Sketchbook

Good to know there is may be a self-driving car in Santa’s future if the reindeer decide they need a break.

We see autonomous vehicles daily where I live in Mountain View so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for Santa.  Merry Christmas!

Fun, fun, fun weekend in Las Vegas. Great hikes in Red Rocks and near the Hoover Dam. We also really enjoyed the Cirque du Soliel show Michael Jackson ONE.

The only plein air painting I got in was from our room on the 17th floor of the Polo Towers Condo development. Great view from our room of the southern part of the Strip including The Aria, The Cosmopolitan, The Bellagio and Planet Hollywood.

While in Vegas I also painted the guitars hanging in the pawn shop entrance to Beauty and Essex, the wonderful restaurant in The Cosmopolitan Hotel. I may develop this one into a larger painting.

I have so enjoyed the Los Gatos Plein Air group which I joined recently. The watercolor above includes two members of the group as we painted at Gugliemo Vineyards in Morgan Hill.

I finished a 9″x 12″ oil painting that day. I also completed 16″ x 20″ watercolor of Petite Sirah vines. That piece was developed from the alla prima sketchbook watercolor below.

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!

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

My Dad and I hadn’t planned on spending time in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area while I was in Oregon … but … our road trip required flexibility.

After stopping for gas on our way from Bend to Crater Lake on August 8th, Dad and I were advised that Crater Lake was being evacuated. So we thought we’d check out the Route 19 Scenic Byway … but … it too was closed as a result of a totally different fire.

So … we ended up heading back to the Portland area and exploring falls, trails and vistas along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The watercolor above is of a bicyclist enjoying a ride in the beautiful scenery.

I painted Horsetail Falls with a hiker in standing on a rock in the foreground. Many other waterfalls can be seen from scenic highway turn-offs though this one involved a short walk.

The whole area is very beautiful with dense woods and backlit trees. This painting is of the Oneonta Trail which is part an extensive trail system in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. While we were not able to enjoy Crater Lake this was really lovely. And, most of all, the time with my dad was great.