Pretty sure this guy isn’t going to land on anyone’s Thanksgiving table tomorrow … but … he does need look both ways when crossing curvy country roads.
Hope you have a terrific Thanksgiving!
Leslie Landers
Rose Barn Plein Air
It was so enjoyable spending the morning painting the decaying Rose Barn in Morgan Hill with the Los Gatos Plein Air Painting Group. I’m looking forward to exploring the nearby Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve on another visit. Those of us who live in Silicon Valley are fortunate to have access to so many wide open spaces. Here’s my painting for the day. Not my favorite but fun to do.
Gamble Garden Oak Eulogy
11″ x 14″ watercolor
The magnificent old oak that anchored the Gamble Garden is gone. This painting is my goodbye.
Fall at Guglielmo Vineyards
9″ x 12″ (private collection)
I could have reached out and touched the vines. Instead I painted them. After which, I enjoyed a lovely estate grown 2015 Grignolino. The vineyard is in Morgan Hill which has retained much of the agricultural feel of long ago pre-tech decades.
Wilder Ranch Sketchbook
I recently visited Wilder Ranch for the first time. This charming California State Park is on the coastline just north of Santa Cruz.
In addition to the farmhouse, a lovely old barn and other farm buildings remain. Sheep and goats are in the pen behind the barn. In addition to preserving the agricultural heritage of the area, the park includes trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding and access to a beach area.
Fortini Road Art Critic
I recently joined a plein air painting group which I’ve really been enjoying. It’s a great group of generous painters and it is wonderful to paint in new locations. It’s also really helpful to get advice on what’s working (and not working) from fellow painters. On this particular day, I also received feedback from a couple of four legged art critics.
Alexander Valley Barn
9″ x 12″ (private collection)
It was my attraction to the shape of the barn and the shadow it cast that pulled me into painting this rural scene. This Alexander Valley barn also had a prominent sign out with a phone number advertising “Lambs for Sale.”
Shoreline Park Plein Air
6″ x 8″ oil on linen panel
October 1 and I was up with the sun the morning to paint at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. It’s close and I’ve painted there many times. This was my first oil painting there though. I love the plein air painting experience. The moment by moment shifting light and the urgency to get on with it.
Bryce Canyon Sketches
The tall columnar hoodoo formations of Bryce Canyon National Park are the result of weathering and erosion. The expansion of water as it freezes in cracks fractures the soft (and very orange) limestone.
We enjoyed views from overlooks throughout the park and hiking the Queen’s Garden trail which is named for a hoodoo at the end that is said to look like Queen Victoria. The trail was beautiful at every turn and this charming bird, a 4 inch white crested nuthatch, greeted at the end of the trail and posed.
Zion Sketches
My husband and I wrapped up our summer with a fun trip to Zion and Bryce. The watercolor above takes in the canyon scenery from the western bank of the Virgin River near Zion Lodge. The cottonwood trees that are adjacent to the river take on graceful forms.
Staying at the Zion Lodge made it easy for us to enjoy the magnificent scenery in the beautiful light of mornings and evenings. It also meant that we didn’t have to wait in the long morning shuttle bus queues at the Zion visitor Center.
