Monterey, Beauty Above and Below

The beauty of Monterey California is difficult to compare to anywhere else in the world.  I love going there and watching the waves, birds, sea life and people enjoying the scenery.  When I was invited to participate in a show at the Monterey Conference Center with 8 other members of the Central Coast Art Association, I began to think about what I could do to show all the beauty around me.  Below is the painting I came up with.  

 I love exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium so I just had to add some of those images to my painting.  So you see a window with things below and above the water around the edges.  It was a fun challenge to do this painting.

This painting will be on display along with two more of my paintings at the

Monterey Conference Center Alvarado Art Gallery
(at the top of the escalators)

 September to the end of November 2019.  

Artwork copyright protected.  No reproductions, or copying allowed!

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!