A Gnarly Oak

I went to the Delta this morning. The Heringer Estate proved perfect for painting. There were many old oak trees along the bank of the slough running through the vineyard. I was fascinated with the oaks. An expert explained that the trees are about 250 years old. The family did not allow cutting for fuel during the steamship era. So the aged and tately oaks still stand. They are twisted with many limbs turned down to the water. I painted from close in and it was difficult to draw an entire tree. Instead, I selected one section and tried to show some of the bumps and blemishes. There were wonderful cast reflections from the levee into the water, but the sun was often behind clouds. No complaints. I will take this anytime.

A Vineyard in Davis

Not very far on the outskirts of Davis, there is a small vineyard. We were invited to paint there last Wednesday. I was surprised when I found it on a dirt road heading south in Davis. This is the town that contains the wonderful wine school at UCDavis, so why the surprise. I guess because I've lived here for 45 years and was never been aware. There are vineyards all over the outlying towns so the soil must be right. The vines are just starting to leaf. The grounds were so clean with no weeds showing. In painting the scene, I tried several quick thumbnail sketches but could not find a focal point. Rather than worry about composition I decided just to try mixing greens to define the leafage. Great day was had by all.

Vineyard at Brooks Farm

Was late arriving at the Art/Ag project in Brooks CA but did a few sketches and then started painting.  What a glorious day for plein air painting.  It couldn't be better for getting outside to paint.  So many details become apparent when painting on site as opposed to the studio using sketches and photos.  The shadows dazzle you on a sunny day.  This painting was done entirely on location and in an hour and half.  Sometimes when rushed, you find some new skills or results.

Napa Valley Vineyard

It was a glorious day last Thursday. Perfect for painting and the mustard was in full bloom between the rows of vines. This is a worm's eye view of the the rows as I painted it from the ditch running in front. There were a few people on this very back road in the heart of grape country. What a great day to be out and painting.

My aim was to compose a different perspective on the vineyard and try to avoid the repartition which is so monotonous. So, nothing is really defined except the posts in the foreground.

Today's class

This is one of the many water towers on the vineyard next to us in Napa. I teach a watercolor class on Friday morning to about 20 budding artists. So often I hear, "If I try this, I'll probably ruin my picture". Todays' exercise was to banish this timidity. I did a demo that included a sky, mountain, water tower, and front green. I then asked them to add details to their painting. Here are my quick details.