In Season

I'm pretty pleased with myself that I managed to get a photo in here with the new species of computer.  It only took an hour or so, and I may or may not be able to do it again.  I mean eventually I'm sure I'll be able to do it again.  

By most accounts, the Christmas season has passed.  The are still some lights up and some very dry trees at the curb.  Maybe you haven't started your diet yet - there are still those Super Bowl parties and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to consume before you worry about how you look in your swim suit.  I painted this just after New Years.  Lots of painters came out to paint.  

It was cold and overcast when I started painting.  This is the Sierra Madre Congretational Church, or part of it.  They also have the white be-steepled church across the street that I've painted before.  I've always liked this building, but since we paint in the morning, it's always backlit and dark.  It wasn't so backlit on that gloomy January morning, and lack of light and shadows made the colors brighter.  And then I guess the sun crept overhead while I still had time to light up the stairs.  

With the fall foliage and the after Christmas wreaths, there's some blending of seasons.  When I'm outdoors, I notice a lot of that.  Leaves fall off and expose the buds of spring blossoms.  And each new spring blossom contains its fruit, its seeds and its inevitable end.  And its beginning.   Those dry fir trees at the curb, they've seen some things too.  Been witness to quiet cold starlit nights, birds and rain, decorations, gifts and holiday celebrations.  The trees aren't going to come back to life, but they will get to be mulch, and in the meantime the dogs like to sniff them.    

Churches

I notice that I paint a lot of churches. I believe I like to paint churches because they are architecturally appealing. People put a lot of care into building churches, and church buildings often become the focal point of a community. Many churches have big lawns where I can hang out and paint without bothering anybody as long as it isn't Sunday or a wedding day. Today was a wedding day at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and I painted anyway. My painting and I are even in the wedding video.

Westminster Presbyterian Church was built in 1927 on North Lake Avenue by the architecture firm of Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury. They were among Pasadena's finest architects in a golden age of building. I once attended a wedding at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Hollywood has filmed several.

Sometimes organized religion makes me uncomfortable. Even with the very best intentions, religious organizations tend to foster divisions between people. As you know, divisions between people and their beliefs often go badly. I like religious organizations best when they leave their enclaves and go out to make the world a better place. There's lot's of room for improvement in the world. There is hunger, sadness, ignorance, illness, waste, dishonesty and greed. Which is not to say it isn't a wonderful world. It is. A world of infinite marvels and beauty. But it could be better.