Snow!

Well, not actual snow.  Another recent Saturday group painting "challenge" was to do some holiday art of decorations in our neighborhood.  I easily found a home on the next street with some beautiful added "snow", a big decorated tree, and twinkly Christmas lights.  Perfect!  It was fun to try this at home in watercolor. 

5" x 7" Watercolor

Yellow!

 One of the painting challenges for our Saturday Painting group was "Yellow".   Since yellow is an energetic warm color, it's thought that it might help the viewer feel more optimistic and cheerful.  Sunshine and sunflowers.  Yellow definitely has an impact in paintings but it's usually used sparingly.  It was fun to do a painting with emphasis on one color...yellow!  I had recently taken a photo of some yellow flowers contrasting with big blue water valves.  Perfect!

5" x 7" Watercolor

Santa Monica Pier

 I recently had the opportunity to paint the Santa Monica Pier...at sunset!  Our Saturday group leader and organizer suggested we do paintings from fellow artist's photos.  I thought it was a great idea and several artists offered their photos for the challenge.  I decided to try my friend Shinji's night time view of the Santa Monica Pier.  I've only tried a few plein air nocturnes which were pretty difficult to paint at night on site.  My most recent was almost three years ago A Busy Evening.  Using this exciting photo was fun and I wished I could see this view in person.  

 5" x 7" Gouache

Pre-Summer Post-Summer

 It's Halloween, October 31 today.  I haven't met with any fellow painters for our usual paint-outs since February.  So I've painted some watercolors and gouache pieces from my photos taken close to home.  We're still having warm days but it's feeling like fall.  Last December I took a photo of some colorful liquidambar trees just south of my house.  I used it for a recent "autumn feeling" gouache piece.  This painting reminded me of the beginning of summer when I took a photo of a home decorated for July 4th in the block north for a holiday watercolor.  These paintings were for the weekly prompts our wonderful and generous leader/organizer gives the Saturday group.  Inspiring, and they keep us painting and connected.

7"x5" Gouache

5"x7" Watercolor

Postcards!

Many artists have used this pandemic period to paint and send postcards to friends and relatives.  Since plein air painting with friends hasn't really started again, I've now painted and sent six postcards.  I posted two in Safer At Home Art.  One of my more recent postcards, using watercolor and pens,  was of a friend's mountain cabin.  And since Halloween is coming, I painted and mailed two Halloween 4"x6" postcards to my grandkids.  Always a fun, annual, thing for me!

4" x 6" Watercolor and pen postcard

4" x 6" Watercolor and pen postcards

Still Life

 I haven't done many still life paintings.  It's been fun and to try a few during this time when our paint-out groups aren't meeting.  Our wonderful and generous Saturday Painting leader/organizer has given the group weekly prompts which have been fun to try.  They keep us painting and sharing our efforts.  My most recent piece is a watercolor of a green glass with a cactus in water for the "Transparent" prompt.  I also tried a gouache piece of some shells and a swan planter for the "White" challenge.  A few months ago I painted a postcard as a Thank You for some pretty carrots that friends dropped off for us.  They were irresistible to paint before eating.  I'm sure there are more still life pieces in my future since I'm staying close to home.  

7" x 5" Watercolor

5" x 7" Gouache 

6" x 4" Watercolor Postcard

Birthday Flowers

 My birthday was last month.  Our daughter came by for a socially distanced porch visit.  It was so nice to see her since we haven't been able to see each other too often during the pandemic.  She usually brings me a birthday bouquet as she did for this birthday.  I've never tried painting or sketching the flowers before.  They were so pretty,  I had to paint them.  I did a watercolor and also a dry mixed media sketch on toned paper using pens and pencils.  My florals need more practice!   

7" x 5" Watercolor 

8" x 5" Mixed Media Sketch

The Monastery in January

 The paint-out groups I've been painting with for many years haven't been meeting but I have a few watercolors I have not posted.  In January we met again at the Mater Dolorosa Monastery.  The monastery property is extensive so it's easy to find painting subjects.  On my previous visit I painted in the cactus garden, Monastery Cacti.  This time, most painters were in one area so I stayed there as well and painted a tile-roof building among the fruit trees.  We are usually lucky to see some deer in  this area which is always a high point for me.  Looking back, I might have changed my approach to this view.  Hopefully we'll be visiting there again.

8' x 10" Watercolor

Palms & Fences

Our Saturday paint-out group had a pretty day in February with views of two beautiful and historic Pasadena churches.  The 1925 Marston designed Westminster Presbyterian has a French inspiration.  While a block, north is the Neff designed 1918 St. Elizabeth, a "California" style.  Both have spectacular towers.  It seems I tend to run out of paper when trying to paint a tower so I looked for a less spectacular view.  From a sidewalk looking north near St. Elizabeth buildings,  I had a great view of the mountains, a row of palms, flowers, and a nice iron fence to add interest.

5" x 7" Watercolor

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church tower

February at Lacy Park

It was such a pretty day at San Marino's Lacy Park in February.  It was also the last paint-out with our Friday group before we went "on hold".  I was very surprised to see two people I knew that day, one neighbor and the other a business owner.  They were both out walking the park's loops.  Lacy Park's center used to be a lake that I mentioned in my 2012 post The Lake That Became A Park.  So naturally there are two walking loops surrounding the park's center grass area.  It was fun to see two friends who weren't there to paint as I was.  

8" x 10" Watercolor

June Jacarandas

We are lucky in Southern California to have Jacaranda trees blooming in May and June.  Their beautiful purple-violet flowers are stunning when they cover the trees.  There are several nearby streets planted with the trees for blocks.  The flowers fall leaving a purple carpet on the streets.  They are very fragrant as well.  But parking under a tree results in many stubbornly sticky flowers on the car.  Still, painters look forward to Jacaranda season and plan paint-outs to see them.  This was my watercolor from 2019 Spring Flowers! painted on location.  This year's watercolor was painted from a photo I took at Marengo Elementary in South Pasadena.

Watercolor 5" x 7"

Safer At Home Art

May 2020,  The weekly plein air paint-outs I love are on hold now of course.  We're painting at home or maybe from our cars.  There are some wonderful online opportunities to be creative that I've really appreciated having for inspiration.  I've done a few watercolors from my backyard, and some front yard flowers as well.  It's been nice to have the aloes and irises blooming.  I've really missed seeing my paint-out friends and the annual wild flowers blooming this spring.  Hopefully more paint-outs will be happening.

7" x 5" Watercolor

4" x 6" Postcard

4" x 6" Postcard

Last Summer~

Remembering two visits to one of my favorite gardens last summer.  It's always fun for me to visit Arlington Garden with a paint-out group.  Although the garden is relatively small, there are always so many views to paint.  There are flowers to paint close-up or more distant views.  I always seem to choose the more distant views.  Trying a more close-up floral is something I want to paint.  A branch of spring flowers would be perfect.

8" x 10" Watercolor

7" x 5" Watercolor

These wild parrots entertained us while we painted.

Amaryllis belladonna

The Wishing Trees

March 2020

As we all know, the world has changed.  Painting has always been so relaxing.  Meeting friends at our paint-out locations has always been fun.  Of course the paint-outs have been cancelled.  At least we have the technology now to be able to stay connected.  Friends have been painting from photos and our own yards and gardens.  So,  I've gone out in my backyard twice to paint my blooming aloes in watercolor and also in gouache.  I'm sure I will be painting more from my own backyard.

7" x 5" Watercolor

7" x 5" Gouache