Written while or about traveling.
Winter has clearly arrived here on California’s central coast. The rain is so good for all of the land; already we see the green beginning to arrive. Soquel Creek, flowing beneath my house and art studio, has become Soquel River! During these cool, wet days, I love to hole up … Read More
This autumn I joined several of my painting friends on an adventure in Yosemite Valley. The group were all members of a Santa Cruz area painting group I helped form back in 2001. At least 15 members of that group went to Yosemite in the middle of October. We hoped … Read More
So far this summer, I have been dodging the fog to paint our glorious Coast. Garrapata, Carmel Highlands, and Davenport Landing have been some of my plein air subjects. I also painted some new oak meadow spring pieces with wildflowers and one of an old sycamore tree with a … Read More
A sparkling highlight of my painting year was a trip to Amsterdam and Italy with Richard. In Amsterdam, I was inspired by Van Goghs colorful paintings with their rich texture. I also visited the Dutch masters at the Rijksmuseum. The Rembrandts, Vermeers and Israels paintings exhibited masterful use of light … Read More
Travel Report: hunkered down to study the waves I just returned from my annual retreat to Carmel with artist friends. We painted for 4 days, ate out at fine restaurants and laughed a lot. The wind and fog during the retreat necessitated many layers of clothing, but despite the cold, … Read More
Cloud formations provide a stimulating challenge for a landscape painter. After a spring rain, I often see formations of cotton-like cumulus clouds, billowing in from the sea. When choosing to paint them, it is quite helpful to prepare a draw down of grays, 4 values. Don’t let the darkest be … Read More
Today, Richard and I made a trip to Carmel Valley to check out the new Local Color Gallery. It was a fine day, and a fine ride. Local Color has been selling my paintings out of their Big Sur gallery and store since 2009, and my prints for the last … Read More
A new public access point has opened at Lower La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve. This preserve is located on the peninsula south of San Francisco by about 45 minutes, and north of my Soquel studio by about an hour. In December, Sue Elliott (of plein air muse) and I … Read More
Two weeks each year the sugar maples and oaks do an unbelievable metamorphosis as fall turns to winter. This is Hadley, Massachusetts, and the mountains of the Mt. Holyoke range rise in the near distance. I took my paintings along, as it has been several years since I was able … Read More
This past September, I traveled for a week with my friend and fellow painter Jean to the high country of northern New Mexico. Jean has visited there many times, and she guided us to many wonderful sights around Santa Fe, Abiquiu, and Taos. I know now why New Mexico is … Read More
The evening light is golden and very attractive to painters. I set up at UCSC where there is a view of the Bay from up on the hill. The golden light was visible in the distant Eucalyptus grove, and the shadows were moving quickly as the sun set.
Learning to Paint is a life long journey, and that is what keeps the voyage interesting! In the spring of this year, I attended a painting workshop at La Rusticana De Orso, a vineyard and gardens developed with inspiration from Italy. Two other SCOP artists also participated. Randall Sexton, a … Read More
This year is my seventh to go on retreat with this group of artists. We have become close friends and encourage each other, offer ideas for improvement, and push ourselves to create even when the weather is discouraging. With the group spirit around us, we keep creating. I leave kitties, husband, … Read More
Presentation, by which we mean for the most part framing, provides the opportunity to enhance your paintings. Frames can quietly blend your painting in with other art works and furnishings within a room, or they can work to pop the painting out. My style being an impressionist approach to painting … Read More