The Vacation Purpose

I was the tag-along spouse for part of this trip to Carmel last weekend. The primary “purpose” was to attend a gathering of esteemed art photographers (emphasis on ART) who were coming from around the country, Canada and even Austria, to attend an opening of of the 2018 Biennial Juried Depth of Field Exhibition curated by Rfotofolio at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel. One of the first events was “20 Tables” where invited artists displayed their work and got to meet each other and share techniques, ideas, and approaches.

While Bob was enjoying the exchange with other artists, I was able to be a fly on the wall so to speak and sketch from my vantage point in the corner!

But only after I’d made the rounds and listened to these amazing artists tell the stories of their work and show it off. No doubt some of what I learned will show up in future Muse Group lessons!

Diana Bloomfield‘s refined nature and mystical portrait work with gauzy layers of gum bichromate over palladium. Joanne Teasdale‘s work documenting the relations between women and water around the world. Sandra Klein‘s “portrait” series of Inner Dialogues relating to her relationship with her mother who has dementia. And so many more. It was a great honor to be able to hang out with these folks.

And then of course Bob Cornelis sitting here at his table with his palladium prints in books and portfolios he made and printed with letterpress, and answering the questions of some very interested photographers.

I got in a bit of sketching in the garden too. This fellow was another photographer’s helpmate enjoying the garden unaware that he was posing.

And brunch at a French bistro in town, where the people had left their table long before I got the color on. I loved the hanging lamps draped with vintage kitchen towels!

The event ended with a memorial for two beloved photographers who passed away recently, Judy Sherrod and Denis Roussel. We gathered on the  beach in Carmel in late afternoon. Each person was given a different cyanotype print made into a kite to be flown. With a wind and rain storm brewing, there was just enough time for some pictures and final goodbyes.

And I made a valiant (?) effort to sketch the story of the event, adding color later out of the wind and rain.

This lovely Hahnemühle Watercolor Book was a great companion for the trip. At 8X6″ it’s the right size for the purse or sketch gear bag. The CP watercolor paper is as good as it gets in a book that opens flat as this one does. Great for getting a whole scene in. If you paint wetly, then it is likely to curl up, so you need clips to keep the edges down while painting. I’ll write more about sketchbook papers in another post.

 

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Vacation With a Purpose II

We spent a few hours in Carmel, precious and touristy in the money’d way. Lots of galleries. We saw a bright orange Lambergini or Porsche convertible parked on the corner. You know, the kind of car you certainly wouldn’t park in S.F. or anywhere else for that matter. Not a speck of dust and soft leather seats. Ahhh. And there was a crowd of mostly men ogling it.

But I love to see the latest Mark English mixed media paintings at Jones and Terwilliger gallery.

ink and watercolor in Hahnemuhle Watercolor Book 6 X 8″

For lunch we ended up at Demetra, a mediterranean restaurant on Ocean Blvd that is so popular that I was dodging elbows while sketching the same wonderful fresco I sketched last time I was here about 3-4 years ago. Hummus and Babaganouj drenched in olive oil, yeah!

(This is not in chronological order I’m afraid.) The beach at Asilomar, unlike our otherwise beautiful beaches north of S.F., has white sand, so you feel like you’ve been transported to the Caribbean. (except for the chilly wind)  It’s the main advantage of staying at the Asilomar Conference Grounds – this daily walk on the white sand beach.

As I was walking along the beach I had the thought that I really ought not to be thinking about anything that was not on that beach in that moment. I really ought to just forget, at least for the time being, everything but the bliss of those waves and that white sand and the endless horizon and sky.

But vacations are also about needing to find a place to eat three times a day. That evening we were in Monterey and so wanted to be on the water. The windows at the Sandbar and Grill look out onto the bay. The sign promises that you will see otters playing. And Bob did while I was busy sketching.

Pablo was our waiter, a handsome swarthy Hispanic fellow. When he “caught” me sketching, it became a bit of an event. I was into my second half a glass of wine when the bus boy arrived, having heard of the artist. He was not satisfied with my rather “loose” portrayal of his buddy Pablo. “He doesn’t have a mustache”, he counseled, and offered other tips for how to get the picture right. This was not the first time I’d been corrected by my “audience”.

Another glass of the wine arrived then, courtesy of Pablo, hoping perhaps that the extra wine would help me to get it right after all?

 

There’s just something about the trees on the coast that makes them seem almost human the way they reach out – the textures of the bark and the way they reach out in ways that connect the land to the sea.

Next: 20 tables and kites in memorium

Vacation With a Purpose

Bob and I agree that we’re not much for the leisure-on-the-beach vacations. So when we headed to Carmel (California) a week ago we were looking forward to the events surrounding Rfotofolio’s Depth of Field Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel. As an exhibitor Bob was looking forward not only to the show but to meeting and sharing ideas with the other notable photographers who were converging from all over the country, Canada and Austria!

fountain pen, watercolor in Hahnemuhle Watercolor Book, 6X8″

We were staying at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove and had a couple days to explore first. This is the beach in town. I was so relaxed in the warm sun and loving my vantage point that I kind of overdid it and tried to put everything in! Just like me.

As we wandered around Pacific Grove we discovered throngs of people, trailers, security personel, and movie cameras at an area called Lover’s Point. An episode of Big Little Lies was being shot there and the fans were out in force. (off to the left of where I was sketching).

“That’s Meryl Streep there, drinking water, see?!”

“Yes, and I heard they’re looking for extras. . .”

So I found another lovely place nearby out of the fray and still in the warm sun.

Eating in town proved to be difficult our first night. We stood shivering on a porch until we got a table at the Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove. Not a big place, but when we finally got a table. . .

we were next to a lovely fire and the food was yummy and filling!

Next: Carmel and the Center for Photographic Arts.