Laguardia High School Plein Air

Today I went over to Laguardia to do a plein air present for Daya.

I did not know we would be getting 40mph winds.... it started as I started but I was already set up so....

The wind was absolutely brutal and was smacking me from behind the whole time. An illegally parked car right at the bus stop (RED CAR, VA PLATES) messed up my location pictures because of crazy laser-glare coming off the windshield going straight into my camera.. (who the heck parks right IN the bus stop...) I chose my spot deliberately for the view and also because of the bus stop... no one could park in front of me but......

Several people came over to me to inquire about the wind and also complain about it. My gear holds up just fine in the wind but I had to brace myself or wait for gusts to pass while painting.

I met an almost 90-year old musician who remembers when the school first opened in the 1940s, a golden retriever, and lots of other cool people.

As I was doing the lettering on the school-- seriously this actually happened when I was right in the middle of it-- a man came up to me and wanted to tell me how much he loved doing calligraphy!

What lovely synchronicity.

8x10 oil, three hours.

I angled the camera so the car was hidden behind the painting but the light was still bouncing into the lens.