A couple of weeks ago I was able to spend time with friends in Southern California. Here are a few pages from my sketchbook.
I was also able to view the National Watercolor Society 2016 Exhibition which is on view at the NWS Gallery in San Pedro. This year’s work is amazingly impressive. The exhibit will be up in San Pedro through December 18. It will be traveling to other locations after that. The exhibition can also be viewed online here.
The foothills near our home include many treasured spaces. After a casual lunch at Alice’s Restaurant (the one from the Arlo Guthrie song) we spent the afternoon at the David C. Daniels Nature Center.
We had the pond and surrounding trails to ourselves as Mark took photos and I painted. The Daniels Nature Center is adjacent to Russian Ridge which is at the junction of Page Mill/Alpine Road and Skyline (Highway 35). So close … but … so far from the hustle of Silicon Valley.
I will likely add some of the foreground reeds to the painting. If you look closely, you’ll see that I’ve just started to sketch them in. I planned to add them at the time but needed to wait for the paper to dry to enable me to paint the crisp sword-shaped spikes.
Rylan turned 3 today. It was fun to paint this small watercolor to mark the occasion. Just wish we lived closer to this amazing guy and his terrific parents!
I was struck by the positioning and reflections of these two small row boats cozied up next to the fish buyers’ pier inside Pillar Point Harbor. It was a bright afternoon with the sun breaking through the large large red bins that are at the ready for the unloading of the catch from commercial fishing boats that pull up to the pier.
I’ve enjoyed sketching and painting Half Moon Bay scenes and look forward to painting there more.
We spent a week enjoying beautiful early fall weather in the Asheville, North Carolina area earlier this month. The rural scenery in the area is really special. Here are sketchbook pages from the trip …
Room 362 at the Grove Park Inn provided a perfect spot to take in the landscape with the Smokey Mountains as a backdrop. Their Sunset Terrace Restaurant provided beautiful evening views along with excellent food.
Our drives along the Blue Ridge Parkway took my husband and me back to the Penland area. We met at the Penland School when he was teaching a summer session in metals years ago. We also enjoyed the views from Mount Mitchell and our hike in the Mount Pisgah area.
We had a great time on our most recent trip to Kauai. Staying in a place with a terrific balcony view provided ample opportunity for watching (and painting) crashing waves and surfers from a comfortable spot in the shade. Here are sketchbook pages from the trip …
We also enjoyed spending time in the Waimea Canyon area. The views from the Phiea trail amaze. And … you’ve got to love the colorful Kauai chickens!
My husband and I spent a great day yesterday at Mount Diablo State Park. I was able to paint from a lovely spot under an oak tree at Lookout Point. I painted this 12″ x 16″ study in about an hour … squinting in the sun and waving off yellow jackets.
Apparently there are more than 7 million of us who live in the 9 counties that make up the San Francisco. We’re fortunate to have access to nature nearby at places like Mount Diablo. The park is home to varied natural habitats … oak trees, grassland and chaparral. Geologically speaking, the rocks in the park are very old but the mountain (3,849 feet) is thought to be very young in geologic time. Views after a rainstorms from Mount Diablo offer glimpses of distant sierra peaks. Summer days like yesterday have their give us the vistas California golden hills.
11″ x 14″ watercolor
The wharf and cannery building in Princeton-by-the-Sea is a lovely mess in a very scenic Half Moon Bay spot. This summer afternoon watercolor captures active sanderlings feeding along a shore with gently lapping waves. The old Romeo Pier is in the Pillar Point Harbor Harbor area in a spot that is terrific for a coastside walk.
This painting will be on view as part of a show sponsored by the Los Gatos Art Association from beginning on Friday April 13 through June 5.
There are many wonderful places to sketch and paint along the San Francisco Bay Trail. I recently completed a painting of Matadero Creek which is located is at the southern end of San Francisco Bay.
I’m fortunate to live within 10 minutes (or a long bike ride) of the wetlands that border the southwestern reach of San Francisco Bay. I particularly enjoy the quiet of the mornings beautiful light, not too much heat and lots of active shorebirds.
We visit the Half Moon Bay region frequently. It is a beautiful area for taking in the scenery and listening to crashing waves. I recently completed a painting of the rugged Pillar Point cliff and Air Station at the point.
I find it challenging to distill the movement of waves onto the shore and I have been busy with shoreline studies.
