really liked the cemetery gate and spent most of my time
focusing on different views. I had been at the Mission last year with
and had painted the bell tower and the mission building. There is
always a new angle to sketch and paint. We had great weather and
perfect temps for this adventure. I also scanned the Plaza Hotel from
my journal. I had some challenges with the early morning light and
shadows, but it's all good! Anna
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| Mary Paquet |
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| Mary Paquet |
Here are the two pieces I
did, the second after lunch. The Mission at San Juan Bautista was
the very first mission I visited upon coming to California. It remains my
favorite. I've painted the mission a couple times, so I made a point of
changing my viewpoint. We had a great day with many artists making the drive
from San Jose. Mary
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Bonnie Sandler
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Painting here was so relaxing! It was so quiet and peaceful. No traffic. This composition is so standard. I should have picked something more interesting. The pepper trees are always a challenge for me. They're partly transparent. That's hard for me to do. I had to eliminate a lot of other trees in the foreground that were obscuring this little cabin. Bonnie
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Brad Santos
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Located in the corner of the Plaza opposite the Mission, this little building used to be a restaurant. At least I think it was as I remember having a nice lunch there (or perhaps someplace very similar) on a very hot day with my wife. In either case it brought back pleasant memories. Brad
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