Santa Cruz Harbor

This cozy harbor with steep banks is where the large cruise ships stop. They use that long wharf. I arrived early to paint and down below me was a parade of sailors in white, marching to a drummer. They did this for about an hour. Probably good to get that over before it gets too hot. Reminded me of my basic training in Lubboc, Texas in August. We started at 5AM. Huatulco is misleading to those arriving on cruises as well as air. The harbor is not commercial. As you wind your way out to resorts, the roads are clean with white curbs and manicured green verges. It is in contrast to other areas found in Mexico. The apartments are tucked into the hills. There are several layers of mountains, including the the Sierra Madre. The trees have a rust color yet the foliage does not fall. The rains don't come until June. Anything green is being watered.

Morning in Huatulco Old Town

I brought my painting gear into town and there were 3 tour buses. This is not a large town, but a simple Mexican layout with a central park and a church. A cruise ship was in port and the buses were from there. They eventually left and everything quieted down. A local asked where I was from, we got to talking and he directed me to this upstairs coffee shop on the corner, as a good place to paint. No one was there but me. By noon it was full of regulars. You had to know where the stairs were to get there. I was pretty much finished by noon but got a lot of comments and was surprised by the many who spoke English. One fellow asked if I would be back next year because he wanted to buy a fishing reel from Walmart. It is wonderful to get lost in your painting and then wake up to a totally different exchange.

Climate Change

Returned from Mexico last night. Went on a charter with a group of golfers. I do not golf but brought along my paints and found some places for plein aire painting. Took my time (approx 2.5hr) because it was hot and humid. Everything dried quickly which was helpful at times. The location in Huatulco was sunny, warm and swarming with vacationers. Maybe a thousand at the resort which was all inclusive. I never experienced this before and had difficulty dealing with all of the food and drink. I saw an article which called this type of vacation, 'Fly and Flop'. It is really right on. There seemed to be a waiter for each client. This scene was viewed from above the hotel with a morning sun which shaded most rocks. As the morning wore on, the rocks became more white. There was little surf or waves.

West Davis Pond

We have good painting weather. Our group was out painting from the bike path running along west Davis pond. The trees are bare of foliage for the most part but there is some green vegetation in the background. I had trouble developing a focal area in this painting. The bare trees were back lit with the morning sun. This gave them a very black and deep value. When I put in the couple on the bench for my focus area, it was no competition with the dark trees. I lightened the tree value but I was still not satisfied.

A Road Less Traveled

It has been awhile since I've posted but I have been painting. Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", indicates to me that one must make a choice. Things have recently unsettled and getting out to paint has been difficult at times. Today was a sunny warm day in northern California. I did a quick sketch and painted this scene in an hour. Love mixing up the greens. We live near a ditch that runs beside the bike path. I often walk the dog down here when not muddy. I know this road well and had fun climbing down into the ditch and painting.

Creek on RD 27

It was a chilly morning and we arrived at the little known creek on County Road 27. I had been here before in the spring. Setting an easel is difficult due to a steep bank leading down to the creek. There is little water in the creek and lots of scum. I painted quickly standing on the bank. Someone was using India Ink and I thought I would try it. Hence, some very black tree trunks. Trying to lighten the ink on the paper had no success. I found it good for making branches and worked because of the back lighting on the creek. This represents a quick painting done on a cold morning while struggling to stay standing on a slope. I actually climbed out and started another one.

North Davis Pond

A beautiful day for painting, Our plain air group gathered at the North Davis Pond which is near my house. We all arrived ready for cold since the temp dropped to 35 degrees during the night. It quickly warmed up and all of the extras soon came off. There was still some color in the trees despite the winds this week. It was a good day to be out painting. Painting is therapy as I felt so good and met many of my neighbors.