Neighbor's House #31

Love the front door matching the tiles on the roof.

Neighbor's House #17

I haven't been posting the house paintings. I had to wait till I got the new journals I ordered so all the houses will be on the same paper. I have walked through the neighborhood and numbered all the houses. I am not painting them in order. So that is why the numbers seem out of order.

Ivy

Ivy-graphite on cream paper
Ivy is my brindle colored greyhound. She was rescued from the Agua Caliente race track in Mexico two years ago and has been in her forever home (my house) ever since.

Dana Point, California

I took another day of wave study. It is such a wonderful place to paint and sketch. You all know how time consuming drawing can be and studying these waves is going to take more time and more days. I stay away from the beach during the weekend because of the people out of school and off work, but during the week and early in the morning the area is only populated with locals. Summer vacation is coming up and that means children out of school and family vacations. My beach will be filled with models. It's a wonderful predicament, having to go to the beach over and over again. But someone has to do it. LOL.

Magnolia street

This street is along the path where I have been walking and sketching the houses. I love the way this row of Magnolia trees throws their shadows onto this little street. The shadows make such an interesting pattern of color and shape.

Here is just another doctor's office from the outside. I always use some excuse to wait outside, instead of in the waiting room. We all have cell phones now, when it is my turn, they call me.

Chinese Brush Painting

Several of you have asked about the Chinese Brush floral painting I talk about. Here are some examples. I studied Chinese Brush painting with Ning Yeh and now teach a class on Monday nights

Water color on Mulberry paper 30x22 inches

These are all watercolor on rice paper

Los Angeles Arboretum

I spent the day at the Los Angeles Arboretum last week. I went with a gardening/painting friend. We had lunch while sitting under a tree called a Tabebuia impetiginosa, also known as the Pink trumpet tree. The sun coming through the tree filled the atmosphere with a pink glow. Kind of like the light in Paris. The peacocks and peahens with their chicks were begging for food, screaming that special peacock scream. There were pink flowers everywhere, on the table, on the ground on my sandwich and the sun was warm on my face.

While we were eating I did this sketch.

After lunch I sketched this view of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Dana Point, California USA

These were from a few days ago when I went to Dana Point, California to paint. It is one of my favorite beaches. It’s not a swimming beach, the beach slopes fast dropping very deep just past where the waves break. It seems like the waves break right in front of you, almost like they will break over your head but then just stop when the wave hits the sand and pulls back into the deep water. It’s magnificent, dynamic and full of so much energy that when I first sit down after all the schlepping of painting gear and prep I just have to sit for a while and breathe in the show.

Watercolor on Yupo


Watercolor on Yupo

Graphite on paper

Watercolor on Yupo

Watercolor on Arches

What's Blooming?

I have been sitting and painting in this patio for awhile and my greyhound, Ivy, has just decided to do her exercise run. When she does this run she just does a circle or figure 8 of my back yard stopping to make the turns but running full out through the yard till she get to the other end then screeches to a holt in enough time to turn and dig in for another run. She does this about every 3 days and will run about 5 to 10 laps. Needless to say any plant in her way gets trampled. Knowing that she needs this exercise I designed my yard with enough pathways to give her a full run of the yard and for my benefit I have put in scented plants. Now the night air is heavy with the fragrance of lavender, mint and tarragon. Oh, by the way my pup doesn't smell like dog, anymore. I bet your dog doesn't smell like lavender.


I have painted this patio before. The paintings I did today I will have to post another day because the light has gone for photographing art.
This arch has a billowy hallow of the Ballerina Rose blooms and......


this wonderful lily and......


The tomatoes I got at the Green Scene in April are blooming and has tomatoes. But not ripe yet.


Just before the light was completely gone I took this picture of the poppy. For you botanical types it is the Papaver somniferum var. Paeoniflorum. Peony Poppies. The inside is so intricate and special. Don't you think?

Well this is a first. I am sitting through an earthquake right now. It feels like about a 4.5. That is something we do in these parts. We guess at the seismic rating. The pets are all looking at me as if it were my fault. We have been having clusters for the last few months indicating that something is going on. What happens is the small earthquakes release the tension, hopefully keeping us from the “BIG ONE”. I will let you know if there is anything to report, as the reports will come in as to where the epicenter was and if there was any damage. I just heard on the radio it was a 4.7. I was close.

Doctor's Office Magazines

I am in another doctor's appointment and another day of waiting.

There are always so many out-of-date magazines. It was fun to sketch them rather then read them.

This is the view from my new patio. I am actually looking down my neighbor’s driveway. As long as his car is not parked in the driveway I have a great view.

WAITING

While I was waiting I sketched these bicycles, they seemed to be waitng too.

This eucalyptus tree, waiting....

These cars and school bus were waiting and these mom's with purses,

All waiting, almost like holding your breath, until....

Painting Day

Good morning breakfast at Kimmie's Coffee House. This restaurant is only about a mile from my home and on the way to the dog park. My walking time is shortened a bit when I end at the dog park because Ivy gets tired, so we stop here on the way back and I get to sketch.
Then off for a painting day.


California Coast

FORD

These two pet portraits were fun to do. Graphite on paper never really photographs well. If anyone has any hints, let me know.

Graphite


Ink

Gardening Day.

Today is a gardening day. I started early to get more done before the sun forces me to head for the shade. I am making a little hideaway under my orange tree. Just big enough for a couple of chairs and some potted shade plants.


This is the path to my studio. I use the studio for many things but usually not for painting. I like to sit in front of my subject (landscape), under a shade tree and hear the birds and feel the wind on my face. I use the studio for classes, framing, and well other crafts that might pull me away from just sketching. The poppy is in the lower right corner.

My poppy finally bloomed. Isn't it wonderful. It's about 5 inches across.



Here is the first start of the Hydrangea. This gardening day is turning into a picture day.

California Hills

These hills are off the 5 freeway near Mission Viejo/Irvine area. They are turning to the browns, ochre, grays and summer green. It was in the 80+ today (that's Fahrenheit). I was trying to get home from an appointment when the traffic became unbearable. So I pulled off and found these hills to paint. I didn’t want to stop painting but at some point you just have to go home. I didn't put any of my new painting books in my car so this is on that 60lb paper.

Paris Flower Shop

Flower Shop on Avenue de La Bourdonnais
Painting taken from Google map resource photo


Picture taken off of my computer screen.
I found something fun to do by visiting The Virtual Paintout Paris. You draw from Google map. Check it out. It's fun. I would much rather be there in person but I'm gardening this week and didn't have the time to fly to Paris to paint. Oh Well next time.

Art Supply Warehouse

They're here! They're HERE!

My art supplies have arrived. I had to go through old sketch and painting journal books last week and put post-its on blank pages to have something to draw on. One book had 2 pages another had 4 and so on. When I got my sketch journal yesterday I wanted to paint in them but they are better for drawing, ink and dry stuff. But now I have this selection. I even got a Japanese fold out. I had no idea they are so small. They look so big in the pictures on the net.

Birch with moss

This is a birch that is next to my driveway. It has moss growing on it and looks really cool. I got my new sketch books and tried one out immediately. The paper is really smooth, handles water media well, but the paper won't take any scrubbing and is thin enough to allow paint to blead to the back. The other books I have ordered from New York Central have more texture to the 140lb watercolor paper so this will make for fun changes.

I am really having a difficult time finding the sketch books I normally use. I have been using the Canson field journal, 110lb, 50 pages, 9x12, and double spiral bound. I finally ordered them from Daniel Smith but that is the only place I have found them.

To commemorate my 1000th visitor, I think it was Lin over at View From The Oaks, I would like to do something special. I don’t know what, so I will garden for awhile.


I have planted way too much but when you have something growing in the compost pile, or wormery, (my English friend calls my worm box a wormery) I just have to plant it. I will deal with the extras later.

Here are some sketches in my gardening diary for keeping track of the weather, what I have planted, seed start dates, what’s growing, when it fruits or blooms etc…. You know, nothing is as it was 5 or 10 years ago. Nothing is blooming like it should, or fruiting. The weather is just too screwy. I have an apple tree that has dormant branches, new growth, blossoms and fruit, both old and new. This poor guy is just trying to do it all.

Bonsai

Here are the two bonsai plants we have been working on. We drilled the holes in the containers today and since the containers didn't break we will now see what happens next. They are off to a back corner of the garden for a few seasons.

NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE #185

This was a great day. I worked in my garden till it got to sunny and then I painted while waiting for my next appointment. The Plumeria is just leafing out so I pushed the bloom season and painted on the flowers. I also added the impatience in the front boarder to convince the home owner that she would enjoy the look. I did another sketch that rejoiced the form of the branches, but it became about the plant and not the house. So I did this painting just about the house. Well, and the garden.

Spiritual Art Award

I have found that this blog has opened my heart and soul to artists all over the world. When I started this blog I prepared myself to face criticism, judgment, competition and failure. What I received instead was love, companionship, acceptance, praise and support. Gemma Mortlock over at Sandy Floorboards is one of those people who have embraced me with friendship and support. For example she has presented me with the Spiritual Art Award. Thanks Gem, you are so sweet to think of me. It did brighten my day and I am smiling.

When I visit Sandy Floorboards I always come away with the knowledge that Gemma’s art, poems and stories will fill up my half empty cup.

Thank you, Gemma for being you.

Now to pass on the award I would like to present to Carol Gillott The Spiritual Art Award for her blog site Paris Breakfasts. Carol says, “I live in New York but… I paint Paris dreams…..” Go have a mini vacation in Paris on your next coffee break with Carol.