Oils

I painted this early in the morning from a small dock in South Lake Tahoe just as the sun was inching above the treetops. A flag was up alongside the small cabin on the left and with Memorial Day Approaching, I had to include it.

Tenaya Lake is magical. For me, it marked the end of a week long endurance-testing backpacking trip, the spot I first painted en plein air and the scene of a hasty one time only skinny dipping experience.  Here I am catching the lake in spring as the impossibly pink penstemon flowers make their appearance in nooks and crannies between granite rocks and in shaded lakeside patches.

Most Monday’s, I paint outside painters affiliated with the Los Gatos Art Association. I met Rebecca when I first joined the group. She’s the group’s heartbeat. These Hollyhocks and hydrangeas were painted in Rebecca’s backyard a couple of years ago. I pulled this painting out of a group of paintings with happy memories on a recent cloudy and added in a few more hollyhocks just because.

The eastern foothills of San Jose is home to a delightful iris grower managed by Nola. They have graciously hosted a group of painters from the Los Gatos Art Association each spring during peak bloom. You can visit too and you are able to order your favorite iris varieties online. If you can manage to choose amongst them.