Descanso Koi

Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge is a wonderful place to visit.  But before I started plein air painting, years might go by between my visits there.  Now I'm going so often that I need to become a member since I found out the garden is in a reciprocal program with other gardens, especially the county Arboretum.  I didn't think I've posted paintings from so many previous visits to Descanso but here they are, three of them... Gingko!  Descanso Gardens  The Rose Pavilion

The garden was more beautiful than ever on Friday.  In the Japanese Garden and tea house area, the red Japanese maples stood out against the cherry trees blooming in white.  My photos don't capture seeing it in person of course.  I walked to the Rose Garden which wasn't in bloom yet but there was a class watching their teacher paint a demo piece.  All this reminded me of a special visit last October with my sister by marriage, Sara.          

I chose the view I wanted to paint but when I went to set up my watercolors, they weren't in my bag!  At least I did have my gouache with me.  So, I changed my mind on the view and "bravely" decided to try painting by the stream which was beautiful with light-colored, flowering trees reflecting in the dark water.  This would be too hard for me to try in transparent watercolor but I might have better luck with gouache since it's opaque.  My gouache pieces are small, 5x7", which is a good thing.  The group sets a time to meet to talk about our work and I spent a lot of my time looking around.  A white koi kept swimming by which I decided to include.  Hope you can find her!  

5x7" gouache

Beyond a dark wood

Lightning revealed

Still water,

Bright, like a vision 

-Shiki