Saturday, February 9, 2013

Mt. Baldy!

It might be fun to try a plein air painting in the snow!  Or at least a painting OF the snow.  Less than an hour's drive from Pasadena is Mt. Baldy, officially Mount San Antonio..  It's over 10,000 feet, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, and has snow to paint in the winter.

Mt. Baldy was on the tentative paint-out schedule, but we weren't up to the challenge when the day came around.  Coincidentally, another plein air group had scheduled to paint at Lario Park the following week.  I posted about my first watercolor there last year in "Lario Park".  It's actually not so much a park as a parking lot for the San Gabriel River Trail which many cyclists use.  And from there are beautiful vistas of the mountains.  The day we were at Lario, we had nice weather and great views of a snow covered Mt. Baldy.  I brought my gouache set-up that day since I've been enjoying trying the new-to-me medium for landscapes without structures.  I had in mind to limit brushstrokes so I painted two 5x7" pieces and started both with an under-painting which was a first try for me.  I painted some snow after all...from a distance!

5x7" gouache

 

5x7" gouache



14 comments:

  1. wow i love it ... so loose and fresh, i love your brush strokes!

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    1. Thank you Susan, I really appreciate your wonderful comment!

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  3. I love your style in gouache Sherry, these have a bot of an abstract feel about them, they are quite different from your watercolours but all the same really nicely rendered

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    1. Thanks Lorraine! I'm having fun with it and still learning.

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  4. Wow! These look like oil paintings, Sherry. Your colors are so rich and textural. I would say that you were inspired when painting today. You are so fortunate to have so many different microclimates within a short circumference from where you live!

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    1. Thanks Terry! The gouache is a challenge for me. That's true, we have some great spots for painting here.

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  5. Ahh, the elusive Mt. Baldy. I like what you're doing with the gouache - very loose and vivid.

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    1. Hi Barbara! Yes, "elusive", just the word! I'm enjoying experimenting with gouache.

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  6. I'm really enjoying your work! I have to search out a plein air group!
    I'll also google map some of the locations. Great transparent W/C as well!

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    1. Hi Nicola! Thanks so much for visiting and commenting! I'm still looking around Valparaiso!

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  7. Thanks for visiting my blog. I was at mount Baldy a week ago. The top painting in gouache is really a stunner. It's been years since i worked in gouache but, unlike watercolor, I remember liking it. Then seeing Barbara's paintings makes me want to give watercolor another shot!

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    1. Hi AP! I've been a follower of your blog for awhile and love it. Thanks for visiting here! I enjoy painting with Barbara every Saturday.

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