If you’ve been to Yosemite National Park, it’s all but certain that you’ve crossed the Pohono Bridge. The Pohono was built in 1928 and it spans the Merced river in the heart of Yosemite Valley.
Views of the bridge and from it change with every season. I enjoyed painting this winter scene and look forward to painting the bridge again next spring.
Good to know there is may be a self-driving car in Santa’s future if the reindeer decide they need a break.
We see autonomous vehicles daily where I live in Mountain View so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for Santa. Merry Christmas!
Fun, fun, fun weekend in Las Vegas. Great hikes in Red Rocks and near the Hoover Dam. We also really enjoyed the Cirque du Soliel show Michael Jackson ONE.
The only plein air painting I got in was from our room on the 17th floor of the Polo Towers Condo development. Great view from our room of the southern part of the Strip including The Aria, The Cosmopolitan, The Bellagio and Planet Hollywood.
While in Vegas I also painted the guitars hanging in the pawn shop entrance to Beauty and Essex, the wonderful restaurant in The Cosmopolitan Hotel. I may develop this one into a larger painting.
I have so enjoyed the Los Gatos Plein Air group which I joined recently. The watercolor above includes two members of the group as we painted at Gugliemo Vineyards in Morgan Hill.
I finished a 9″x 12″ oil painting that day. I also completed 16″ x 20″ watercolor of Petite Sirah vines. That piece was developed from the alla prima sketchbook watercolor below.
Pretty sure this guy isn’t going to land on anyone’s Thanksgiving table tomorrow … but … he does need look both ways when crossing curvy country roads.
Hope you have a terrific Thanksgiving!
It was so enjoyable spending the morning painting the decaying Rose Barn in Morgan Hill with the Los Gatos Plein Air Painting Group. I’m looking forward to exploring the nearby Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve on another visit. Those of us who live in Silicon Valley are fortunate to have access to so many wide open spaces. Here’s my painting for the day. Not my favorite but fun to do.
11″ x 14″ watercolor
The magnificent old oak that anchored the Gamble Garden is gone. This painting is my goodbye.
9″ x 12″ (private collection)
I could have reached out and touched the vines. Instead I painted them. After which, I enjoyed a lovely estate grown 2015 Grignolino. The vineyard is in Morgan Hill which has retained much of the agricultural feel of long ago pre-tech decades.
I recently visited Wilder Ranch for the first time. This charming California State Park is on the coastline just north of Santa Cruz.
In addition to the farmhouse, a lovely old barn and other farm buildings remain. Sheep and goats are in the pen behind the barn. In addition to preserving the agricultural heritage of the area, the park includes trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding and access to a beach area.
I recently joined a plein air painting group which I’ve really been enjoying. It’s a great group of generous painters and it is wonderful to paint in new locations. It’s also really helpful to get advice on what’s working (and not working) from fellow painters. On this particular day, I also received feedback from a couple of four legged art critics.
