On Time

This is the only painting I have of Union Station in Los Angeles which was not previously posted.  Which tells me, among other things, that I should schedule painting at Union Station soon.  It's a pretty good place to paint in all weather, because you can be inside, outside under shelter, or in one of two or more courtyard gardens.  Like rail travel 20 or 30 years ago, Union Station practically went out of business.  Then came a boom in light rail and commuter train construction and travel.  So Union Station too has made a big comeback.  It is a busy bustling place now, as a train station should be.  And in addition to an infusion of humanity, a whole bunch of money has been pumped into Union Station's revival.  It has always been beautiful, but now it is restored to its original shiny glory.  The downside (because isn't there always one?) is that you now require an actual train ticket to sit in one of the leather upholstered art deco seats in the waiting area.  Those seats used to be free for the taking.  There is a piano inside the station, which is available for the use of all.  I have heard some really wonderful musicians there; it's worth pausing to listen. I think this is only painting I've made of the clock tower, although it is always in view while I wait outside for my train or bus.

Grinding

This is a picture of San Marino's Old Mill - El Molino Viejo in Spanish.  I've painted this old mill several times before and since.  Some of my efforts were posted here.  I think I've previously said most everything I have to say about the Old Mill, except this.  When I was a kid I visited someplace far from home, and there was an old mill there.  Which I found quite surprising.  I thought we had the only one.  But in reality, they are all over the county.  Flour is something that an awful lot of people use, but it takes a lot of power to mill it.  There are real economies of scale to employing a source of power greater than elbow grease - such as water or large animals - and to making a bunch of flour at a time.  I'm guessing that since there was kind of a public interest in mills anyhow, it was easy to transition them to museums and interpretive sights when the means of production advanced technologically.

If our civilization hangs around for another hundred years, I wonder what enterprises we will celebrate with museums and interpretive sights.  I believe video stores have already vanished.  Maybe there will be convenience store museums, demonstrating the old methods of cold beverage delivery.

In order to catch up my blogging to my painting, which matters not at all, I'm aggregating a few images of the same subject.  I think it makes more sense then combining unrelated images that happened to be painted around the same time.   Although it will be harder to keep track of.  The last picture is the most recent one, but a different view.  The picture with the chuppah set up for a wedding is the oldest; it was taken before the vines were taken off the building.  I thought the Old Mill might look much less interesting without vines, but it doesn't look too bad and it's easier to paint in the bargain.