People love going to Rich Gallego’s birthday parties, because it means painting at a beautiful spot. The California artist plans an all-day paint-out every January.
Lead Image: Rich Gallego painting on his birthday at the Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce, California
He’s a busy guy, with teaching responsibilities and a family of four, but he has a deal with his wife that for his birthday and for Father’s Day, he is free to leave the house before dawn, paint all day, and return home after dark. This means that on a weekend day around his January birthday, Gallego paints somewhere nice from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. And he invites all his friends.
For the seventh year in a row, Gallego had old pals, colleagues, students — and friends on Facebook whom he had never met — join him in a plein air paint-out to celebrate his birthday. He goes somewhere different every year, always within 90 minutes of his home in Palmdale. This year, the group gathered at the Vasquez Rocks, a famous rock formation located in Los Angeles County in California. It has served as a backdrop for many films and TV shows. “The birthday thing is just an excuse to get people to come out and paint,” says the artist. “It’s always a location that people will want to come paint, and maybe something that they haven’t seen or painted before.”
He goes on, “I love seeing all the different approaches to the same subject matter. I’m pretty much a realist painter, but this year there were some colorists, and one of the top animators at Disney. Seeing the same scene through someone else’s eyes is so enlightening. It helps you take some chances with your own work and maybe try something a little bit new.”
Gallego cranked out four paintings at his 2016 birthday paint-out. This didn’t surprise him. “Because I teach so much, and have to stop often to help students, I have learned how to paint quickly when I have a bit of time,” he says. “So when I’m just there to paint — not teach, too — I get a lot done.”
The outings have proved popular. This year, several of the attendees jokingly asked Gallego if he could have another birthday next month. He has been thinking along those lines. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is located in Los Angeles County, and he’s thinking that when the poppies are in full bloom, he’ll organize another paint-out. “We’ve had good rain, so it promises to be a good year for the poppies,” says Gallego. “When they are blooming, it’s really amazing, just a carpet of orange.”
Gallego is even planning next year’s birthday outing. He hopes to spend his January 2017 birthday on Catalina Island … with 20 likeminded painting buddies.
