Feb 2 - Plein Air Painting in California!

Can it get any nicer to sit in short sleeves and sunshine and paint outside?  I don't think so!  Over at the University of California Riverside, in their Botanic Gardens, I spent a delightful half day getting my wrist moving with the oils on location.

Two 7 x 5 canvases later, and I packed up my gear and walked around the twenty eight acres of lush landscaping back to my car.  This little first one was done in the succulent gardens, looking toward Box Springs Mountain and the "C" in yellow up high.  At this time of year, the succulents and cacti are all in bloom or nerely so, and the colors are gorgeous.  I'm a lucky artist in that I can get out and paint all year in this climate! 

I hope the rest of the country is getting out from under the ice and snow of the past few days.  I wouldn't mind living where you are, as each area has its own charm and positive attributes.  But in February, I'll take short sleeves and sandals, if it is the same to you.  Please come visit me!

Here's the view from the high point in the Gardens, taken while I walked back to my car looking out over the UC Riverside campus toward Mt. Baldy across the Inland Empire. Please note there is no snow on the 10,006 foot peak?  That's Southern California.  No jacket on me, either.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 1 - Finishing the New Jersey Winter

Amazing how life gets in the way of the joy of what we really WANT to do, eh?  Tonight I finally finished the 9 x 12 acrylic that I brought back from New Jersey and present it to you on this cc-c-c-cold day for most of the country.  Snow everywhere except here, and I'm grateful for not having it here.  I bought seeds and a grape vine to put in tomorrow.

Tonight though, I am sharing this watery landscape with you.  And tomorrow the plein air pieces done as I finally get back into the swing of being an artist.  It's what I DO, that's for sure.

There's a March workshop on the web site now!  Special discount to "repeat offenders"!  Email me if you're interested in a three-day reinforcement of your Color System knowledge, March 12, 13 and 14.  There's always room for one more, beginner or not!  If you want to get away from the snow and ice, you can fly into Ontario (ONT) airport and I'll pick you up. You can help me harvest the gardens for fresh salads--yes, the studio looks bright and sunny just as the image shows below, so green with our winter rains.

More workshops are opening up, and if you can't make the March one, perhaps one further in the year will entice you! Now is a good time to improve your knowledge, especially about color!

I've been hiking these mountains and making some great trails into the preserve behind the house/studio.  Wonderful weather has made this a joy, and I plan to do more of it as the weather continues to hold.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.