Entry

oil 9x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. This is a plein air piece from the Claremont Colleges.

The Busy Bee

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase info After a delicious breakfast at Pete's Breakfast House in Ventura, I set up to paint the Busy Bee Diner. The sun came out just long enough to get my shadow shapes in. The rest of my painting session was cool and overcast. Perfect. As I drew in, this classic Corvette pulled up. I snapped some pics before it was gone. It only stayed a few minutes. I finished the painting then used my phone pics to add the car. What a great morning, and I'm very happy with the result. Thank you to my husband who strolled the streets while I painted, checked on me and brought me water.

Campfire -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info And now for something really different! While camping in Ventura this past weekend I had a perfect opportunity to paint my first nocturne. Steve and his family, sitting in front of a classic trailer were very kind and interested in what I was doing. I painted from sundown to 10:30 pm. I didn't have my headlamp with me so I used the camping lantern. I learned SO much! Not being able to see very well meant I had to take my best shot at values, and remember where on the palette I mixed certain colors. The dark piles of paint were harder to see, and that's mostly what I needed! I usually paint on cotton canvas, but this one was linen, so the paint gloriously mooshed around. So much fun! I went to bed a happy camper.

My start, about 20 minutes in.

Crystal Cove Overlook -a plein air painting of Historic Crystal Cove -SOLD

oil 11x14 magnify/purchase info I got out to paint one day while we camped at Moro Campground. This view has been painted my many artists over the years, and I was glad to finally have my turn. The morning started cloudy which allowed me to get my shapes in, and as the sun burned through I added the light. You can see that in the progress shots below. Today I'm packing up for Just Plein Fun on Balboa Island. So excited! Wish me luck!

Wagon

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase info Nobody was home in these cabins just a few doors down from where we were staying. I walked down with my afternoon iced coffee and parked myself under the pines. What a nice rustic scene.

Bridge At Canyon Junction -a plein air painting from Zion National Park -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info My second day in Zion I got out early. I hopped on the tram (or dragged myself and gear into the tram) by 8 am. Hey, that's early for me! At Canyon Junction a trail runs right along the river, giving easy river access for painting. I found the perfect spot, shown below. It was quite secluded except for the perfectly tanned "buff" guy. Is that still a word for muscular??? He hung around a bit, walking here and there nearby. A small backpack, no shoes, wearing nothing but a Speedo. Yep! Well that was a little weird. EXCITING DAYS AHEAD! Tomorrow I teach a small one day workshop in Anaheim Hills. Sunday I'll be at the BALBOA ART WALK with 100 fellow artists. If you're in SO CAL don't miss it! You can find me right along the sea wall on the island at Pearl Street. Park in the big parking lot on the Peninsula, and walk onto the ferry. Turn left off the ferry and I'm close by. It'll be a great day! Here's a pic of the guy in the Speedo.

(Just kidding!) But there really was a guy in a Speedo.

Up Canyon -a plein air painting of Moro Canyon, Laguna Beach.

oil 8x10 inches magnify/not for sale My favorite of the two painted at Moro Beach. And below, my favorite little dog, just waiting and keeping me safe. What a pleasant time I had, the nice stone bench and all. Ahhhh...can't wait to go back. This piece will be framed and available at the Balboa Art Walk, May 17th. IN OTHER NEWS: If you're near to Redlands, visit Stonewheel Olive Oil Company. Ten of my paintings are on display thanks to the owner, Alisa Chatman. Artist reception Thursday, May 7 6:30-8:30. 7 N. 5th St, Redlands. Come on out, enjoy the art and let Alisa fix you up with some specialty oils and vinegars. It's Redlands Market Night too!

Pacific Coast Highway at Moro Beach -a plein air oil painting of Crystal Cove SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Last week we camped a bit at the beach. As far as painting goes, I was disappointed in the cloudy weather. I decided I could sit around disgruntled and not paint, or just paint the existing conditions. So here you have a cloudy day overlooking PCH. This piece will be framed and for sale at the Balboa Art Walk on May 17.

Desert Dragon

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase You'll find lots of these beautifully rusted sculptures in Galleta Meadows, not too far from Borrego Springs. You can drive or walk right up to them and all around them. The dragon's head was on one side of the road and his tail sections on the other. The tail looked just like a gigantic rattlesnake's rattle. I turned the RV to give me shade as I painted. The breeze was cool and my dog sat next to me in the passenger seat. It was a great last painting session. Then I headed into town for some really good tacos.

DEMONSTRATION IN ORANGE Next Monday night, March 9. See blog EVENTS for more info.

Backtracking

Look what I found on my iphone! I thought you might like to see "Cold Pond" at the cold pond. I was surprised to see how dark the photo is. It had really clouded up by the time I finished.

Below is my palette after finishing, partially cleaned off. Maybe some of you fellow painters would be interested in my current palette of colors. Counterclockwise from center bottom: Transparent Red Oxide, Thalo green I think, mixed green of Payne's gray and Lemon yellow, more Thalo green I don't know why, Cobalt, Thalo blue, Ultramarine blue, Alizarin, Permanent Rose, Cad red light, Cad orange, Cad yellow medium, Cad yellow light, Titanium White (2 blobs), warm white, cool white, palette sludge. That mixed green I learned from Kim English as well as the warm white (TW plus CYM), and cool white (TW plus cobalt).

And last but not least, my little malte-poo, Sandy whom I mentioned in my last post. Who could not love this sweet face?

Heading Home

After my first painting of the trip, I casually suggested that maybe we could write off our trip as a business expense if I keep painting. My CPA husband became quite the slave driver after that. Once in a while he let me stop painting to fix him a meal. This one is from about twelve miles north of Gold Beach, Oregon. Tomorrow morning we'll head out early. Two days of driving and we'll be home. I have lots of paintings to share. IN OTHER NEWS: Next weekend, Sept. 5-7 I'll be painting at the Associated Artists of the Inland Empire's Art Show and Sale. Victoria Gardens' Celebration Hall at the Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga. If you're in the area, come enjoy the great variety of work. Hope to see you.

On The Road

These shots are from Humboldt Redwoods State Park where we camped several days ago. There's my hubby doing one of his favorite things, and you can see our little RV. This was a quiet and majestic setting where you carefully drive between these giant trees to your camp spot. I had a bit of painting time the morning we had to leave and I painted right in our site. The tent belonged to a motorcyclist who packed it up while I was painting. Luckily I had gotten the tent in first. I might make a few changes and will repost it later. We're having a great time, and I've had the chance to paint in several places. Tonight we're in Grant's Pass, Oregon along the Rogue River. More on our trip later, Wifi permitting.

Warm Cliffs -sold

oil 9x12 magnify From my "paintcation" to Moro Campground, Crystal Cove last week. Standing on the edge of the bluff within the campground was this stunning view of next bluff to the south. Can't beat the views in Laguna Beach. And even on the last day in March I got a bit too warm! I could feel summer coming! I had a great time trying out manganese blue in sky and sea, a recent addition to my palette. It seemed to work well for that Laguna water.

In an effort to lighten my backpack, I ordered the James Coulter mini palette and did not put glass in it. Reduced my 23 lb. backpack down to 16 lb. I thought mixing the color right on the wood might bother me, but it was really no problem. I figured painters have been working on wooden palettes for hundreds of years. The smaller mixing space compared to my compact palette still worked fine. The fresh blobs of paint kinda soaked into the wood even after several coats of linseed oil, but after some layers of paint, I think it will be well seasoned. The palette fits right inside my Kelty Redwing 3100. Dare I say, I was a happy camper!

Fan Palms

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase Second of the paintings done at Anza Borrego. Coming up next are two little desert watercolor sketches I did inside the RV. Reluctantly, I have decided to take some time off from painting. There are matters I must attend to related to my mother's passing. I guess I'm a one-thing-at-a-time kind of girl. So once I get those responsibilities in order, I'll be able to focus again at the easel. I have some fresh ideas, and can't wait to get back to it!

Desert Scene -sold

oil 6x12 inches magnify/purchase This was my first time painting on location in the desert. After so many months of drought, there were few spring flowers, but still plenty of color if you have the eye for it. Spindly twiggy bushes are a challenge I decided. At the start I looked carefully for correct values in the distance, because I wanted to convey the vast desert space. I'm especially happy with that aspect of this painting.

Anza Borrego Desert

Monday I took myself and my dog in our little RV on a paintcation to Anza Borrego Desert State Park. What I loved most about this spot was the quiet and the very dark starry nights. I painted outside in the mornings, as the afternoons were either too warm or windy. The rest of the time I spent inside piddling around with my watercolors. Oh, and there might have been a couple of margaritas and pints of ice cream. Meanwhile, my little malte-poo waited patiently to go home. I guess to her, the whole place smelled like coyote! Here are some pics of the first day. It was 75 degrees in the shade, but I swear it felt like 90 in the sun! I don't get that. I came home a day early to avoid driving in the high winds expected for today. Better shots of the paintings will come once the rain stops and I can photograph them.

Pomegranate Field Study

oil 8x10 inches click for purchase info and magnifier Dianne and Joe Wheatley own a little gem of a parcel in Chino where they grow pomegranates. They graciously invited me to paint there, and gave me a tour of their house built in the late 1800's. What a pleasantly quiet time it was...the sun trying to come out, chickens roaming and a cat playing with a potato bug. I forgot I was just four miles from home. Can't wait to go back. Below are some shots of my new plein air equipment cart. In case you're looking for a way to carry your stuff, you might want to consider this one from thecontainerstore.com. Main compartment holds tripod, paper towels, umbrella mount and still has extra room. Two side pockets will hold paint tubes, small sketch book, water bottle, wipes, brush washer, apron, bug spray, sunscreen. Back pocket holds umbrella and pole. Panel carriers drape over handle and Coulter Plein Air Box slides down handle too. The cart is very lightweight, moves well in dirt and gravel, folds up, and has a large cooler pouch inside the main compartment. I did a lot of looking before I purchased, and I'm really happy with this cart.

Old Galleano -sold

oil 10x8 inches click here to bid This morning I went out to the Galleano Winery with my new Coulter Plein Air System. I was really exited to try it out. After picking my spot, I discovered I had no paper towels! Dang! Driving to a store gave the sun a chance to come out. Yay! Almost finished with my painting, I heard a voice behind me; "You're pretty damn good!" It was Don Galleano who long ago proclaimed another painting I did out there "damn good." This time he introduced himself and invited me into the tasting room for a glass of wine. Well how could I refuse? :-) He insisted I take the glass, the wine and a bottle to go, (!) and "get back out there". What a nice guy. Everybody else out there is just as friendly. You can see my Coulter System supported my wine glass quite nicely.