Cresta Blanca, Watercolor

 This is Cresta Blanca, a limestone cliff outside of Livermore. I had started This painting plein air during the summer while I was volunteering at Camp Arroyo, but never got a chance to finish it.  Once I got it into my studio lighting, I realized the colors were washed out (maybe from working in outside lighting?) and the cliff was kind of "flat". At least I had captured the feel of the scenery while working plein air.  Now it was time to add in some deeper colors, as well as some details and texture to help bring the focus to the cliff. Here is the completed piece:

Woman with coffee

Pencil sketches are my comfort zone, so if I am feeling blocked, I get out my sketchbook and, in this case, a mechanical pencil. Google images is always a fun place to go for ideas, but sometimes overwhelming. As I was having my morning coffee, this particular image caught my eye, with the stark lighting and the pensive look. The trouble is giving credits to the photographer who originally created the image. Since this is in my sketchbook, and not likely to ever be sold, I figure I'm safe. This particular image is Allison Emm, makeup artist / blogger.

Horse in Georgia

I seem to get into a rut sometimes with creating art. I come up with all kinds of excuses...I have too much work to catch up on, I'm too tired, it will take too long.  I have to remind myself that creating is suppose to be fun and relaxing, and to just get back to the basics, keep it simple until I find my creative "spark" again.  So I pull out my sketchbook and pencil:that is my comfort zone.
Here is a quick pencil sketch I did while on vacation in Georgia of the horse across the street, while hanging out in the countryside with the grandchildren. It was a beautiful warm fall afternoon and it would have been a perfect opportunity to do the sketch plein air, but I'm only there to visit with the grandkids for a short while, so I snap a picture with my phone, and wait for them to be off at school the next day.
I have to remember to schedule creative time onto my calendar or it will never happen.

Eye of Jupiter

This is the eye of Jupiter, that giant red dot that always seems so mysterious. This was inspired by a picture posted by NASA recently, taken by Voyager 1 in 1979, in anticipation of the next spacecraft to investigate Jupiter, Juno. I thought that this was such a great example of science imitating art, so now here is my art imitating science.
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is 89,000 miles in diameter, big enough to swallow 1000 Earths. The vibrant bands of clouds are carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph, and continuously circle the planets atmosphere. These winds sustain spinning anticyclones like the Great Red Spot, a raging storm 3 1/2 times the size of Earth!

I have been fascinated by Jupiter ever since I was young, when my dad would show me pictures that he brought home from JPL, where he worked on many of these space probes, including Galileo, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Voyager 1, credited with taking my reference photo, is still transmitting information to this day, almost 40 later!

Lighthouses

Lighthouses have always had a certain allure to them, standing alone on the edge of the ocean in some of the most scenic spots on the coast. With these two lighthouses though, that is about all they have in common. This first piece, a plein air pencil sketch, was done in my sketchbook at Santa Cruz, CA. This is not the same Santa Cruz lighthouse in pencil that I had sketched before. This one, the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse (named after a surfer who died surfing nearby) is just east of the wharf and was built as a memorial in 1967. It was converted into the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, "the first surfing museum in the world" in 1986. It is unique because it does not have a round tower, but a square one.

This second lighthouse is the Yaquina Head lighthouse just outside of Newport, Oregon. It is more of your typical lighthouse. It was built in 1873 and is considered the tallest lighthouse in Oregon at 93 feet tall. I painted this piece with watercolor, at home in my studio from a reference photo I had taken this summer.

 

Pair of geese in paradise

I was sitting on Pope Beach enjoying the sun and was inspired to paint the Canadian geese. They are all over the beach at Lake Tahoe. At one point, there was a flock of 30 of them making there way long the beach. Now, that doesn't mean there were not people. The beach was crowded with people too. I just decided to paint them out, and focus on the geese.

In order to capture the geese in my painting, I actually took a picture of them with my phone and worked from that, because they never stop moving except to beg for some food from someone, then move on. So I took a couple of photos to work from. I think that this might have even been the same goose, but in two different positions. I had thought about putting 3 geese to improve the composition, but then the title came to me: pair of geese in paradise, and thought I would stick with that. I think that if I did this again I would take the tree out altogether, but the trees right on the edge of the beach (I think they are lodgepole pines) is one of the reasons I love Pope Beach so much.

Pencil sketching while camping

On a quiet afternoon, I sat at the picnic table next to our campsite and started sketching the tree-lined meadow. After I got about halfway through my sketch, though, I realized that I was smudging my drawing a lot. I had started on the left side of my sketchbook, and was working my way to the right, but the problem is I am left handed!
Normally I would just grab a scrap piece of paper to put under my hand to solve this problem, but I didn't have anything convenient since I was out camping. I did eventually find some paper that would work, but it was considerably later in the day and the lighting had changed so I figured I would add to the sketch from a different perspective. Having covered up the first part so it wouldn't smudge anymore, I continued my drawing. I realized later that the tent was way too big and thetwo sketches just didn't quite fit together...oh well.

Plein air painting at Eagle Lake

The Tahoe area always manages to get me inspired to paint outdoors and I love finding new spots.  I had not hiked up to Eagle Lake since my kids were young (20+ years :\) so it was about time to check this trail out again. It's only about a mile to the lake but it's all uphill. With only a backpack, I took my bare essentials for painting: a pencil for sketching, brushes, my travel palette (with my most used paints), a sheet of 11x14 watercolor paper folded in half to fit in my backpack, and a piece of cardboard to hold the paper firm since I was not taking the whole pad.
I went "early", getting to the trailhead by 8:00am, before the parking lot was full. I had the trail almost all to myself, and saw only a handful of people once I got to the lake. I worked my way around the lake till I found a rock with a good vantage point of the lake and surrounding mountains. Plein air is always a little easier when there aren't onlookers and it seemed like I had the whole lake to myself.
I like using the water from where I'm painting instead of using my drinking water, but I have to be careful there isn't too much sediment in the water. The last time I was painting at Lake Tahoe (Regan Beach) there was so much organic matter in my wash bucket, I thought it was going to give my whole painting a green tint!
On my way back down the mountain, I knew why I had chosen to get an early start. Tons of people were on the trail now and the parking lot was completely full, with cars waiting to take my spot as I pulled out.
Overall I like it for a plein air painting but I need to work on the reflection a little more. There is only so long you can sit on a rock!

Sketch of Building in Midtown

Here is a sketch I did while waiting for my wife to get her hair done. Midtown Sacramento has some unique buildings, and the roof lines of the one caught my eye. The bottom floor is the hair salon, and upstairs is a jewelry boutique (I think). I like the perspective challenge on this, with lots of lines that are not quite parallel (and my pencil lines which aren't quite straight).

Portrait of the Bacherlorette, Jojo

I hate to admit it, but I'm a big fan of The Bachelorette. This season, with JoJo Fletcher, is almost over with the season finale coming this Monday.  She has to choose between the last two bachelors, Robbie or Jordan.

I realized it's been a while since I did a portrait in watercolor, so it was good practice. I was focused on leaving the white of the paper for highlights, which I think really works. Her eyelashes seem a little thick to me but she is always wearing fake eyelashes anyways, so I guess that's a good thing?

My reference photo was actually a screen shot from when she was in Thailand, freaking out about the monkeys 🐒

Tutu's snack shop, watercolor

This house is located on the edge of Hana Beach Park in Hana, Maui. Apparently it used to be the location of Tutu's Snack Shop, but is now closed. The day we were here it was pouring rain, so we were under cover in a picnic area with a bunch of locals eating lunch. It rains almost every day in Hana, with an average rainfall of 84 inches per year. Luckily this rain storm only lasted about 30 minutes.
In the background, I tried to depict the mist floating between the trees, but it just ended up looking like I painted the sky green.

Haleakela watercolor

Another Maui inspired painting, this is a painting I did from a reference photo I took from Kalahaku Overlook, looking into the Haleakela crater from the side. It kind of took on this abstract look, especially since there is no horizon or sky to orient it with. The colors vary from green, red, and even some purple, giving it an "other worldly" feel that you get when you are actually there.

Plein air at Regan Beach, South Lake Tahoe

I found a new spot on Lake Tahoe That I hadn't been to before, Regan Beach. Not much of a beach because of rocks and grasses growing in the water, but a quiet and peaceful park! This dock and boathouse we're calling to be painted. This is 11x7, a half sheet of what I have used to paint with plein air in the past due to my available time.

Oregon coast watercolor

One of my favorite places along the Oregon coast during our trip down hwy 101 was Hug Point State Park (great name, too!). We got there at low tide so there was lots of beach.  It also had cliffs, caves, rocks, a waterfall, and a bald eagle. There was even a group of plein air painters. Although it didn't inspire me to get out my paints right then and there, it did inspire me to take a lot of pictures so that I could paint once I was home.

I added in the figure of a person as an afterthought...not sure if it comes across as too cartoony? 

Note taking at its finest

Sometimes, when I go to trainings, there is quite a bit of "extra time" when there isn't a whole lot of important information being shared. So I get a little distracted...drawing from what (or who) I see around the room, copying pictures, or just from my imagination. Here are some of my latest doodles, switching between #2 pencil and ball point pen. Some are inspired by children's books, while others are people in the training. Some are definitely better than others but I just put them all in here for the fun of it.

Oregon coast sketches

Although these sketches of the Oregon coast should have been plein air, it was just too cold and wet to sit and draw ( a welcome change from 100 degree weather back home). Plus, when I am on vacation, I have a hard time sitting still for very long in one place ...I want to go see what's around the next bend in the road.
The first sketch was done with an ink pen in the bedroom of an Airbnb in
Seaside, Oregon. View of Tillamook Head from Seaside beach.

The second one was done back home on my lunch break during a summer training, with a #2 pencil. View of Indian Point and Tillamook Head from Ecola State Park.

Stay tuned for some watercolors of Oregon

Bald eagle

 At Lake Brighton, the best
photo I could manage
 with my cell phone :)

Post #200! I have been thinking about the bald eagle a lot recently. During my latest road trip to Burney Falls, we saw a bald eagle nest just above the falls, and then later saw the eagle circling Lake Brighton just down from the falls.  It also happens to be the mascot of the school that I work at.  The last time I drew an eagle (with pastel), it was a couple of years ago, just before I found out that I was coming to this school, and then I saw them that same summer at Lake Tahoe.  They just keep coming into my life. I'm thinking I should listen to what it is telling me:

When an eagle appears, you are on notice to be courageous and stretch your limits. Do not accept the status quo, but rather reach higher and become more than you believe you are capable of. Look at things from a new, higher perspective. 

Half dome revised

So I have taken my painting of Half Dome and have tried to "fix" some of the problems that I saw, mainly that Half Dome was not the main focus of the painting.
I started with a simple fix: cropping the distracting foreground out (not actually cutting the paper here, just electronically editing).

But then I took it a little further. To actually fix the foreground instead of just cropping it out, I darkened the foreground, and created some layers to draw your eye toward the cliffs. Since the color of the sky and Half Dome were so similar, I also decided to take the sky a little darker...ok, a lot darker, downright stormy. And what would you expect with a storm at Half Dome? Lightning, of course. Using a very fine brush to apply lumpy masking fluid is a challenge but I was able to get some fine lines to create the lightning.

At this point, I have not done anything to the cliffs (although the exposure of the photo made them look more yellow).

 Ok, it seemed like the lightning is a little too much, drawing focus away again, so let's take a little bit of it out but continue to darken the clouds a bit. Hmm, maybe too much?

At this point, I have over-worked my paper and will call it finished. Sometimes I just have to push my comfort zone and keep working a piece, but sometimes I have to know when a painting is finished. Either way, I have learned a few things in the process, so I think I will have to revisit this subject and paint Half Dome again soon.

Burney Falls, plein air pencil sketch

I guess I have been a little obsessed with waterfalls, but spring time is the best time for it. I have had McArthur-Burney Falls on my bucket list since first moving to Northern California over 25 years ago, and finally last weekend, I was able to see them. It was worth the wait. It is quite a phenomenal waterfall with water not only coming over the top of the cliff, but from inside the cliff as well due to an underwater river within the volcanic rock surronding the area. Here is my attempt to sketch the falls from the vista point above the falls.

Half Dome in Mist

So my third Yosemite inspired painting... Half Dome. This one is still a work in progress. I'm taking a step back to figure out where to go with this. My foreground trees are taking too much focus away from Half Dome, as it gets lost in the mist.

It's a nice painting at this point, but now I have to take some risks to bring the focus to Half Dome. Since I don't have a "revert to last saved" button, this painting will only be saved here as I attempt to problem solve.

Model sketching, pencil

I have not sketched from a model in quite some time, so when the Rancho Cordova city hall offered an evening of drawing, I took them up on it. Victoria Smith has been doing an amazing job heading up this great organization, RCAFE: Rancho Cordova art for everyone. For this event, there were two clothed models that I alternated drawing with 15 and 30 minute poses. The sketches are far from being a finished product, but I am quite pleased with them considering the amount of time I had and how long it has been since I have worked from live models. I think my proportions came pretty close. The skull was just a prop for the models to use and I sketched it while the models were taking a break.

Yosemite Falls, watercolor

Here is another Yosemite inspired painting. I am still working from some photos that I took during my visit there last month. Yosemite Falls is always one of the most impressive year round, but with its spring flow, it is even more so.

The cliffs surrounding the falls are quite impressive too, but next time, I think I would crop it down so the focus is more on just the falls and not keep so much foliage or cliffs in the painting. I decided to not use the masking fluid to keep the falls white as I did with my Bridalveil Falls watercolor, but was mindful of where I was painting. These falls are so massive and thick, it just didn't seem necessary.

Bridalveil Falls and Leaning Tower, watercolor

Yosemite has always been one of my favorite places, although I have never used it for inspiration in my paintings. Luckily Sacramento is just close enough to make it a spur of the moment day trip ( a very long day!) I had actually packed all of my gear for plein air painting, but once I got to the valley floor, afternoon thundershowers were threatening, so I decided to just take some pictures and not risk getting soaked. So here is the first of several Yosemite inspired paintings.
Bridalveil Falls was flowing very strong, as to be expected in the spring. You could only get so close before getting wet from the spray. The lone outcropping next to it is called Leaning Tower. (Even having been to Yosemite many times, I did not know this.)

I used masking fluid on the falls and the spray to keep it white but then went back in and added some shadows and a few trees in front of the spray after it had been removed. The falls are so majestic in person, I hope I have done them justice.

Black Hole of Calcutta Falls, watercolor

This is a piece I have been meaning to do for a while but it it has just sat in the shelves of my brain waiting to be dusted off. I originally posted my plein air pencil drawing of the Black Hole of Calcutta Falls  about 3 years ago. When I finally decided to recreate it in watercolor, I decided not to just work directly from the pencil drawing, although I did do the preliminary sketches from it, so there are some similar shapes. But to accurately capture the colors and feel of the falls, I needed to make a day trip up to these falls, just off the confluence of the north and middle forks of the American River. Since my last visit 3 years ago, they have built a foot bridge over the creek, but the charm of the falls was the same, other than a lot of other people on the day I went. It even had close to the same average flow of water as it did the last time. I took some reference photos of the falls as well as some other pics for future projects before heading home.

This painting is the first time I used my masking fluid, which seemed necessary to depict the water splashing over the black rocks. I was worried it would never come off since it seemed to become part of the paper as I painted over it, but after the paint dried, it rubbed right off using a clean finger. Then I went back in to lessen the stark white that had been left with some light washes.

Optical illusions in pencil

I was being drawn to do some geometric art. Back when I was young, I loved geometry...not so much the theorems and postulates, but how lines worked together to create forms of all sorts. While researching ideas, I came across a page of optical illusions, so I have recreated them here.
The first one is a blivet (who knew there was an actual name for it?) or "the devil's fork". The other drawing is a Penrose triangle or "impossible triangle". Both are very reminiscent of M. C. Escher, one of my favorite artists. I may continue with some more...maybe some tesellations?

Playing with mixed media

Mixed media has never been a strong point for me, but my Artist Way group loves it:  the more different kinds of media, the better! I'm more of a purist I guess. This particular meeting, we didn't really have a planned project so we got out some gel medium and "played". I'm still not quite sure what gel medium is but it sure is versatile. Along with it, I used ink, magazine clippings, and pastel crayons on watercolor paper. Here are my creations.

Sonoma Valley Vineyard, watercolor

Sonoma Valley Vineyard, 11 x 17

This piece had been sitting as a pencil outline sketch for almost a year, and it called to me this weekend to be painted. There was an original reference photo that I had copied the outlined sketch from, but after a year, I had no idea where it was. I did my best to remember some of the details, but I also pulled up some other photos to help with color and more specific shapes. I feel that my grapevines turned out to look more like trees but other than that, I really like the way this turned out.

Painting mist with watercolor

After watching a free video tutorial by Jean Lurssen on how to paint mist with watercolors, here is my attempt. It is very moody and definitly not like my usual landscapes, but I like its simplicity. In fact, it is quite the opposite of my last piece, fantasy landscape watercolor, which is very colorful and playful. I used a half sized page so it is only 7" x 11" and a limited palette of mostly payne's grey and a little ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.