Out of Time and Place
October 11, 2012
\n ![Out of Time, Place - SLO train station]()
\n \n Out of Time, Place - SLO train station\n \n\nWhile participating at the San Luis Obispo juried Plein Air Event last week, I was given a rare opportunity to be involved simultaneously with writings by Patti Sullivan, San Luis Obispo poet.\n
\n
\nPatti observed me painting on-site at the San Luis Obispo Train Station and then wrote 2 poems about her own connections and experience with the subject I had chosen to paint, pictured here and titled: “Out of Time and Place”.\n
\n
\nPatti read her 2 poems – “Not Fade Away” and “Plein Air Poetry with Steven R Hill”, at a special poetry night sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art last Thursday, with my painting displayed on an easel, as she read.\n
\n
\nMy original copy of this poem, beautifully illuminated in collage style, is a visual treasure, as well - with icons, treasured photos of an old friend, images of pastel sticks, her own colorful artwork. To say that I was blown away by all this would be a complete understatement. As she wrote: “That's what plein air painting gives you – the chance to be surprised” Read her poem and enjoy!\n
\n
\n
\n\n NOT FADE AWAY\n\n
\n\n Plein Air Poetry with the artist Steven R Hill\n\n
\n
\nI've got crickets on the brain - the kind you can fall asleep listening to\n
\nand the kind that rock and roll\n
\n
\nMy assignment – to meet up with a plain air painter near the train station\n
\nto observe and write about the experience\n
\nBut first there's a coffee break at Sally Loo's Café – this is a tough life\n
\n
\nThen it's onto business – there's art to be made- a poem to write\n
\nHe sets up his easel and shows me the tools of his trade\n
\nColorful round disks called pan pastels, hard pastels and soft pastels\n
\nhow they can be crushed, have highest pigment, they will last forever\n
\nthey won't discolor like oils…and do not fade away like watercolors…\n
\n
\nWhich brings me to the crickets!\n
\n
\nReading up on our historic railroad district – how Jack Kerouac stayed\n
\nhere in 1953 – working the trains. He wrote home how the\n
\n“nights were hushed…falling asleep listening to crickets…”\n
\n
\nWhich made me think of Buddy Holly and his Crickets singing “Not Fade Away”\n
\nthe song would not leave me all night – then forgotten until today\n
\nWhen my painter brings it up – now I'm back in that 45 rpm groove..\n
\n“...your love for me has got to be real…”\n
\n
\nNow I'm concentrating again- hearing about “…blocking the big ones first,\n
\nkilling, tooth, warms already down, cool down with hard sticks…”\n
\nAmazing that this painting is coming along so quietly and peacefully\n
\nwith all that violence going on\n
\n
\nHe tells me the details always find their way into the story -\n
\nbut that skateboarder zooming by didn't make the cut\n
\nsame with those two yellow taxi's parked out front of the station\n
\n
\nHe says he paints what he sees, not what he knows is there\n
\nthat's why the roof tiles look just like what they are\n
\neven though they aren't drawn in- the shading and colors have recreated them\n
\n
\nYesterday when he did his sketches in the white heat of the day\n
\nabundant shadows - then this morning only fog\n
\nno shadows only “flat light” to work with\n
\n
\nThat's what Plein Air painting gives you\n
\nthe chance to be surprised – have all your plans come undone\n
\nto step back and review all the positives and negatives\n
\na little creative erasing here and there\n
\na little grumbling and sighing over one “hard wall”\n
\n
\nMust get that palm tree in too – it's San Luis Obispo after all\n
\n
\nAn odd brownish sheet of course paper\n
\nhas been transformed into amazing beauty\n
\npastel sticks left in a jumbled mountain\n
\n
\nThis is not photo realism\n
\nthere's no blue or yellow on that building\n
\nbut there is now\n
\nand we're all the better for it\n
\n
\nNow the sun wants back into the action- too late\n
\nWe're done here\n
\n
\n“…it has got to be real…..and not fade away…”\n
\n
\n\n Patti Sullivan 10/3/12\n
\n
\nPatti observed me painting on-site at the San Luis Obispo Train Station and then wrote 2 poems about her own connections and experience with the subject I had chosen to paint, pictured here and titled: “Out of Time and Place”.\n
\n
\nPatti read her 2 poems – “Not Fade Away” and “Plein Air Poetry with Steven R Hill”, at a special poetry night sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art last Thursday, with my painting displayed on an easel, as she read.\n
\n
\nMy original copy of this poem, beautifully illuminated in collage style, is a visual treasure, as well - with icons, treasured photos of an old friend, images of pastel sticks, her own colorful artwork. To say that I was blown away by all this would be a complete understatement. As she wrote: “That's what plein air painting gives you – the chance to be surprised” Read her poem and enjoy!\n
\n
\n
\n\n NOT FADE AWAY\n\n
\n\n Plein Air Poetry with the artist Steven R Hill\n\n
\n
\nI've got crickets on the brain - the kind you can fall asleep listening to\n
\nand the kind that rock and roll\n
\n
\nMy assignment – to meet up with a plain air painter near the train station\n
\nto observe and write about the experience\n
\nBut first there's a coffee break at Sally Loo's Café – this is a tough life\n
\n
\nThen it's onto business – there's art to be made- a poem to write\n
\nHe sets up his easel and shows me the tools of his trade\n
\nColorful round disks called pan pastels, hard pastels and soft pastels\n
\nhow they can be crushed, have highest pigment, they will last forever\n
\nthey won't discolor like oils…and do not fade away like watercolors…\n
\n
\nWhich brings me to the crickets!\n
\n
\nReading up on our historic railroad district – how Jack Kerouac stayed\n
\nhere in 1953 – working the trains. He wrote home how the\n
\n“nights were hushed…falling asleep listening to crickets…”\n
\n
\nWhich made me think of Buddy Holly and his Crickets singing “Not Fade Away”\n
\nthe song would not leave me all night – then forgotten until today\n
\nWhen my painter brings it up – now I'm back in that 45 rpm groove..\n
\n“...your love for me has got to be real…”\n
\n
\nNow I'm concentrating again- hearing about “…blocking the big ones first,\n
\nkilling, tooth, warms already down, cool down with hard sticks…”\n
\nAmazing that this painting is coming along so quietly and peacefully\n
\nwith all that violence going on\n
\n
\nHe tells me the details always find their way into the story -\n
\nbut that skateboarder zooming by didn't make the cut\n
\nsame with those two yellow taxi's parked out front of the station\n
\n
\nHe says he paints what he sees, not what he knows is there\n
\nthat's why the roof tiles look just like what they are\n
\neven though they aren't drawn in- the shading and colors have recreated them\n
\n
\nYesterday when he did his sketches in the white heat of the day\n
\nabundant shadows - then this morning only fog\n
\nno shadows only “flat light” to work with\n
\n
\nThat's what Plein Air painting gives you\n
\nthe chance to be surprised – have all your plans come undone\n
\nto step back and review all the positives and negatives\n
\na little creative erasing here and there\n
\na little grumbling and sighing over one “hard wall”\n
\n
\nMust get that palm tree in too – it's San Luis Obispo after all\n
\n
\nAn odd brownish sheet of course paper\n
\nhas been transformed into amazing beauty\n
\npastel sticks left in a jumbled mountain\n
\n
\nThis is not photo realism\n
\nthere's no blue or yellow on that building\n
\nbut there is now\n
\nand we're all the better for it\n
\n
\nNow the sun wants back into the action- too late\n
\nWe're done here\n
\n
\n“…it has got to be real…..and not fade away…”\n
\n
\n\n Patti Sullivan 10/3/12\n