Jacaranda Too

 

Jacaranda Too  acrylic 9x12 inches

Purchase info here.

In January I purchased a set of acrylic paints.  I wondered what it would be like to work with a medium so fluid, vibrant in color, and fast drying.  Turns out it's a lot of fun!  This is my first painting in acrylic. For a bit of familiarity I used one of my own oil paintings for reference.  For exploring any new medium, a good starting point is a subject you have already done in your familiar medium.  

You can see this tree in San Juan Capistrano right across the street from the new Mission Basillica.  This was a little Mexican Restaurant, but I think it has changed hands having not survived the pandemic shut down.  The tree continues on.  

Twisting Pine -a plein air painting from Cambria, CA

oil 12x9 inches Purchase info here. From our trip to Cambria, I painted this on location within the Hurst/San Simeon State Campground. This is a famous Monterey Pine, but in Cambria the same tree is referred to as a Cambria Pine. I loved the twist of the trunk with the turning staircase. IN OTHER NEWS: The "All You Can Eat" Art Show opens tonight at Studio C Claremont and Bunny Gunner Gallery, both neighboring galleries on Bonita Ave. in Claremont. The opening is from 6-8 pm and the show will continue through the month of July. I have five paintings in each gallery. It's a BIG show of SMALL affordable works from over 70 local artists! I hope you'll plan to visit!

Jacaranda

oil 8x10 inches Purchase info here. In the springtime Jacaranda trees in Southern California are just spectacular. I found this one near Mission San Jan Capistrano in front of a little Mexican restaurant. Jacarandas always remind me of my mom. She was not an artist, but had an eye for nature's beauty. "Kids, would you look at those Jacarandas!", she'd say. That was back in the days when kids with no seat belts looked out big car windows.

Valencias -a plein air painting of oranges

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info This is the first painting for the Strada Easel Challenge: 31 paintings in the 31 days of January. Probably hundreds of artists have signed up for this. Each day we post on Facebook #stradaeasel. There's a chance to win a Strada Easel at the end of the month. In addition to the goal of painting every day, I have set some personal goals: paint 50% of them outdoors (didn't know we'd have this much rain!), paint what is around me, paint things I've wanted to paint for a long time but never have gotten around to it. So far I have 17 paintings. Eventually they'll all be posted here on my blog for sale. Please note, if you purchase, shipping will be after February 1. About this painting: I set up in our backyard and painted one of our orange trees-something I've wanted to do for a long time. The next day I added a few more oranges in shadow on the left for balance. It's still heavy on the right, but hey! our juicy oranges are heavy! Long post! If you have read this entire post, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Radiant Tree -a plein air painting from The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Recently I applied and was accepted into the Huntington Library art guild. This gives me permission to paint on the grounds of the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino. They are very protective of their grounds and museums, and rightfully so. I promised to not block the walkways, not to paint over walkways, not pour my turp out in the bushes (who does that?!!), bring no food, and take my trash home. That's what I do wherever I paint, so I shouldn't be too much of a threat! Yesterday we had 75 degree weather. A perfect day to give it a first go. I headed to the Chinese Garden area and wandered a bit until this tree stopped me in my tracks. The reflections were especially fun. I hope you like it.

Aspens -a Colorado landscape in oil

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Another piece using my photos from Colorado. The goal here was to convey the light on those glowing aspens. I lightened up and simplified those dark clouds a bit, but still they're pretty powerful in the painting.

Botanical Stroll -a plein air oil painting from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens SOLD

oil 9x2 inches magnify/purchase "Life is what happens while you are making other plans." Just got back from a family emergency in Idaho. Thankfully, everybody's doing fine now. Here's a painting I did a few weeks ago at the Botanical Gardens in Claremont. While starting I snapped a few shots of folks walking up the path. I added this couple last using my phone shot as reference. Most of these greens have thalo green in them. I've since removed that pigment from my palette. I decided it's a bit loud for me even when neutralized with some red. I prefer to mix my own greens from the primaries or pre-mix a green from Payne's Gray and Cad Lemon before I go out. Greens can be tricky. I like them natural, not loud. That being said, I am still pleased with the color harmony in this painting.

A Pair of Palms -a plein air painting of the desert

oil 9x12 magnify/purchase I'm back from a few days camping at Anza Borrego State Park. The desert was blooming and the air clean and cool. Paradise! I painted this near the visitor's center the first day. It was about 2:00 pm when I started. The light got better and better, back lighting those palms. The sun dropped behind the mountain just after I finished. Then I packed up quick to ride my bike back to camp while I could still see where I was going. IN OTHER NEWS: Today is the fifth anniversary of my blog. Every minute I hold a paintbrush in my hand I feel so blessed and thankful to God to be doing what I love. I sincerely thank all of you who follow, comment and purchase my work. Without you, it would just be paintings piling up in a corner! And a very special thanks to Carol Marine, the Queen of Daily Painting, who really helped me get this daily painting/blogging thing going.

California Pepper -a plein air tree study in oil

oil 8x10 inches magnify/purchase One afternoon it looked like rain again, so I stayed close to the RV and did this little tree study. I loved the shapes of the branches and cascading foliage. The backlighting became pinker as I painted which was even more fun. This day I learned the hard way not to put my backpack under my open turp can. Lost in painting, I was unaware that a family was approaching me from behind. Suddenly my whole set up came forward as if into my lap. My turp can fell and drenched my backpack. Paintbrush in hand scraped right through the painting as it fell toward me. What happened? My little Malte-poo lying on a blanket next to me had gone out and around me to greet the approaching children, her tie-out cord pulling my tripod over. Other than that, I had a peaceful painting session! I fixed the painting, then soaked the backpack in soapy water when I got home. Still smells like turp, though.

Cold Pond -a plein air painting at Prado Regional Park

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Our camping weekend was cold and rainy, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Can you see the cold in my painting? It tried to rain on me, but the clouds didn't really let loose until that night. I was interested in the branches of this tree/bush/thing and also the light on the water. There were big storks out there, so I included a few. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Zen Garden -a landscape painting in oil

oil 8x10 inches sold magnify I've been working on several commissions since mid September. This is the first, commissioned by my brother. He commissioned three pieces depicting the home and gardens of a good friend. Now my brother is busy building custom frames for them. Knowing they would be a special Christmas gift made painting these extra fun. Painting tip: Sometimes I tone my canvas with transparent pink; a mix of Thalo Red Rose and Indian yellow. I learned this from Jennifer McChristian, who paints fabulous urban scenes, and anything else fabulously also! I have used it for urban scenes, but I think it also works well for overwhelmingly green scenes such as this. The little bits of pink showing through here and there (and underneath too) help temper the greens.

Camping Among Giants

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase Painted on location at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA. For more info, see my post on August 28.

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.

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.

Redwood Shadows -sold

oil 16x12 inches click for purchase information and zoom In August we took our little RV up the coast to Pismo Beach, then Big Sur. Our favorite was a quiet spot near the Big Sur River surrounded by huge redwoods. One day we rode our mountain bikes on HWY 1 to Pfieffer Big Sur State Park where we then hiked to Pfieffer Falls. Not an easy hike for us, but beautiful. Never having painted a forest scene before, I figured it would be a challenge, and it was. But I loved how the light made the red bark glow, so I thought it would be fun to try it in paint. In the painting and in my photo file, the tree trunks are in rich dark shadow. I don't know why the whole painting is lighter when posted to Blogger. To see an accurate image click here: My gallery at Daily Paintworks.

Ridge Sketch

oil 9x12 inches click for purchase information This scene was right behind our campsite. I liked the tree trunks in shadow, light behind them and particularly the blanket of pine needles. I've been super busy since we got back, but have managed a few paintings. I am trying out the new "Arches Oil Paper" and will let you know what I think in my next post.

Solid Oak, Idyllwild

oil 12x9 inches click for purchase information This is the second piece I did while camping in Idyllwild. Backlit scenes often appeal to me. While painting, a campground employee came by in his golf cart and jokingly said, "That looks pretty good! I can hardly see the numbers!" I laughed and told him, "That's because the numbers are on the tree." He replied, "Oh, that's how they do it these days?" Yeah.

Field Sketch, Idyllwild

oil 12x6 inches click for purchase information I'm back! We really enjoyed the Balboa Art Walk. We talked to a lot of nice folks and had good sales. Right after, I stocked our new little RV and we took off for Idyllwild. Temps were in the low 70's, and the clean mountain air at 6000 ft elevation was heavenly. I planted myself on a hill right behind our camping spot for this one. Can't resist a clump of rocks!

Grove Gold-sold

oil 6x6 inches
click here to bid

Saturday at "Celebrate Citrus" in Redlands, I stood right next to a blooming orange tree full of fruit and painted this little study. A thick cloud cover made for poor light, but I was in the mood to paint. My friend, Evey helped me set up and kept me company. In spite of the cold and low attendance, we had a great time.

Watercolor Demo

watercolor 11x15

This week has been a busy one with not much personal time for painting. Today I gave a private watercolor class for a student struggling with a painting she was doing on her own. She planned to start over, so I did a complete demo from her photo as she took notes. I tried to show her how to paint simply, capturing the essence of the scene without copying the photo.