Cal Tech

Cal Tech 9"x12" oil on panel

Ginny was able to get the approval for us to paint on the Cal Tech campus, and there were so many opportunities, one had to make a decision and fly with it. Otherwise the morning would have been wasted wandering. I was captivated by this rather homely building, which someone, somehow, one day thought was a good idea. It is centered in the middle of traditional buildings, and attempts to be contemporary, but falling short.

One student walked by me, thought I couldn't hear due to the fact that I had my ipod ears in. He was commenting to his friend about why anyone would want to paint that, because it has to be one of the ugliest buildings in SoCA. I have seen worse. Though walking through the traditional entry archways, one sees this structure and thinks that it just does not fit in the surroundings. No one every said that Cal Tech had the top designers on campus. Now... if Art Center did that, there would be an uproar.

I was taken by the graphic views in the water. I wish I had brought a larger panel to get more reflection in my composition, but I did have fun with what I could see, which included the brilliance of the building. It was from first glance a black and white view. However, once again as I looked longer, I saw quite an array of colors. It makes one think how much more we can really see as we slow down.

We are experiencing rain here in SoCA so the plein air outings are on hold this week.