Bailey and Hermon

Bailey and Hermon are two of our local parks.  I've painted at both parks quite a few times with the local paint-out groups.  Hermon was on the schedule for possible Jacaranda trees in bloom.  They were there at the south end of the long park.  Unfortunately I drove by that area, paying more attention to the busy Saturday park traffic, and missing the lavender flowers.  Instead I painted an interesting hillside at the north end of the park.  Now I know where the Jacarandas are!

We usually go to Bailey Canyon Park to paint the Matilija poppies.  It turned out not to be a good year for the poppies.  Maybe not enough rain last winter.  So I painted another hillside with some friends to chat with.  

5" x 7" Watercolor

A very busy gopher we enjoyed watching

7" x 5" Watercolor

Matilija poppies

  

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

Hillside Sketch

I've enjoyed trying more pen sketching at some paint-outs.  The Southwest Museum was a recent location which I always enjoy.  There are vast views from both sides of the hilltop parking lot.  On my previous visit I painted a watercolor, Two Hillsides.  On this recent visit, I tried the west side view of homes on the opposite hillside.  It was another pretty day there, and many more views to paint.

7" x 5" Pen and Watercolor

Patio Plants

Last week one of the paint-out groups visited the Debs Park Audubon Center.  The Center is on a hillside in Los Angeles with a nice view across the Pasadena Freeway of the hillside Southwest Museum.  It was over two years ago when I painted a gouache piece in the Center's courtyard area, Cattails!  There is a another pond which also has cattails but I guess January isn't the season for them.  I had painting some plants in mind so the assorted potted succulents caught my eye.  It was a beautiful day for a paint-out.

7" x 5" Watercolor

Heritage Square Revisit

It was a beautiful day to paint at the Heritage Square Museum.  It's a collection of local, historically significant Victorian-era buildings.  They were moved to Heritage Square between 1969 and 2005, saved from demolition at their original locations.

The last  time I painted there, five years ago, I felt that my painting failed.  On this visit, things went much better.  An improvement is a good thing!

8" x 10" Watercolor

Valley Knudsen Garden Residence

An hourly tour

Perry Residence 1876

Lotuses and Roses

I'm late with an August blog post.  We've had a few recent paint-outs featuring some beautiful locations starring their seasonal flowers.  Visiting Echo Park in early summer for the blooming lotuses is such a treat.  I've painted many other views there but hadn't tried painting the lotus flowers until this visit.  And springtime rose blooms at the Wrigley Rose Garden are always a reason to visit.  A beautiful and relaxing place to paint.

Gouache 7" x 5"

Watercolor 10" x 8"

Spring Flowers!

With a winter season of more than normal rainfall here in Southern California, the flowers this spring have been gorgeous.  Last week two paint-out groups had some wonderful purple/lavender Jacaranda trees to paint.  This year the trees' flowers seem to me to be more vibrant than we usually see.  A few months ago painters were noticing the many hillsides covered with bright yellow mustard flowers where there had been dried weeds before.  So many beautiful views to paint!

Watercolor  10" x 8"

Pen and Watercolor Sketch 5" x 7" Avenue 64

Watercolor 5" x 7" at Elephant Hill

Sketchbook, pens and watercolor

Two Hillsides

I'm still behind with posting paintings.  So here are two watercolors of hillsides, one recent, and one from over a year ago.  I must say that these two locations are a couple of my favorite places to paint.

Hard to believe but it was over a year ago when the group painted at Elephant Hill again.  I love the view from the hillside where we paint, across the valley to other hillsides.  The view has both empty, distant landscapes as well as homes and cars.  My painting from our previous visit, Elephant Hill.

And just last week we visited the Southwest Museum again.  It's been almost three years since we were there, The Blue House.  We paint in the parking lot which has such wonderful views to the north, east, west, and even a bit of downtown Los Angeles to the south.  It was pretty cold so I tried a quick watercolor of the sloping, grassy hill next to the parking lot and the homes on the hillside beyond.

10" x 8" Watercolor

5" x 7" Watercolor

Lake Flowers

Last month we returned to Echo Park since it is Lotus blooming season.  They are so beautiful that we can't miss visiting to check out the flowers.  On my previous visit, last year, I painted The Park Bridge.  Besides the lotuses, there are also water lilies, and this time we noticed some tall red and yellow flowers out in the lake.  I should have taken a close-up photo so I could identify them later.  We found some shade with a view of flowers, the boathouse, and some of the many palms.

Gouache 7" x 5"

A pink blob of invasive apple snail eggs