"Calle Sin Nombre" Mexico, plein air landscape painting by Robin Weiss

"Calle Sin Nombre"   10x10 oil on panel     Sold




Juan Valdez

Calle sin nombre means "street with no name" and there are a lot of those in Mexico!  The sun bakes the red dirt roads and reflects into the very air bathing everything in warm light. I was glad I brought along my trusty, wide brimmed, painting sombrero!  That thing has kept me comfortable in many hot locations.

This view of Pescadero was painted from the top of Jolyns house where she had a traditional palapa built by local Mexicans. Not only does it make a great place to hang out and relax in the shade but it also helps to keep the house cool in the summer when temps can reach 120 degrees!





Painting under the Palapa

After the morning demo we all went up to the palapa to paint the view from a shady spot. I worked on this painting as I taught my process of tackling a landscape. The day before I drew a few thumbnail sketches which I looked at as I worked out the values using a red orange color for the underpainting. 

I also went around and offered suggestions and answered questions from the other artists. I wanted to make sure they didn't get discouraged. Painting landscapes on location is one of the hardest things an artist can do and even the best aren't always successful. When you give it your best shot and still have a stinker, best to chuck it into the nearest arroyo and try another view.

Me and Ann having our morning coffee