Once again, the annual Laguna Plein Air Painters of America show was fun, inspiring, and filled with much painting, beer drinking, and exchanging of ideas. Each year I'm struck by how differently each painter interprets the exact same subject matter, reflecting not only their own style, but their very outlook on the world. Below is a painting Ken Auster was working on at Crystal cove. Him, John Comer, John Budicin, and Frank La Lumia were all painting right next to each other and yet their paintings were vastly different.

Above is Ken's painting and the now abandoned buildings of the historic Crystal Cove. Everyone was moved out to make way for a Hotel development, but thanks to a single press conference by Joan Irving Smith, that project was foiled and these historic buildings are to be restored. It's amazing what one person can accomplish!

John Budicin, John Comer, and Ken Auster at Crystal cove.

My buddy Billyo O'Donnell painting on the rocks below Heisler Park. 

John Budicin painting out at the Canyon with the red hat his daughter gave him. Most of the week the beach was covered by a near continuous blanket of Ocean fog, while just a couple miles inland it was clear sun, for those that could tolerate the canyon heat and rattlesnakes!

One great program that was added after the Quick Draw this year was a Children's Quick Draw where 50 kids from LA area schools (all of which won their particular schools Art competition) painted outdoors with supplies and instruction from the local LAPAPA members. It was so much fun watching the kids paint that it brought back so many memories of when I was first interested in Art as a child. I remember watching the pastel portrait artists for hours on end at our two main vacation spots -- Brown County State Park in Indian, and Disney World in Florida. I remember thinking that that would have to be the best job in the world! There's no underestimating what a profound effect an afternoon of painting like this can have on a young talent.

The main difference I noticed in watching the kids painting after the "professionals" was that they spent 90% of their time simply mixing their paint on the palette. So much concentration went into this act that it made me realize how much of the technical side of painting I now take for granted. After you've painted for a long time, your brush goes automatically to the various colors and mixes up exactly what you want without much mental effort. When I'm teaching workshops and people ask what colors I've just mixed, I most often have to look back down at the palette to see, since I wasn't even consciously thinking of it. When I work with a student who has their colors laid out differently than me, I'm constantly putting my brush in the wrong color by accident; it's as if you were a musician who'd had someone rearrange the piano keys on you!

Whenever I see John Cosby painting on the beach, he seems to be surrounded by children! I guess he's just the Pied Piper of the Art world.

Here's my friend Dave, an up and coming artist and one of the organizers of the show.

Glenn Dean in the foreground and Frank Serrano in the background. Talking to Glenn this year and seeing how nervous he was reminded me of the first time I'd done this show (which had been my first plein air event). Knowing that the work you do will be displayed in a Museum at the end of the week with 49 of the top painters in the country can definitely keep you up at night! Nowadays, I've become rather lazy about it, tending to do just a couple paintings a day and spending a lot of time checking everyone else's paintings out and enjoying all the great restaurants. It's like a week of Art Camp and no matter how good or bad your paintings come out, you meet lots of great people and learn a few things to bring back to the studio with you.

Frank Serrano painting the typical cloudy beach scene that week.

Jason Situ opting for a shady spot out at the canyon.

 Frank La Lumia  in front of one of the abandoned buildings atop Crystal Cove's bluff.

Joseph Mendez and Ray Roberts at Heisler Park. Joe is originally from Spain and is a fountain of information on painting locations there as well as Sorrolla's work.

Of course there has to be a photo of Ned Mueller! You have to check out his website since he has some of the most awesome paintings I've ever seen on there!

Michael Obermeyer painting in the early morning at Crystal Cove. After the show, while checking out the Festival of the Arts, I bought an incredible painting that Michael did in Colorado. Our collection of paintings is now so big, that we have to rotate paintings! No problem with that, since I'm always on the lookout for more!

William Scott Jennings dwarfed by his subject. Hard to imagine he's getting all that onto that tiny little canvas!