A Big Splash - Sunset Cliffs

The San Diego Plein Air Painters were painting at Sunset Cliffs today.  I got there early and finished two paintings.  It was a gorgeous day at the beach, the only place to be on such a hot day.  

I'm attending a workshop at the end of the month in Carmel (!), and the instructor, Lori Putnam, recommended a palette, as is usually the case.  And I find that I get the most from workshops if I use the same materials as the instructors.  Instructors will usually talk about why they use the materials they do, the palette they work with and other materials and it's really good to see what other artists use.  All of the instructors of the workshops I have attended use a limited palettes themselves or recommend a limited palette for workshops so purchasing the paint is not a huge investment.  Lori Putnam uses Blue Ridge Oils out of Asheville NC,  oils made by hand.  I got my order, unpacked the box to find each tube with a hand written label, at that point I was intrigued. I broke them out today at the beach and LOVE them, they are very buttery. And as we all know, every thing is better with butter!  I also really like the palette - it is Ultramarine Blue, Pyrol Red (never heard of this), Warm Rose (didn't try it yet), Indian Yellow (like Cad Yellow Deep), Cad Yellow Medium, and Thalo Turqoise (new to me but love it), there is no Alizaron Crimson which has always been a staple but I did just fine without it!