Naughty

I was invited to paint a valentine for the annual Valentine Show at the Nelson Gallery at UC Davis. I had this pair of stilettos from a white elephant gift exchange at the neighborhood poker group Christmas party. It just opened a flood of thoughts for a valentine. I painted the shoe and was putting a For Sale ad next to them; FOR SALE BY OWNER, USED ONCE, CONDITION NAUGHTY. When I finished, I read the instructions for the show and nothing was to be larger than 12x12 inches. My Stiletto painting was 16x20. My 10yr old granddaughter arrived and thought the painting was wonderful but could use some eye lashes. And there you have it; a painting is reborn.

Canadian Rentals

A friend reports that he rents a house in an isolated location for fishing. They have the waters to themselves for fishing and catch plenty of fish. It is a great getaway with fresh fish for dinner each evening and plenty of good wine brought along for the week. I've never seen his pictures but would imagine a place in the great northwest would look something like this.

View from Casa Manzanillo down on Manzanillo Bay in Troncones, Mexico. Just returned from two weeks in the sun and surf of this wonderful part of Mexico. Food and company wonderful and can't wait to get back. It was hot and painting watercolors has some interesting issues such as drying too quickly. I didn't have my spray bottle because it melted while sitting in my easel. I resorted to using a lot of water to wet the paper and painting with real wet watercolors. These paintings were done as quick sketches. Hopefully, they will get incorporated into larger ones.

Hacienda Eden, Troncones, Mexico

This place is fantastic. Located on Manzanillo Bay in Troncones Mexico, it has few rooms and always seems filled. I have been going to the area for years because of the great surfing and could never get a reservation here. This was my first time staying here at Eden. Great service and wonderful delicious food. Friendly staff always available and helpful. You can swim in the surf or in their new pool. Will certainly return.

Manzanillo Bay, Troncones, Mexico

Spent the last two weeks here with family and grandkids. No crowds, clean endless beach and great surf. It is early in the winter season but the press has not been kind to the area. People are afraid to vacation here, so the locals are struggling to make a living. I have been here for the past 15 years and never tire of coming back. Two weeks spent here can be dangerous though, but only because one starts considering the meaning of life and maybe not returning home.

Safari to Hacienda Eden

Just returned from a couple of weeks in Mexico. Hacienda Eden in Troncones Mexico is the perfect spot to laze. Great surf, food and guests. Had some of my family with me and the grandkids were lots of fun. I brought along some watercolors but didn't get a lot done. The long conversations with others, the eating and drinking and a good book took the rest of my time. It was great to vege-out. There is no Safari bus to Eden but I decided the sketch needed one.

Old City of Cartegena

I did this acrylic painting from my sketches and photos from Cartegena, Colombia. We had a wonderful trip there and explored the old city for a week. The city was walled in after many ships bombarded it and stole all of its treasures in the early days of the Spanish explorers. It is now being restored and we had the opportunity to see it with one of the architects who has done much of the historical research and work. The streets are very narrow with balconies and flowers. The buildings are colorful and this church looked like the frosting on a wedding cake. It was extremely ornate and colorful. I did a wash of acrylic paint over the buildings on the left so the the church would stand alone as a center of interest. Like my teacher used to say, 'you can have only one bride'.