Sunday, July 11, 2010

Chinatown, Los Angeles


After taking two weeks off from Saturday plein air painting, I felt nervous about going back. It was a wonderful experience to stand quietly and paint in the plaza and absorb the atmosphere of the place, which changes very markedly from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The plaza starts out full of men, speaking Chinese or reading the paper, drinking coffee or tea. Many of them silently watched me paint. By noon they have gone home or indoors to play mah jong; you can hear the tiles. The L.A. Conservancy walking tour is there. There are lots of tourists and locals with their children; the children have those little paper-wrapped popping things. A man is playing an erhu. A group of girls is consulting a fortune teller.

I used watercolors, for a change and to avoid cleaning brushes. It's the first watercolor I have done on an easel. I spent a long sketching this wonderful building before I painted it. You might imagine that I pushed the colors, but if you've seen the building, you will know that my version is rather muted.

6 comments:

  1. hotdamn! so gorgeous!!!

    You are going to love South Korea. bring some paints maybe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The detail you put into the initial drawing is stunning - and I love your light touch with the watercolor. Beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even with the muted colors, you caught the energy of the place Barbara! I have visited China Town, SFO, looks very similar. Yes, it is a luxury to do it plein air, watching and enjoying the hustle bustle associated with it.I liked the way you did the railings meticulously.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a pretty building. You did a nice job and I enjoyed reading about Chinatown. I haven't been there in years. Maybe that's something I need to get my husband to do with me soon. What a beauty, this painting is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad you had a great Chinatown experience. You did a wonderful job of capturing the details and the overall feel of that building! Loved your description of the ambience, too. You were spot on. Wish I could have joined you that morning...hopefully there will be another visit soon. Happy painting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks all. Diane, I'm sure I'll go back. It was such a nice day, and I saw several other things I'd like to paint.

    ReplyDelete