Main Street Volcano, CA -Plein Air Oil

Our little painting group of Julie Trail, Vickie Chew, Ruth Andre, Howard Rees and me have been meeting weekly for plein air painting in the Gold Country.  The spring weather is too much to resist.  Everything is green, the poppies are creating blankets of amazing color.  It's a feast for any painter.  Ruth couldn't make it on this trip but the rest of the group ventured to the small town of Volcano, CA.  It's a fascinating little place, though not as popular with tourist visitors as some of the Gold Rush towns, probably because it's a bit out of the way.  Maybe that's good, because it retains a strong feel of the mining days. The surrounding hills create a valley that the first explorers to the area mistook for the rim of an extinct volcano, thus the name for the little settlement that was built there. 

Some of the larger masonry and rock buildings that once lined main street have collapsed with only the front wall remaining in some cases.   But several little wooden stores and shops still remain.  The general store is open and cooking up some cheeseburgers for those who do visit.

We set up in various places around the little town.  The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and by early afternoon, it was actually beginning to get warm, and shade was welcome.  I painted these two small buildings along Main Street.  The bright light changed as the morning went on and the shadows and dappled light from the trees created some challenges as they moved constantly.  But hey, the cheeseburger and the beer made it all worthwhile!

Main Street Volcano, CA    oil on 12 x 16 Ampersand panel.  

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art