Locke, California Plein Air Trip - Overcoming Plein Air Overwhelm - Part II

Another challenge that Locke poses is the many angles of the buildings. I actually found myself getting lost in all of the angles. I had the same experience the first time I tried painting in Locke. Fortunately, when I yelled out for help, Martha Esch, one of the resident artists came to my rescue. She coached me on how to use my brush to check the angle. What you do is hold the brush out in front of your chest at arm’s length with the handle parallel to the ground. Then, you raise the brush (keeping it horizontal) to the item (which could be a beam, a rooftop, a window or anything) and the horizontal brush handle provides a reference against which you can determine which way (up or down, left or right). It took a few tries, but after a while, it became easier. A big thanks goes to Martha Esch.