Christmas Sketches -- from IPad to Watercolor

"Big Sur"

4" x 6" Watercolor Sketch

Concept created on IPad



"California Poppies"

4" x 6" Watercolor Sketch

Concept created on IPad

We just returned from a couple days at Big Sur Lodge for Christmas. With children grown and scattered, we celebrate in non-traditional ways. I used a bit of a very rainy afternoon to attempt a couple small watercolor sketches for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Holiday Party card exchange. This year we can bring a 4" x 6" watercolor and volunteers will help us adhere it to a card. These will be displayed at the party and then each partipant in the exchange gets to draw a card out the box.

I used my new IPad and stylus with a free program, SketchBookX, to create a couple concepts. Then I painted them. In some ways, I really like the simple IPad sketches the best. I'm not very good yet at varying opacity and selecting a variety of colors yet. With the Poppies, I was going for a modern twist, so after I painted the poppies, I added some geometric shapes and painted them in light, greyed down colors.  I like the poppies with less line added on a plain white background better than my watercolor rendition. I can always try again. My son Jason sent me a lovely brush kit for the IPad, and Myrna Wacknov recently gave me some tips on apps she likes to use and I will purchase them. I plan to do more preliminary sketches with the IPad.

Meanwhile, we had big storms in Big Sur (and at home). We arrived between storms to find a sign warning us the road was closed 30 miles south of Carmel. We calculated that with the lodge at 26 miles and Nepenthe at 29, we were okay. That evening we met a man from Long Island staying at the Lodge because he was headed for Esalen and as he drove south on Route 1, there were huge boulders in the road. He wisely decided to retreat for the night, and then Caltran closed the highway for maybe 30 miles. He's feeling a bit bedeviled by nature with the hurricane damage and rains on his annual CA trip. The next day he planned to go north and take an alternate route.

On Christmas Day we shared gifts in the morning and had a lovely lunch at legendary Nepenthe. We do the same thing every year -- tradition. Bob looked very dapper in his Christmas top hat.

The view from Nepenthe is always impressive. It was raining lightly. You can take their link and then use the Weather Cam on the right side to get the current view.

Soon the deluge hit. I actually began to wonder if we might get stranded and was picturing being removed by helicopter with our car left behind for months. We decided not to putter this morning. As it is, one section between Carmel and Big Sur is one lane because they are rebuilding the washed out cliff-side lane. This morning, we had to wait exiting Big Sur while they cleaned up a slide in our lane, then we followed the pilot truck through. Fortunately, that was the worst of it. The day has been filled with strong downfalls of rain followed by minutes of clearing and sunshine. There was a fabulous rainbow that disappeared into the ocean, but I was unable to find a good spot to get a photo. We are not easily deterred and I made reservations for next Christmas on our way out. Turns out I can save a lot of money reserving early -- who knew?

My granddaughters were happy to receive small prints on canvas of the collages I did of them recently. I used AmericanFrame.com, which is quite reasonable, but I see that many places like Costco now offer this service. With my web order I was able to send them directly to the girls in Vermont. 

Jamie, "The Graduate"



Kelly, "Gymkhana"

Jamie will hang hers in her room at Smith College and Kelly will hang hers with her horse show ribbons.



Working on a Commission

"My Nepenthe"

11" x 14" Watercolor

A friend who attended my art show and saw a tiny painting of the scene from the Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur was hoping it would be larger. I offered to do a larger version. I started it last week and finished today. Well, I might add a few more touches. It's always a challenge to recreate a piece. Each one turns out unique, no matter what. Now to mat, frame, and deliver. I am promised a second commission.

Then I turned again to Bob's paternal grandmother, Bertina, from her wedding photo around 1912. I like how I painted the first one, but I didn't have the drawing bang on. So I tried a second time and I still wasn't satisfied. I was encouraged when I talked to an excellent artist at Open Studios this weekend. Rajani said that the painting I was admiring was her third try and she almost gave up. I was encouraged to finish yet a third version, this time in the smaller format to enter in an exhibition of small paintings. I need to live with that one a day or two and likely make small modifications. Then I will post.

A Room with a View: Cruising to Mexico

"A Room with a View: Port of Ensenada, Mexico"

7" x 5" Watercolor and Ink

"A Room with a View: Shoreline of Ensenada, Mexico"

Ink sketch

Bob and I could not resist taking a very reasonable cruise on Carnival Paradise from Long Beach to Ensenada on the Baja in Mexico, by way of Catalina Island. I believe the distances are so small that you could easily sail there yourself, but Carnival makes it a Monday to Friday cruise and you circle a lot. It was the ballroom dance part that captured our attention -- 200 dancers organized by a studio owner in Long Beach. Of course, the non-stop eating was pretty nice, too, and there were two fabulous musical shows as well. As a bonus, our randomly assigned dining table mates turned out to be a match made to order and we spent lots of time with new friends Char, Barb, Ted, and Janet, all terrific dancers and great fun.

Ensenada was our second stop. As we slid into port, I did an ink sketch and then painted a port scene after we docked. We decided to take a Wine Country Tour to Calafia Valley, a 45-minute drive that passes the port and traverses the mountains. We wanted to get out in the countryside and always enjoy visiting wine country. There we toured two wineries: L. A Cetto Winery, where we tasted and were sent along with a bottle of wine each; and one organic, where Dona Lupe personally served us homemade pizza and treated us to many interesting spreads and chutneys while tasting. Along the way we learned the history of the region. The guide told us the average daily wages are $4.50, which helps explain the number of Mexican immigrants we have in the US.

"A Room with a View: Catalina Island, California"

Watercolor sketch

On our second day, we visited Catalina Island, just 26 miles from Long Beach. We would be ballroom dancing at the Avalon Ballroom in the famous Casino, the round building on the right. Electricity can be iffy on Catalina and we almost missed our dancing opportunity because the casino staff arrived to find the power company had shut them down. With a bit of persuasion, we were allowed in and danced to music provided by our tour director on a portable unit under natural light. Not quite the big band sound, but we were happy to have this rare opportunity. The dance floor is very expansive and beautifully constructed, a nice change from tiny ship dance floors.

We completed our mini vacation with a stay on the Queen Mary and returned to San Jose on the Coast Starlight Amtrak train that connects LA and Seattle.

More Winter on the California Coast

"Misty Christmas on the California Coast"
Andrew Molera State Park
15" x 18"

Continuing the theme of winter, here is another painting inspired by Christmases spent in the Big Sur area 0n the California Coast. That year we hiked in Andrew Molera State Park to the sea along Big Sur River. I loved this simple scene of evergreens backing dried grasses along the trail. You can see another view of the park that includes the river in an earlier post.

I started and completed this painting during my Thursday night art group. Our numbers were decimated by winter colds, so three of us joined together for a lovely evening of painting. I was hosting and searching at the last minute for art supplies and a subject. I grabbed a 300 pound Arches cold press paper, not my usual 140 pound paper, and a folder of photos of subject matter that emotionally connects with me. Thinking winter, I settled on this scene. I wet the entire sheet, did not sketch out the scene, and used a limited Stephen Quiller pallette, ala Tom Fong's Fast and Loose approach. For the trees, I used Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Orange, and Burnt Sienna. Latter I went back in and introduced a bit of green mixed from Thalo Blue and Cad Yellow Deep. I worked at adding variety in the values. The grasses are Permanent Orange, Cad Yellow Deep, Thalo Green, and Magenta. I scratched in some weeds and added Permanent Orange to some. I had fun doing some positive and negative painting. This morning at critique group, I got a thumbs up on this one without any suggestions for changes.

These California winter scenes are a marked contrast to ones I have painted of winters in North Danville, VT, where son Jeff's family has a small farm with horses. Recently I painted "Winter in the Garden" from a photo Jeff took a couple weeks ago. Having grown up in Vermont, I could feel the cold, crisp air and the bright sunshine in late afternoon. To give you another view of that garden, here is a photo Jeff sent a couple days ago of two of the three horses in the great snowstorm that covered a third of our nation.

"Photo by Jeff Paquet"

The horses' blankets are covered with the snow falling and the hillside behind the trees and garden is completely obscured. The water tub for the horses has a heater to keep it from freezing in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom where I have experienced -42 degrees.

Winter on the California Coast

"Winter in Andrew Molera State Park"
11" x 14" Watercolor

Continuing with my versatile approach to art, the medium is watercolor and the subject category is landscape. I must say, there is just something so satisfying about working with watercolor -- the way it flows, moves, and mixes on the paper is delicious.

In recent years we've spent a few days by ourselves over Christmas in Big Sur. That tradition was broken this year as adult children marry and start new traditions with blended families. However, I still went there in my mind's eye. Among the larger parks there is modestly-sized Andrew Molera State Park with a hike-in campground and some trails along Big Sur River to where the mouth of the river joins the mighty Pacific. At that juncture, the scene is very wild and powerful. However, as I looked at my old photos, I was drawn to this quieter scene a short ways from the ocean.

The day was overcast and colors were quite grayed out; the land masses were reflected in the river. Using just my brush, no drawing, and editing the scene mentally, I created the land and water masses using Stephen Quiller' watercolors -- permanent orange and thalo blue for the greyed green of the hills and trees, the water is cerulean blue with some ultramarine blue in the foreground, the sky remains the white of the paper, the tree limbs were done with alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and permanent orange. I used a touch of alizarin in the weeds of the middle ground. I recalled the damp, cool air against my skin as we hiked the mile to the sea, and the peaceful, muted vista that says California Coast and Big Sur on the shortest of winter days.

This painting was done ala Tom Fong style-- just go for it. View another Andrew Molera scene, "The Coast" -- I sold that painting at my "Trois Artistes" reception on the Santa Cruz Wharf.

Portrait in Acrylics

"Jamie"
Acrylics on gessoed paper
12"x 10"

This is a first for me - a portrait done in opaque acrylics, and truly I had quite a learning experience. Unfortunately, I can't get the colors true in this reproduction. I have not yet bought any Ampersand panels as suggested by Hallie, so I gessoed over a failed watercolor painting on Arches 300 pound paper. The support is quite rough and very rigid. I drew the figure on tracing paper to avoid erasures on my support. I transferred the drawing using a method I learned from Myrna Wacknov. I turned the tracing paper over and went over all my pencil lines with a blue watercolor crayon. Then I placed the tracing paper over my gessoed paper crayon side down and used a ballpoint pen to trace over the lines. A very thin line of watercolor crayon gets transferred to the support. The line disappears when painted over as it dissolves with water, more critical when using watercolors, but a great method.

I wanted the acrylics to remain open and blendable for a while, so as recommended in Barclay Sheaks classic book, I used an acrylic gloss medium over the surface and to mix, slightly diluted, with the paints as I applied them. At first I was like a young child trying something new. Then things began to come together for me as I found how much paint I needed to apply and how to blend the edges. I like the way I managed to keep the edge of Jamie's hair soft and to blend her left shoulder with the background. I am inspired to try more people paintings. The gesso over rough thick watercolor paper provides an interesting subtle surface that glows from the glossy gel medium.

The source was a photo of granddaughter Jamie at the beach in Capitola during their July visit. Like everyone who visits California, Jamie expected very warm days. This summer was about the coolest on record in recent years, but even in the warmest summers, the coast and San Francisco can experience fog and cold. Mark Twain once wrote "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." He was surely exaggerating as Vermont winters trump it every time. But you get the picture. So Jamie wore her sundress. She was able to shed layers briefly and enjoy the warm coastal sun about 2 p.m.

Using Photoshop, I isolated the portion of the snapshot I wanted to use and enlarged it a bit so I could see Jamie's features. For the background, I took inspiration from the colors of the beautiful beach houses reflected in the water where the San Lorenzo River meets the sea. Here is the source photo.


I had a lovely time with my latest adventure in art. I need lots more practice on how to apply thicker paint and paint skin.

Stormy Weather and a Successful Reception

"Les Trois Artistes"
Jeanne de Campos-Rousseau, Moi, Diana Henrichson

Bob awaits the crowd

The reception begins

Many people braved the stormy weather
and were blessed with rainbows

As we drove the winding highway over the coastal range to Santa Cruz, rain fell in buckets, making driving pretty unpleasant. I worried that not many people who planned to make the hour drive would brave the elements. Vino Primo is upstairs and you walk across an open, suspended walkway between the wine bar and a restaurant to enter. From my sailing days, I estimate about 40 knots of wind blasting us. So much for the careful hairdo! Later we lined the windows to view double rainbows.

Surprisingly, we had a wonderful turnout. People were treated to a glass of wine and appetizers as they browsed the art and chatted. I was delighted to sell three of my paintings during the reception. The first that sold was included in the official show:

"Franken Vine"
16" x 20"
Watercolor

I also sold two unframed pieces: "The Coast", which I've been asked to frame, and "Sunset Over Tuscany", along with a few cards.

One of my brothers lives on the coast, so he and his in-laws joined us, along with some friends, for dinner in Santa Cruz after the reception. We had torrential downpours and a lightening show, though its unusual here to experience electrical storms. Three gallant Bob's lined up on the windward side of the table near the entry door to protect us, where they managed to intercept most of the blown raindrops when people opened the door. We drove back home over storm-swept mountain roads.

SCVWS Members Show

"Memories of Norway
13" x 18"
Watercolor

Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society has a Members Show each Fall. There is no juried process to get in, though there is a juror for cash and sponsor awards. I had to file my entry form before I left for the East Coast, so I finally decided to enter my fantasy Norway piece for Alternate Realities." I had created a quarter sheet painting shown and discussed in this post. I knew it was successful when my critique group found nothing to suggest for improvements and really liked the piece. They are a very honest and helpful group of artists that I meet with once a month. However, I wanted a slightly larger piece for the show. In the process I changed the design a bit, and I am happy with this second iteration. As always, I am not great at photographing my work, so this looks a bit askew and it is really straight and true.

The earlier post has the explanation about the inspiration and process, so you might like to read that. Basically I loved the photos I took in the Viking Museum on Bydoy Island in Oslo, Norway in June. I also did a happy painting of the Sognefjord where we stayed in the tiny town of Balestrand. I used the fjord as a backdrop to the ship sailing. The Oseberg ship was a burial ship built in 800 AD. The carvings that embellish this painting were on a wagon found inside the ship. I love the animal symbols and the use of incised line. The Norse people were, and remain, great ship buildings, carvers, and sailors.

This painting is done with a complementary scheme of three colors -- Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue and a Yellow Orange -- and a bit of Ultramarine Violet. I spent two days on design work and then began painting the frame first. It was night and my light source was poor, so in the morning I realized I had not replicated the deepest color. I then experimented and found that with my Quiller palette, I had taken advantage of the exact complements to grey out the Ultramarine Blue with a touch of the yellow orange. Yesterday I painted over the background again and I like the opaque quality I achieved. It sets off the Cerulean Blue and Yellow Orange pure hues.

In this painting I softened and diffused the background and really emphasized the Viking ship. I took the advice of a very successful local artist, Terri Hill, who wrote about using opposites for emphasis, such as hard against soft. Terri is a member of the society, as is Myrna Wacknov and Mike Bailey, and many other fine artists with great reputations, so I am a small fish in a big pond, and feel very lucky to learn from these artists and associate with them. It was Mike who helped me see that some of my strength comes from the family engineering gene and I like the shape and line elements.

I hope if you live in the area you will take advantage of the opportunity to see a collection of very nice work. The show is in the Rose Shenson Gallery on the grounds of the Triton Museum in Santa Clara. We will have a reception and all are invited.

Rose Shenson Gallery
Triton Museum
1505 Warburton, Avenue
Santa Clara, CA

Visit the show:
October 16 - November 13
Tuesday - Sunday, 11 - 5

Come to the reception:
Sunday, October 17
1 to 4 pm.

Monday Pastel and Joan's Chili Peppers from the Coast

"Copper Bowl with Gourds"

Partially completed pastel
20" x 14"

"Coastal Chili Peppers"
Rockport, MA
by Joan Kendall
Oil

I returned to Monday morning drawing class with instructor Bob Semans. I just love this class. I've done this copper bowl before, it's old and tarnished and the black shows up beautifully in the shadow when Bob puts a spotlight on the still life. The gourds provide a nice contrast and say "Fall" on the first day that we've had really cool fall weather. The challenge here is drawing the ellipsis shape of the bowl as it's tilted away and slightly sideways. Bob has us start by drawing two lines from the widest points that cross at a 90 degree angle at the center. In this case the vertical line was slanted about 30 degrees. Because the bowl is tilted the ellipsis is wider than it is long Very challenging.

The other challenge is to get the values correct. Bob always says that if your painting does not look right, it's almost always a drawing problem, and often its incorrect values. I was too timid at the start and Bob came over and really ground the charcoal into the right shadow. The final challenge for me, especially in a realistic pastel, is to separate value and color and select a stick that has strong enough chroma. Bob had to guide me a bit on the gourd in the bowl where I did not have enough yellow-gold. A great morning spent among like-minded artist friends. As I am painting for two shows right now, it may take me while to get back to this pastel. I was delighted to learn that one of my classmates sold one of her still life pastels through a shop in Los Gatos, a very tony nearby town. She said it was one of the colander and onions, which I also did here.

The second painting was done in oils by my friend Joan Kendall as a result of our wonderful week's art vacation at "the barn" (a family cottage) on the North Shore of Boston at Rockport. In an earlier post I showed the front of the cottage in a watercolor sketch. The window boxes were nicely planted by the landscape architect owner of the cottage. We were delighted to find hot little chili peppers tucked in among the flowers. Joan's son came from RI for a day with us and took a closeup photo of them. We marveled at their colorful, waxy beauty. Joan has done such a beautiful job of capturing these lovely agricultural gems.

Paintings from the East Coast

"Fall Hydrangeas"
11" x 14"
Watercolor

"Fall Bouquet"
by Joan Kendall
Watercolor

Mentally crop the dark stripe on the left and straighten the top image. Make the background white on the lower image. I am working with limited function on a netbook while traveling.

Gage, current family owner of "the barn" had kindly consented to our renting the cottage in Rockport, MA. We arrived to find lovely bouquets of fall blooming Hydrangeas placed about the cottage on both floors. Gage is a landscape architect. Our second night saw wild rainstorms that lingered in the morning and left us with a damp, overcast day, so we lit a fire and hunkered down for some indoor painting. The blue/green/purple flowers in an old metal pitcher made for a serene still life in the glow of a wall lamp. I invented the wall hanging to complete the design, and it is straight in the painting.

My artist friend, Joan, from Connecticut started as a watercolorist and we met on a workshop in Maine about 8 years ago. Shortly after, she turned to oil painting and does some really lovely work. The two mediums make it a challenge for us to find a formal workshop to attend together, so we often just get together and paint. In addition to a travel palette and gear, I brought along my tiny Koi pan paint set with brush pen that holds water in the handle. Joan did the second small painting of another small bouquet, which she left as a thank you for the cottage owner. She loved the brush pen and was pleased with her results. Because oils are more difficult to haul around for plein air, she took the tiny Koi set when we walked to the rocky point high above the harbor to paint. That's when Joan surprised me with her watercolor of me capturing the harbor on paper, shown in an earlier post. Joan's oil painting experience has made her a less timid watercolorist. She plans to buy a Koi set, too, for those travel moments best served by the medium.

Later after Joan left for the cottage and I continued to paint, a tourist asked permission to take my photo (I thanked him for his politeness and told him he could) -- the artist captured by other artists.

Coastal Art Adventures

"Near the Salt Marsh"
Crane Estate at Castle Hill
Ipswich, MA
14" x 11" watercolor

The Crane Estate on Castle Hill in Ipswich, MA, is a lovely early 20th century seaside estate now preserved for public and private use. Joan and I were there on a beautiful afternoon. We set up our easels away from the large house where a private wedding was underway. We overlooked salt marsh and hills that were beginning to tinge with fall colors. This sketch captures some of the lively color and beautiful shapes of a dirt road going over the rise and the surrounding lush foliage.

Yesterday's sketch depicts the front of the cottage we rented. The cottage started life as a barn and was moved to its current location by a great-grandmother of the present owner. She situated the cottage a few blocks off the harbor and the open ocean to protect it from the worst of the storms. We were delighted to have a comfortable large living/dining area with fireplace, small kitchen, old bathroom and two large upstairs bedrooms. The family has maintained the rustic barn interior without insulation and finished walls through several generations. Nostalgia overtook me as I recalled my yearly stay at my grandfather's summer place on Mallets Bay, Lake Champlain, next to Burlington, VT. Later my folks bought a 100-year-old cottage on Lake Elmore near Stowe, VT, and it's so rustic that we still have an outhouse. I was wallowing in memories!

Vino Prima Wine Bar Sunset"
Watercolor
11" x 14"

"Trois Artistes" is coming up fast. It's a show on the Santa Cruz Wharf at the Vino Prima Wine Bar with work by three artists. I was invited to participate by Jeanne de Campos Rousseau, a good friend from the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society workshop committee. The space is not real large and I probably have room for a half dozen modest size pieces. I want to display a cohesive body of work, so I settled on a "Wine and the Coast" theme. I have some coastal scenes and some wine subjects. Today I painted this piece as a tribute to the wine bar where we will show our work. I made it up from memory of the sunset from the wine bar looking across the bay. We will hang the show October 11 and have a reception in November.

Quick experiment with watercolor and pastel

"Sunset in Monterey"
Watercolor and pastel
12" x 9"

I've been out of town without much time for art. Tonight I grabbed a small painting I did at the Carmel Paintout and added some pastel. My drawing instructor, Bob Semans, tells us you can do an underpainting in watercolor and then apply pastel. This piece was more than an underpainting and it was not on a smooth surface, but rather on cold pressed watercolor paper, so the pastel appears as dots. I left it that way in some places, such as the trees, but I swiped some of it with a wet paper towel and rather liked the results.

Carmel Paintout - Second Edition

"Glorious Morning"
Pacific Grove, CA
14" x 21"

"Afternoon Fog"
Point Lobos
7" x 10"

Here is a continuation of the Carmel Paintout. On Thursday morning I drove to Pacific Grove, that lovely piece of coastline between Monterey Bay and 17-mile Drive. I found our leader, Karen, hard at work at the edge of the golf course by the bay. This a great place to paint with restrooms and water available. Later we were joined by others from Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Karen is a gutsy painter -- she had a card table, folding chair, and was doing a full sheet in bold colors. I never realized how great tree trunks would look painted bright torquoise.

I set up next to Karen and painted the tree line and point of land, backed by the hills and mountains along the bay. The rosy color you see is provided by prolific ice plant. The trees are Monterey Pines constantly swept in one direction by the winds blowing in off the ocean. Again, the day was perfect and sunny. A local was telling us there had been many days of fog, so we were most fortunate with weather. The golfers were very friendly, offering to pose for us, asking if we included them, or admiring our work The piece suggests the sunny, delightful day, filled with fresh air.

The second piece I painted on Saturday afternoon at Point Lobos. I had already completed the half-sheet painting in yesterday's post upon my field easel. I located a couple of fellow artists about a mile down the road and grabbed my simple plein air setup -- 3 legged stool, small watercolor block, paints, brushes, and water bucket and set up looking down the coast. The afternoon fog was sneaking in against the mountains, but I was seated in sunshine. When I put these paintings beside each other, I can see the difference in tonal colors that I selected based upon current atmospheric conditions.

Again I enjoyed social hour with newfound friends, dinner at Asilomar dining hall, and joint critique. When I worked in software, I was often surrounded by much younger people who were my good friends. There is a lot of youth working in the tech industry in Silicon Valley, bright and ambitious and very likeable. Now that I am retired and have the luxury of attending mid-week events without counting vacation days, I am meeting many people my age or older. I have to say that I have grown to love older women friends. They have experienced both the highs and lows of a life well lived and they are very wise. They are comfortable within themselves and very strong. This group of older women was so supportive and very fun.

On Saturday morning I had to return home for another commitment, so I rose early and met Nardia, a new friend, for an hour-long walk along the coastal road. We had been cautioned that cougars (mountain lions) do prowl the grounds that are shared with numerous deer, so don't go out alone. It was dark when we met at 6:30 from our respective buildings with relief that we had survived our short solo walks. Dawn emerged and with it, the wonderful rocks similar to those in "Afternoon Fog" and wild crashing waves. Nardia was studying the waves as a basis for her planned painting. We noted how they build and crest, and where the lights and darks appeared. After a delightful breakfast with my fellow artists, I packed up and returned to daily demands.

The "Carmel Paintout"

"Headland Cove"
Point Lobos State Reserve
14" x 21"
Watercolor

View near the end of Cypress Grove Trail with my Cypress tree on the cliffs

My view as I painted

Another view from where I painted

I just returned from my first "Carmel Paintout" with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I had a fabulous time staying two nights at Asilomar, a state conference center originally desiged for the YWCA by Julia Morgan. I felt like I stepped back in time to experience the national park vacations that people took almost a century ago. It's the same feeling I've had when stepping into the Lodge at Yellowstone and the Awanee Hotel in Yosemite.

In the next few posts I will describe more about the experience. I am jumping in with Day 2 because that was the only full-day I had there. I arrived Thursday morning and left right after breakfast Saturday for another commitment. Each day of the paintout, artists are given a suggested location for painting. For Day 2 it was Point Lobos State Reserve, an amazing confluence of land and sea. Some people chose to remain at Asilomar to enjoy painting on the grounds. I love going out plein air, though I will admit it's a lot more work than studio painting and few keepers emerge.

After breakfast in the dining hall, I arrived at Point Lobos to see one other artist at one of the trailheads. We went our separate ways. Last Christmas, Bob and I spent some time in the park hiking the Cypress Grove Trail and I knew just what scene I wanted to capture. I became concerned that I might not find a place to set up because the trails are carefully wired off with signs not to leave the trail for ecoological reasons. Fortunately, there is a overlook on Headland Cove open to hikers, overlooking the cove, and Sea Lion Point. Below me was a wonderful old Cypress tree clinging to the rocky cliffs at the continent's edge. If you've been to the Monterey Bay area, you know that Monterey Cypress are very special trees that cannot be cultivated away from the cool, moist sea breeze -- they will succumb to a fungus disease. They require heat or fire to release seeds from their cones. They are the original reason that Point Lobos was acquired. This stand of Monterey Cypress of one of only two naturally growing stands in the world.

I found a perfect spot for my easel where I would not be in the way of many hikers stopping by that day. To one side there was an old downed tree trunk where I could sit facing the scene sideways. As you can see from picture 3, I had to look around a part of a dead tree, but that was easy. I had perfect weather. Often this area is foggy, but that day it was picture perfect blue skies, sun, and a shirtsleeve temperature. As I painted, I could hear the sea lions barking from the headlands. The name "Point Lobos" refers to sea lions and their barking. The earlier Spanish name was "Punta de los Lobos Marinos," "Point of the Sea Wolves." I kept thinking, life does not get much better than this!

My photos of the scene do not do the beauty justice; I thought to take them after I completed the painting; the light had changed and was less dramatic. The local color is used in my artwork. The shades of orange around the base of the tree are algae that get their color from carotene, and they do not harm the trees. I suggest the energy of the wind and and crashing sea with many energetic strokes of the brush. I mostly used a very large Isabey squirrel brush to capture the scene. I love this brush as it carries lots of paint and water and creates a lovely painterly surface. I took time out to eat my boxed lunch that the dining staff provided. I chatted with a few of the hikers, all very respectful about wanting a peek at the work.

Later I drove to yet another parking area to find two of my fellow artists at work and joined them, but I save the afternoon description for another day. That evening I enjoyed some socializing before dinner with women I met for the first time and we all went to dinner at 6. At 7:15, we convened in a livingroom for critique. Karen, our fearless leader, set the groundrules for a gentle critique, modeling how we might make helpful suggestions. For everyone, exposing their work to others stirs up the self-doubt, but I always learn so much from participating in critique, not only about my own work, but that of others -- what worked, what didn't --- that I can apply the next time I paint. This piece was well-received, with one suggestion, which I added before signing the painting. The tree looked very flat across the top, and I painted it that way. I needed to add a bit of variety to the edge.

Susan's Pumpkin and a Special People in My Life

Susan's Pumkin
21" x 14"
Watercolor

In keeping with the fall theme, I am sharing a painting that I did last fall that is hanging in my kitchen dining area. I like the cheerful colors and the tonal values of this piece. It was based on a still life from my Monday Drawing Class with Bob Semans. Dear friend Susan, whom I met in the class, bought this pumpkin in Half Moon Bay, a coastal town famous for its pumpkins. Susan is also the owner of the turban squash in the last post. I did the original still life in charcoal, so all the values and highlights were already worked out before I put brush to paper and added my color choices.

Last Monday we learned from Bob Semans that he is featured in International Artist Magazine, along with other award winners in the Portrait Society of America's Annual Conference. I can't wait to buy the magazine, which I will do this evening, on my way to our ballroom dancing lesson.

I am getting my plein air gear ready to take off in the morning for Asilomar. Disappointingly, my roommate Jan has taken ill and won't be going with me. I was so looking forward to getting to be closer friends. I am hunting for a replacement, but will likely room alone. I have some wonderful plein air gear that I bought when heading off for Italy several years ago, but I didn't take it then because it proved to be rather heavy. It's a Sun Eden backpack capable of holding half sheets of watercolor paper, a wonderful easel, a stool and all my goodies. I'm now selective where I use it because it really weights me down. I am having fantasies about strapping it on the rack of my folding bike and riding from Asilomar to the locations -- hum -- might be able to do it. I have occasionally combined my cycling and art passions. Now if I could be as successful as Terri Hill is at it! Terri is in our awesome Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society and I am a big fan of her work.

I must mention fellow blogger Peggy Stermer-Cox who has had her piece, "Groovy Kitty" juried by well-known artist Christopher Schink into the Northwest Watercolor Society "Waterworks 2009" art show. "Topher" is a master colorist and I'm sure he was totally impressed with Peggy's harmonious color scheme featuring tints, shades, and muted tints. I am so proud of Peggy -- this is the second major show featuring a piece of her art this year. Coincidentally, next month Christopher Schink will be jurying awards for the SCVWS Linear Visions, our 42nd annual member show awards.

Finally, I want to thank two blogger friends for recently passing along blog awards: Claire McFeeley and Meghda Chatbar, both wonderful pencil artists. I have posted the blog awards proudly on the sidebar.

Plein Air Painting on the Coast and a New Art Workshop Network

"La Nebbia Winery Garden Entrance"
In the sketchbook

"La Nebbia Winery Garden View"
In the sketchbook

"Water at the Winery"
Watercolor
11" X 14"

Yesterday was a very hot day in San Jose, but on the coast it was lovely -- 70s and sunny. I arranged to carpool the almost 50 miles to Half Moon Bay on this "Spare the Air Day" in our area. There were four of us hardy souls who showed up. The La Nebbia winery is so charming and personal. The property is on busy Route 92 that is a main connector from 280 to the coast, but it is a charming oasis. There is a small home, nice tasting room, a big barn that includes a glass blowing studio, and beautiful gardens with picnic tables. The gazebo is adorned with some of the blown glass - flowers reminiscent of Chihully and the Belagio in Las Vegas.

First I painted the fountain on an Arches watercolor pad. I pulled the waterstreams out of the color with a thirsty brush. The greenery backing the fountain was actually roses, but I made the bushes more abstract. I found myself getting a bit carried away with the red geraniums, and Jenny reminded me that she's learned to mass colors. I've probably heard that a half dozen times, but this time it sunk in. I reworked them, pulling out some color and massing the reds. The other plants would likely benefit from massing as well, but I called it good enough.

The last 40 minutes or so, I grabbed my sketchbook and micron pen. I have a small Robert Bateman sketch book with 110 lb. paper. It holds up well to first drawing with the pen, skipping lightly over the page and then dashing on some watercolors. First I sketched the entrance from the garden to the parking lot. That was so much fun, that I sat in a shady spot and did the outdoor deck and hyderangeas with painted milk can. I remembered to mass the color!

I am delighted to write about a new website where you can list workshops or find a workshop to attend. Peggy Stermer Cox and her husband Robert have started a website for artists after seeing a need. I was pleased to be asked to list workshops here, and I posted the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop in October offered by the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I will be adding more. Go here to list or find workshops on Artist Workshop Network. If you are looking for a new art adventure and a way to stretch your imagination, sign up for the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop. Betsy is an amazing award-winning artist featured in many prominent magazines. We are honored to host her in San Jose. I will be assistant coordinator for this workshop.

Gerald Brommer Workshop - Day 1

"Carmel Cypress Trees"

"Cinque Terre Wildflowers"

Italy

The workshop I am coordinating is "From Line and Shape to Complex Surfaces." Today Gerald Brommer explained that we should treat the two elements of design, line and shape, as independent of each other. We should not be outlining the shape, nor should we be filling in the shape we've created. Both would look like a coloring book. Instead, we either put down shapes in light to mid-tone values and then draw our image over the shapes, or we draw our image and add shapes. We finish with some overpainting, but again avoid filling in the lines with color. We were told not to erase anything. We could draw in pencil and then in ink, not following the pencil line exactly. We drew on quarter sheets from our own reference materials.

We selected one piece for critique (I actually did 3 quarter sheets and started a fourth). I choose Cinque Terre wildflowers, done from a photo taken when pal, Joan, and I went to Italy for a watercolor workshop in Western Tuscany. First we spent a few days in a tiny town just south of the Cinque Terre, where we relaxed, hiked, and sketched. Gerri liked the piece and made two suggestions for improvement, which I haven't done yet -- balance the right corner with a small shape of strong color on the lower left, and add more line to the two plants that reach above the sea on the left. He was enthusiastic about my cypresses, though I didn't put it up for critique. Gerri is such a wonderful instructor, and loved by many. We have a fabulous group of people taking the class, including Myrna Wacknov, so it's really neat to see the art they produce. It's also like old home week for my France trip in 2007 with Mike Bailey -- Myrna, Carrie, and Lisa are all in the workshop! We ended the day tearing pieces of rice paper, staining them with various shades of a couple colors, and allowing them to dry overnight. Tomorrow we begin the collage process.

Yesterday's demo went well, the first I've coordinated. The room was full, probably 75 to 100 observers. Gerri said he couldn't demonstrate collage on the spot and what we would do in class were small pieces. So I brought him a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. paper and a support so he could demo his design and painting process. Like all masters, he made it look so easy, and the crowd loved it. Gerri gives you permission to do anything in art -- no, a watercolor must not all be transparent; yes, you can use opaque white and colors; you can move things around; you can eliminate what you don't want and add something you do. You can do many variations from one simple sketch or photo.

I am learning the mechanics of being a coordinator, quite a bit of work as we provide a nice series of snack morning and afternoon during the workshop and for the demo on Sunday afternoon. So far, I've been to Costco twice, and the farm stand once. Then there are the various vagaries of the locks for kitchen, water supply, classroom, restrooms, and atrium. All is going smoothly and I am having fun. I have a terrific assistant, Irene, who has jumped right in on setup, cleanup, and ordering and picking up the instructors lunch.

Painting on the Maine Coast

"Pemaquid Point Lighthouse"
11 x 14
New Harbor, Maine

While in Maine with my art friend, Joan, from Connecticut, we stayed at Hotel Pemaquid, a delightful property where Skip Lawrence does summer workshops. In fact, we chatted with Skip the day after he completed a two-week session. Next to the lovely Pemaquid Lighthouse is a sweet gift shop/restaurant where we took most of our meals. On our best sunny day we sat at a picnic table outside the restaurant and painted the lighthouse scene, Joan with oils and me with watercolor. As we painted, many people stopped by to chat, nicely without being intrusive.

An Oldie

"Block Island Light"
Rhode Island
20" x 15"

In 2001, a newly found art friend, Joan, and I decided to share a room and take another Mel Stabin workshop on Block Island, which is a two-hour ferry ride from the mainland. We stayed in the annex of the Surf Inn, a wonderful old Victorian hotel where multi-generational, New York City families still come to relax on the beach, the "veranda," and in the livingroom with it's myriad of genuine antiques from it's early days. On the final day, Joan and I opted to go to the lighthouse and paint. This was the piece I completed "plein air." I decided that it's a Mary classic to include among the matted art I am offering at Open Studios. Most of the pieces I will show (some 60+) are new within the last year or two. It's fun to see my work evolving.

Joan and I have continued our bi-coastal friendship and meet once a year for an art-centered vaction. Last year we rented a casita in Taos; the year before we did a workshop in Tuscany; you get the picture. Joan had hoped to entice me to China in February, but my South American trip was all planned by that time. We are hoping to grab some time in July when I go to Vermont for the Paquet Farm Centennial. As you can see, one of my joys in life is travel, and I readily give up spending my money in other ways to pursue the pleasure.

For those of you in the San Jose, CA, area, here is the open studios information:
May 9 and 10
11 to 5
Take the link on the right to the Silicon Valley Open Studios website and you will locate a map for Mary Paquet Studios.