Plein Air at the Capitol

Today I joined with about a dozen other members of the Sacramento Plein Air Painters to paint in Capitol Park.   It was a cold clear and crisp day.  Standing in the shadows for a long time was not recommended!  But it was a good day to be outside. 

I did this study of the east(back) side of the Capitol building as seen from deep in the park.  I had hoped to capture the brilliance of the building against the darker foliage, while also having a feeling of atmosphere and depth.  I think I was only partially successful.  Now that I've had a chance to sit back and look at it, the size of the building is much too large. It looms over the middle ground trees, which was not the case.  This is a common problem for me.  I tend to make my subject too large on the canvas. Often it's just a matter of composition, but in this case, that tendency has worked against the feeling of distance.  If the size of the building was about 3/4 what it is now, I think the depth of the painting would have been much enhanced.  Yet another lesson to be learned...or in this case, re-learned.  

 I'd like to return to try it again another day.

It's on a Raymar panel,  12" x 9"

California Capitol  East Side   12" x 9" canvas panel.