Heritage Orchard, Saratoga CA.

'The Old Apricot Tree'

14 x 11

Oil on Board
SOLD

'Heritage Orchard'

11 x 14
Oil on Board

I have never been drawn to paint orchards, so was a little reluctant to try my hand at it. I was out of my professional plein air boards so brought some inexpensive canvas panels I've had lying around my studio. Not feeling any pressure from my 'inferior' panel, I blithely jumped into painting an old gnarled tree with a moody sky. Before I knew it, I was lost in my painting and having a great time painting an orchard.

When I finished the first, I decided to take on a broader orchard view, and hence came painting number 2, 'Heritage Orchard'.  One of the things I love about plein air painting, is how connected I become to a subject once I've painted it. I suppose it can be likened to sharing a wonderful picnic with someone in a beautiful spot, making that spot forever special.

VENITE AD ME

'VENITE AD ME'
Oil on Board
16 x 12

Venite ad me, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Yesterday I had the fortunate opportunity to paint on the campus of Santa Clara University. Immediately I spotted this statue of Jesus and went to work. Just as I put the finishing touches on this painting, it started to rain. The experience was all rather sublime.

Painting the Davenport Bluffs

'Looking South'

Oil on Board

16 x 12

'Looking North'

Oil on Board

9 x 12

Painting the ocean's cliffs is a thrilling experience, there is something so ravaging wild about standing at cliffs edge whilst attacking your canvas with daubs of lucious oil paint!

Davenport is a great little town situated on the Pacific Coast about 10 miles north of Santa Cruz. Dividing the ocean from town, is Highway 1 which winds up and down California's stunningly beautiful coastline and rugged vista views. Davenport's single coffee shop and bakery is loaded with delicious pastries, and a full on coffee bar, just the right ingredients to fuel and charge ones batteries for a day of painting en plein air!

My easel awaits ~

Duck Weed Pond

'Duck Weed Pond'
Oil on Board
16 x 12

With a storm threatening the skies above, and a brisk breeze whipping round my legs, it made for a chilly and exhilarating day of painting en plein air at the Presentation Center in the Santa Cruz mountains.

 

Award Winner at Statewide Open Juried Show

'Diversity'
Oil on Canvas
40 x 30
My painting 'Diversity' took 3rd place in the Landscape category at the Los Gatos Art Association Open Juried Show 2010!
Reception and awards to be held March 28th, 2010, from 1 - 4 pm at the Art Museum of Los Gatos: 4 Tait Avenue, Los Gatos, CA.
Regular museum hours are Wed - Sun, noon to 4 pm.
Come to the show and enjoy all the many great pieces of artwork!

Save the Granada - Plein Air Ptg on Display

Plein air painters are often supporting great causes and this is one in which I participated. Several painters and I set up camp and painted our own unique perspectives of the historic Granada theatre in Morgan Hill, Ca. These paintings are now available for sale and on display at Rosy's at the Beach. A big dinner and show celebration is this coming Monday - come on down!!

'La Granada Moderna"
Oil on Board
16 x 12

Save the Granada - Upcoming Events

Monday March 22 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Fundraising Dinner & Art Show at Rosy's at the Beach!
Paella
Salad
Red Wine
Come on down and join us for a special Fundraising Dinner and a great cause!
This is sure to be a classic as Rosy's will be serving up a menu everybody will be talking about. Rosy's at the Beach will be serving up an amazing seafood paella, accompanied with caesar salad and red wine.
Along with fantastic food and fantastic people will be fantastic music by David Schnittman. Yum!
The Art couldn’t be better 29 images of the Granada Theater painted by some of the most accomplished Open Air (Plein Aire) painters in Northern California – come vote for People’s Choice!
Click here to pre-order tickets or Call Pamala Meador at 408 891 4931 and she will deliver them to you.
$25 for Adults, and a special Kids Menu for $8.
A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door.

The day after an art opening.

Hilarious, today was just one of those days when nothing came together, and everything I touched turned into a big mess - literally. As I dashed out the door to meet up with my painter friends in Morgan Hill, I grabbed my trusty painting coat only to find I had managed to drag it through dioxanene purple at last wear. If you know this color, you know how pervasive it is, just like pthalo blue...   so purple paint everyhwere - all over my hands, all over my now new pair of painting pants, my face etc....   oh well, off I go to create a masterpiece. After meeting my buds, 2 of us decide we'd rather paint elsewhere, but I can't seem to get focused and get moving, I'd rather take pictures of everyone with my phone... finally I leave - but by now my painting partner has already disappeared so I venture off solo to find something really interesting!

I drive through neighborhoods that don't belong where nature and wildlife do, and finally settle in on an old truck in a pasture with cows.

Friendly cows!

Cows that I would love to paint but that never stand still long enough to let me get them down on canvas. But these cows somehow sense that I'd rather paint the truck today than paint them, so they make a point to show me just how very great they are. They moo, they poop, they pee, they stick out their - OMG! They sniff at me with huge rubbery wet noses and I pet their scruffy enormous heads. And yes, they really are quite great.

But I still want to paint that truck...  

So I say - "hey move it!" - and - they do!

And I paint my truck.

I call this one 'Old Friend'.

oil on board
12 x 16