Windy Beach

Finishing a month of conducting a class in watercolor painting. We focused on value change and composition. I love the experience of convincing everyone on different techniques. My satisfaction is seeing someone experience success with something new and also, answering questions that really indicate involvement in the issues of watercolor. It was a good month. This was one of my demonstrations this morning.

Lean on Me

It was sort of chilly with wind out on Jepson prairie this Wed. as we painted. Last year there was a carpet of varying colored wild flowers but the grass has grown so much that they are not visible from afar. I was disappointed. In order to shield myself from wind and paint, I found a large trash bin and set up beside it. I painted this group of Eucalyptus that was close-up and real, about 6 feet from me. I am not a realist and do not like realism in artwork. This is as real as it gets for me. One thing that wind does bring is quick drying time for watercolor. I used lots of water and was continually adding more pigment to previously painted areas.

The Bone Yard

The warm weather is back and a group of us went to Grizzly Ranch to paint. Lots of material here with marshes, barns, rolling hills and rusting farm equipment. I seem to be drawn to this area, known as the bone yard. As the morning moved on the temperature rose, and soon sweaters, shirts and hats were peeled off. I had my umbrella which allows me to stand out in the middle of a pasture and keep the sun off of my painting and my head. Grizzly Ranch needs a return visit.

Shopping in Positano, Italy

An exercise for my art class was to put together this sketch and painting using value changes. As a demonstration painting, it was a tour de force having only an hour and a half to complete and answer questions. More time for critique and individual help would be nice but is limited by room availability. My Senior Center volunteer teaching has been a rewarding experience. They are wonderful, accomplished artists along with beginners and I try to have something for everyone.

Work of El Nino

The hills along Hwy 80 are so green. I mixed lots of greens but they didn't look real compared to the vista in front of me. The sun was bright. I was high on a hill looking over the lagoon along the highway. The last time here the hills were golden. We were in the 5th year of a drought. Now, I'm complaining about mixing greens. I always end with my default sap green mixed with different yellows or reds. Sap green is the only green on my palette. I try using aurorean yellow with my blues or new gamboge with different blues or even burnt sienna or raw sienna. Some of these greens work but good old sap is my go to green. It really works well in the tropics.