Taos Memories

Taos Memories
20" x 24"

Taos Mountain brings back many memories of summers as a child.   The smells of pinon, listening and telling stories and enjoying the mountains.   But mostly, it brings back wonderful memories of family and Mom!   It is good for all of us to remember the things we are thankful for - good memories are just one of them.

Nancy Medina Flower Painting Workshop

11 x 14
Oil on Canvas
Nancy Medina Workshop One

I attended a fabulous flower painting workshop here in San Diego given by Nancy Medina.   She has a very technical, methodical painting process that I found easy to understand.   She uses transparent colors for an underpainting and then punches up the colors with opaque on top - keeping cool and warm colors in mind.   As a class we painted these first two together.

11 x 14
Oil on Canvas
Nancy Medina Workshop Two



6 x 6
Oil on Panel
Dyed Zinnias
 



Since Nancy was flying home to Texas she asked us San Diegans to help ourselves to the flowers from the workshop.    I chose stunning pink zinnias (dyed!) and some blue larkspur.    I painted these using her method.  

Spring Forward ... Fall Back Classes!

This fall I have been busy taking classes and have fallen behind on painting and posting my work.  I would like to share some of the work I have done in my two drawing classes.   The first three images are from Kris Nugent's life drawing class at Mira Costa College and the last three are from Frances-Marie Haeger's Basic Drawing & Sketching class.

This was a 10 minute sketch in vine charcoal.   The model was long and leggy and I got a fore shortened view!

We used the side of a chunky piece of charcoal on this one. 

Also a charcoal short sketch - 5 minutes at the most.

 

In Frances-Marie's class we did a lot of different fun projects ... we drew bugs!

Then we zoomed in on our bugs and redid the shapes and colors.

Our final project was a sunset in pastel ... then used a black magic marker to make back-lit objects in the foreground.

 

It has been fun doing some different things and using different materials this fall.   It has been nice not focusing on a finished product but rather on having fun and creating.  Hopefully I will get some growth artistically from my experiments.   Later this week I will share from my "on location" watercolor class!  Fun is Diversity has been my fall theme.

Linda's Roses

9 x 12"
Oil on Canvas

My friend Linda let me know she had some fabulous roses on her dining room table waiting to be painted!   And was she right!   They were vibrant and reflecting against a white linen cloth and silver pitcher.

As fall marches toward us most of these beautiful roses are spent.    However, just as in our lives, the memories live on!   Enjoy.

Outdoors in San Diego!

When I wasn't painting at the beach, my painting friends from Mira Costa College landscape class with Kris were trooping about!   These are in various states of being completed - my goal was not the finished product but rather the process of completing a painting within one setting.    Sometimes it was time to go before I was really done!




Olivenhain Bachelor's Quarters
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas



Oceanside Mission
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas
 



Magee Park
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas

A Swami's Summer of Painting!

 This summer I painted at Swami's beach in Encinitas on four different days.   I have posted these in chronilogical order hoping to see the changes over time - seeing more and seeing better.   Painting outdoors is still a challenge to me!





Swami's I
6 x 8"
Oil on Panel

 

Swami's II
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas
 

Swami's III
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas



Swami's IV
8 x 10"
Oil on Canvas
 

 







Lagoon at High Noon



Batiquitos Lagoon at Noon

9" x 12"

Oil on Panel

It was a "late start" painting day last week when we headed to the Lagoon.    Since I parked on the far side and hiked in with easel and backpack in tow it was close to 11 before I got started.   The sun was straight up, blaring a blue sky with lots of green and not much pink and red to be found.

I would like to go back and paint this scene a little earlier in the morning or late afternoon to catch some warm tones.