A Sunny Sunday in Mokelumne Hill

Once again, with artist friends Ruth Andre and Howard Rees, I ventured into the Mother Lode Country for some plein air painting.  This time, unlike the last, it was a gorgeous summer day.  We were in the Gold Rush town of Mokelumne Hill, a quaint little town surrounded by rolling hills covered with oaks...and just the first sprinkling of pines.  We first set up just outside of town for some landscape painting, and then after lunch we relocated to paint a barn that Howard had discovered and was chopping at the bit to paint.  All of us had our struggles during the day....possibly due in part to the long lay off over the winter....but all agreed afterward that it was a great day to be outside painting. 

This was the morning painting.  I took a lot of liberties with the actual scene.  I think it makes a pleasant composition.  Peaceful and inviting. 

A Farm Near Mokelumne Hill   Oil on 12" x 16" Canvas Panel. 

 

Mokelumne Hill Barn  Oil on 9" x 12" Canvas Panel

And in the afternoon we painted this old barn.  I had problems with this one.  In fact, this is the second attempt at the barn.  The light was overhead and behind the barn which was nestled under a canopy of trees.  As a result, the barn was in fairly dark shadow with strong light in the foreground.   At first I used a black primed canvas, but that was hopelessly dark and I was already having problems overcoming the dark shadows.  I switched to a canvas primed with raw umber which was better, but I still had problems.  In the end, I settled for this little sketch.  I may play with it a bit in the studio.