The Berkeley Cafe

“The Berkeley”
7 x 10" watercolor

Saturday I lunched late at the Roast Grill in Raleigh and said to the owner George, “My beloved painting stool fell apart. I need to find a place with park benches that might have a view of something I can paint.”

George directed me to a park with benches, but none of the benches offered a view of anything I wanted to paint. In heat well into the 90’s, I sat in my vehicle, turning on the air intermittently, and painted this view. I know nothing about The Berkeley Café except George told me it had been there forever and that I should paint it. Now I have.

I could have named this painting “Red, White, and Blue.” I particularly like the whites. I believe it was the late great artist and instructor Edgar Whitney who said in regard to watercolors, “Your whites will be your Ace card.”