On Sunday, 9/27/09 we (Plein Air Artists of Riverside) were invited to paint during the Riverside Restaurant Week Gala, at the Municipal Auditorium. There were three of us artists, Terry d Chacon, Luz Perez and myself, who responded to the call. The Gala was a fundraiser put on by the greater downtown fine dining Restaurants, in support of the Arts commission of Riverside. A great event to support, and a very nice crowd appeared. The guests seemed to enjoy themselves despite the heat of the evening. The evening started about 4:30 pm, and the light on the outside terrace was just beautiful, so Terry and I stayed out there to paint. I loved how the light was hitting the white chef's hat and his white coat, on the far corner of the terrace, so I decided to paint this scene as it was what first caught my eye. This subject matter is not something I do very often so I was a little nervous by this undertaking, but I was determined to enjoy the moment. As a few of the guests started to come in, I quickly sketched gesture like images of a few of them, as the party started to evolve. I had first painted the chef before the gates opened. Soon there were so many guests, I was not able to continue putting any more people, as it might become confusing, so I decided to keep it simple. This type of scene is very much not what I paint, but all in all I was pleased with the outcome. I was further complemented by one of the guests, who purchased this painting. The greatest honor of being an artist, is to have someone buy the painting, I am honored by his purchase. I must say the event was truly a fun event, and the band that was playing on the terrace was fabulous, they were the Seventh Avenue Band. Terry, Luz and I all stayed until the end, listening to the music, and enjoying the evening.
