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.

Eucalyti Robusto

Was out on the far reaches of Dixon, CA this morning. It was sunny and a bit chilly for painting. The landscape here is flat as far as you can see. There were sheep and cattle grazing and then we came upon a dike with water and a stand of eucalyptus trees. There were also some cat nine tail and other reeds. It was like an oasis. I painted from below the dike looking at the trees and reeds. The two eucalyptus trees were different. The distant hills could not be seen because of haze. Everyone had fun painting with most of them sitting atop the dike and looking down into the water. I loved being out there but prefer some structures to put into my composition.

Eucalyptus Gateway

The eucalyptus tree thrives at Point Reyes.  There are plenty of them springing up in otherwise barren spots and they are as common as redwoods.  This was a midmorning painting. I was in the parking lot with the sun high in the sky on a perfect day.  I was worried that I would overwork the tree canopy as I painted it.  My goal is to paint watercolor with as few brush strokes as possible. The bark is also interesting.  It becomes very light in large areas.  The tree behind the eucalyptus is a fir tree, probably spruce and the trunk color is constant.  There is also one of those leaning green cypress or juniper type growths behind the spruce.  These are also characteristic of the north coast.  They lean from the wind and have a spear appearance. 
I need to go to the library and consult the references on trees.  Isn't it amazing how curious you get from painting and observing>