Sunny with Scattered Clouds

Oil on Canvas Panel, 9" by 12", plein air. I saw those little clouds out there three days ago and had to stop and paint at Point Richmond on my way home to Marin -- about 4 pm

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Comment by Thomas Ruckstuhl on March 27, 2015 at 22:42: Stu, thanks for the offer that would really be something!

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on March 27, 2015 at 14:34: Hey Thomas, next time you come here, let me know and we'll go out and paint!!! You made a very good point about the horizon. It always amazes me how sensitive we are to something just a little bit off the zero line especially when there is a frame around everything. I do have a plastic engineers ruler in my day pack with all my plein air gear but I seldom get it out to draw a straight line on my panel!

Comment by Thomas Ruckstuhl on March 27, 2015 at 14:05: Stu, i am not really familiar with the bay but i have been there five times I think. One of the most important conferences in the field of optics is in SF each year in January. 2011 I walked through the city late at night and passed by a small gallery. I just stood there for more than an hour although i had to give a talk next morning and needed to go to bed. I was blown away by those neoimpressionistic paintings of SF. I had never seen anything alike. I did not know what impact that moment would have on my life. That moment changed everything.
Please forget about that horizon and keep going beyond!

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on March 27, 2015 at 6:40: Thanks Thomas. I know it looks a little funny, but the point of land on the right (Marin Headlands, North of the Golden Gate) is a couple of miles North of the San Francisco shoreline on the left (with Alcatraz in front of it and with Angel island's shoreline receding toward it). I think it's possible that if I had changed the value of the Marin Headlands on the right to make it read a little closer, it might read better; but that might not be the best fix.

The overall effect of this makes it look like the horizon tilts down toward the right lower corner of the painting and perhaps elevating the shoreline on the right is the better solution. Thanks a lot for your comments, because knowing this scene so well, I had not thought of how it might look to someone who is not as familiar with it.