The desert has a different kind of beauty. I did a little painting while at Joshua Tree but mostly painted at the Marriott in Desert Springs Resort which was lovely. The views of distant mountains are framed by palms and saguaro cactus. An unexpected bonus … the resident pink Chilean flamingos seemed very healthy and were fun to paint.
When I started the sketch for this watercolor, I budgeted about a half hour break in my hike at Joshua Tree. Turns out, the scant cup of water I brought attracted hundreds of bees with minutes. So, this is a 10 minute view of the Joshua trees near Jumbo Rocks.
We missed the peak of the Joshua blooms though we did see some fading flowers and lots of the fruit that comes after the blooms fade.
12″ x 9″ oil on panel
This plein air piece was painted at the Fortini entrance to Santa Teresa Park.
8″ x 6″ (sold)
I was attracted to the bright colors of the kayaks and paddle boards at Shoreline Park and Lake where I’ve painted many times.
11″ x 14″ oil on panel
Angel Island (in the San Francisco Bay) is one of my favorite spots. In this painting, I was attracted to a snug pair of boats in the Ayala Cove Harbor. This piece was exhibited as part of the California Art Club’s Juried Exhibition “Bay Area Parks” in 2019.
6″ x 8″ (private collection)
Painted in my backyard. Spring smells so sweet.
The blooms are fleeting. The weather was mixed. Still, such joy to paint in my fragrant backyard.
This time of year there are as many days that are foggy and cold along the pacific coast as there are days in the sun. This day spent painting at Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove was pure magic. Sparkling sunshine. Visiting dolphins. Painting buddies. An expert with advice to offer. Here are three of the day’s gouache sketches.
I haven’t done much painting in gouache and most of what I’ve done has been filling in color charts. This was so much more fun!
I am not sure how much I will incorporate gouache into my plein air painting going forward. After this magical day, I do see it as a great way to capture a moment, a feeling and a hue that is specific to a place and time without a bunch of cleanup and inconvenient drying time.
16″ x 20″ oil on panel
A crystalline morning that will soon give way to the bustle of water taxis in a bustle that is Geneva, Switzerland.
This plein air watercolor was painted on site at the West Bluff Picnic Area in Chrissy Field. A terrific place for views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. Being next to the warming hut meant my friend and I had hot coffee to enjoy while painting in the bracing breeze.
Yesterday didn’t seem like it was going to be a promising day to paint outside. My friend and I thought we’d be scouting out a spot under one of the overhangs near the Ferry Building. Instead the rain stopped just as we entered the city and we had a couple of terrific hours of dramatic clouds and sparkling sunshine on the other end of the city.
