Atop Berryessa

Our Wednesday plain air group went to Lake Berryessa Dam on a sunny warm morning. The rock formations are alluring so I settled by the roadside to paint them. It was tricky and far more difficult than I imagined. The morning sun was coming up so shadows changed rather quickly. This is always a challenge with Plain Air painting but with all the different rock edges casting shadows, it is daunting. I sketched out what I wanted to paint and put in some shadows. By the start of painting, the cast shadows changed and continued changing. Never the less, it was a good outing.

The Hideaway

On the backroads of Davis there are farm houses nearly hidden from view. On Wednesday, we all found a spot that none of us knew about. There was a pond with a lot of green scum but great cast reflections in the distance. This was favored by most for painting. There also was this large corregated barn and a very hidden house. I have no idea what goes on here but there were greenhouses behind and some activity. The bicycle riders know this road as they were pretty much the only users this morning. It would be a good place to film a gangster movie with a hideaway.

Pleasant Valley Road

Painted this scene in watercolor and now I am doing it in acrylic. It is a rural country road in Winters, CA. It is fun to watch the bike riders cruise down this valley. I did this plein air in watercolor and then tried it in acrylic. This painting has a completely different feel to it in comparison to the original watercolor version.

Pleasants Valley, Winters

Another wonderful day of plein air painting in Winters, CA.  We met at the coffee shop and went out early to Pleasants Valley where we enjoyed the warm summer-like morning temperatures.  It is so quiet out here, that it seems you can hear someone speak from miles away.  There are deer and other critters scurrying around.  It is a communion with nature.

I have found many new greens from mixing pthalo-blue with raw sienna, new gamboge, or burnt sienna.  The green shades are always a challenge and it is mixing that makes the different ones.  Once they are down I sometimes add more blue while they are still wet to create darker shades.  Adding red to them creates almost a black for cast shadows.

Cantelow Road

The Winters' Plein Air week has started. There are wonderful places for painting, wherever you turn.  Out in back of the lake there is a favorite route for bicycles and they go over Cantelow Road.  The vista to the east is spectacular.  On a clear day you can see the buildings of downtown Sacramento.  The view to the west is this valley with undulant hills and small farms.  While I painted, the bikes came speeding down the hill and at first, sounded like cars.  While I was not at the top, the bike riders managed to get up a lot of speed.  The road is a single lane and has some rough spots.
 
The red roofed farm below has a pond behind it and a long field of mustard trailing back up the hill.  There was mist in the valley beyond which separated the tall mountain.  It was a beautiful day for painting.

MORNING VISIT TO GRAMPA

This is a large (24x28 inch) watercolor painting.  It includes several of my favorite subjects like barns, tractors and Volkswagen bus.  I just finished up a teaching session and while doing a demonstration, I thought of this composition.  The light is from the left casting shadows so it could be morning.  The sky is a warm yellow and the painting is warm.  The gradated wash of the sky gives a depth to the distance.  I like the composition and the story.  I am reminded of a rural location in Northern California or Oregon.

MORNING IN THE NORTHWEST

These water tower converstion houses popup everywhere in wine country and along the north coast.  I love putting them into my paintings along with other farm equipment.  I presented this structure to a large class of watercolor painters that I teach.  They did some wonderful things with it.  Introduced fog, hills with grape vines, telephone poles, and fences.  We had fun with it.

A Field of Nettles

Out to paint a plein air landscape and surrounded by a field of these barbed plants.  They grow to 4 or 5 feet in height and are said to sting.  I became fascinated with them and decided to paint a few that were staring me in the face.  Every hair and projectile appears to be barbed.  This should surely keep any animals from eating them.  Will need some research to learn about them.  They do appear prehistoric and well armed.

Morning Walkers

We are enjoying some wonderful spring weather and I have been out painting.  There is a lot of pollen in the air resulting in itchy eyes, runny nose and cough.  The photo above shows the gravel road and small bridge over a creek.  The painting below was done in an hour and half.  I paint fast to keep a fresh look to my work.  I textured the roadway by spattering paint.  The only disturbance was a farmer in a pickup truck that whizzed by and kicked up lots of dust.  It was otherwise a peaceful outing.