Painting the Almond Blossoms

I had the opportunity to paint way out in the countryside at a friend's house east of Modesto. CA.  The California Central Valley is the home of thousands of acres of farms and especially almonds.  Each spring the valley is white with trees all in bloom.  It almost looks like snow and when the blooms fade and start to fall, it looks like it is snowing!  It is not great for people with allergies, but it sure is beautiful!

 My friend's house is at the top of a hill overlooking the valley for miles.  You can see the Sierra Mountains and the foothills before them.  Layers and layers of hills and valleys all covered in neat rows of blooming almond orchards!  It is an amazing scene.  I was attracted to this view because of the road that zig zagged back into the distance.  


My friend and I set up our easels and painted the scene for several hours.  When I got home my painting surprised me!  The colors seemed so very washed out, which often happens when plein air painting.  I have a show coming up where we take a painting we did in plein air and enlarge it in our studio.  So I thought this scene would work for me.  So enjoy watching my process below.  

Painting on location

.

Working out the composition

.

Adding color washes to the canvas to cover the white canvas

.

Working on the road & back orchards

.

Adding under painting color to the right orchards

Refining the trees

.

Adding the blossoms

Testing the finished painting in its frame.

"Acres and Acres of Blooming Almond Orchards"

15" x 30"  oils  $2400

.

California Foothill Painting Series

Lately I have been working on a series of paintings of the California foothills in the Gold Rush country.  I want to show some of these paintings at a solo show at Hovey Winery Tasting Room in Murphys, CA, a sweet Gold Rush Town.  I have been working from photos I took many years ago and am enjoying revisiting them.  Below is my first one in the series.

Warm Summer Day in the Foothills  9" x 12"  oils

I really like the composition on this piece.  The sunlight was hitting the tall, golden grasses which cover the California foothills in the summer.  

The second painting was worked on a dark gray gessoed panel.  Below you can see my progress.  I have been doing some small, practice paintings on old gessoed postcards.  They are about the same size as the photograph, 4" x 6".  From those I have been working on the larger painting.  

Photo below - practice painting above

Working on a 9"x12" stretched canvas which has been prepared with a dark, gray gesso.  Laying in the highlights first!  This is new for me and I learned the technique in a workshop with Peter Adams recently.  A different way to start a landscape.

Here you can see that I have begun to block in the trees, shadows and sky.

Liking it and since I was tired, I went to bed. But in the morning, I looked at it with fresh eyes.  It seemed much too yellow and light.  It lacked the warmth I wanted showing the late sunset glow.  So I added more warm colors to give it that glow!

I am much happier with this one!  "The Long Road Home"  9 x 12

These paintings and more will be available for sale
at Hovey Winery Tasting Room, Murphys, CA
 in October / November 2019.

All artwork copyright protected.  No copying!