Quiz Hint #2, #3

Hint #2:  This is from the same area.

Hint #3:  It is more than 200 miles from San Francisco

To guess, just click on "comment" and it will go to my email to be posted.

Quiz------

Nope, it is not Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, CA

Still Life Set Up

I just set up this still life and hope to work on it straight till 4:30 and also tomorrow at the gallery.  It is not my normal landscape so hope it comes out well.  I hope to apply techniques I learned from Laura.

Friday, we paint at Huddart park again.

Hint on the Quiz

It's bigger than a breadbox!

And the wildflowers are to die for!

And it is north of me!

Getting Ready for the Lake Elizabeth Paint-Out!

The 2nd Annual Lake Elizabeth Paint Out on September 12th, 2009 is heading into final planning stages!  Looking forward to artists from all over coming together for a wonderful paint-out.  The paint-out is not juried so it is a great chance for everyone to experience a paint-out.  The scenery is beautiful, the weather is great, people are friendly and appreciate watching paintings develop.

More information will be forthcoming.

A Little Quiz

Where is this beautiful site?!!

I'll let you know after you think about it!

After watching Laura's Demo at the park we tried our hand at it.  I must say I was totally overwhelmed with all we learned.  

I was so tired today I didn't even get to pick up a brush.  I had painting running through my head for 2 solid nights!

After absorbing it all, I will pick up the brush tomorrow and use it!

Another Great Day at Laura's Workshop

Really tired but happy and learned a lot today.  Now I just have to let it sink in!

Photo is of Laura's demo painting.  The scene was beautiful and the weather was great.  Tomorrow I will post my painting.

We had a wonderful day at Laura Williams' workshop.  We went through making very interesting "grays", some helpful tips and a great demo. 

 The demo had us spellbound and speechless!  Not bad for one hours worth of work.  She had also brought, among other of her works, a completed painting of a similar set up.  We could compare her quick study with a final piece.  (If you look carefully to the right of her still life setup you will see the completely finished painting.)

Tomorrow we are going to paint at the park and I am sure it will be a great and enlightening day!

Checking out Niles Community Park

Laura and I checked out Niles Park this morning and did a bit of painting.  It was pretty overcast and then all the clouds started to move apart and the scene completely changed.

Workshop with Laura Williams this weekend!

Workshop with Laura William is this weekend.  Can't wait.  Hope the muse of art will be with me, she has taken a vacation lately.  I have painted with Laura several times and love her work.  She is a great gal, easy going and uplifting!

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Join award winning artist, Laura Williams, for an action packed 2 day painting workshop, Saturday July 25th~26th This workshop is designed for students of all levels. Predominantly a plein air painter, Laura will demonstrate how to paint a landscape indoors quickly and relatively small. We will work from photos or even a still life in the medium of your choice–oil or acrylic. There will be a slide presentation, a demonstration of how Laura works and the tools she works with, a quick study exercise for warm-up and loosening up – a great exercise for comparing line vs. value. Focus of the workshop will include design, composition, value, color and brush work. Participants will paint and the instructor will provide personal assistance. A great workshop experience and a good time will be had by all! Laura has been teaching workshops and displaying her art work for several years throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Yosemite, and the Wine Country. She has won several awards for her artwork. Please see her website for more information on her award winning art at: www.laurawilliamsart.com.

Dates: July 25 ~26th Saturday and Sunday 10:00~4:00

Location: Fremont Art Association Gallery 37659 Niles Boulevard Fremont, CA 94536

Fee: $150.00 for two days

Contact  Laura Williams at  415-398-2103 laura@laurawilliamsart.com

Huddart Park, San Mateo County

Sheryl and I went over to Huddart Park to paint some redwoods.  A wonderful location, nice and close, cooler than most of the Bay Area but warmer than the coast.

After looking around a bit we finally settled down to painting.  Not many interruptions (no horses this time!)  Sheryl didn't have to move off her trail!

I painted from the stream area wonderful contrasts between dark and light.  But, the old buggaboo I have came up.  Toooo dark and I have to go back and add more mid-tones.  I just get so carried away with the contrasts!

The infamous "Artist Fetish"

A little bit on "Artist Fetish".  There is this thing about being an artist.  It's not just me!  All artists I know have this strange behavior. It changes in the object of attention from time to time, but seems to always be there lurking under the surface.  The fetish:  well, it seems that there is always something out there that the artist "needs" and will be sure to work a miracle and bingo! your painting improves!

You know, a new brush, easel, particular color or maybe a new brand of paint will do it!  I went through the brush fetish for a long time, and the pochade box fetish (the most expensive one).

I think I am cured for now, but know it will be back....

Pastels and Watercolor

At Fremont Art Associations’ Gallery, Claire Verbiest demonstrated her preferred method of painting in soft pastel and demoed how a drippy, runny watercolor underpainting can be overpainted with pastel to produce an exquisitely realistic image. It was a wonderful demo and I got a lot out of it.  

I haven't had a chance to try out what I learned but I intend to!

4th of July at Ardenwood!

A most beautiful day to celebrate our country's birthday!  

It is always so nice to be painting while surrounded by the sounds of families enjoying each other and having fun.  I took my travel watercolor set in my picnic basket.  After checking out the activities in the farmyard, the spinning of wool, outdoor kitchen, music on the grainery porch and the various animals, I found a nice old stump, pulled out the paints and painted.  I haven't really used my watercolors for the past two years so it was nice to use them again.  I had a lovely view of the Fremont hills across the Ardenwood fields.  I did take pictures and will post them.

As lunch time approached I left to go to the gazebo area.  The band was warming up as I choose a nice dry, shady spot on the lawn (I was in Victorian dress, remember).  The lawn area was quite populated with happy picnics.  My husband arrived as the band started to play and we pulled out the fried chicken, potato salad and apple crisp from the hamper and enjoyed our picnic to the music of the gay 90's.

I took some photos to use as studies for future paintings in the "rainy times".  

As always it was so nice to enjoy the 4th with all the friends we came across.  The flow-thru tours of the Patterson House were busy as always and it was fun to have the magic show so popular on the lawn right in front of the house.  I heard the watermelon seed spitting contest and the water bragade were very popular,  I heard them!

Another wonderful Victorian 4th!

July 3rd, 2009

Ok, all ready to enjoy our country's birthday at Ardenwood tomorrow.  Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Apple Crisp and Lemonade all ready to go - and there will be homemade ice cream at the grainery ( if I help crank the ice cream maker!). 

And my watercolors are ready to go!  I will be in Victorian dress for afternoon tours so I won't be taking my oils.  Painting while picnicking on the front lawn while listening to the band play in the gazebo and watching the children play tug of war, that is the life!

2 Day Workshop with Laura Williams

Join award winning artist, Laura Williams, for an action packed 2 day painting workshop, Saturday July 25th~26th This workshop is designed for students of all levels. Predominantly a plein air painter, Laura will demonstrate how to paint a landscape indoors quickly and relatively small. We will work from photos or even a still life in the medium of your choice–oil or acrylic. There will be a slide presentation, a demonstration of how Laura works and the tools she works with, a quick study exercise for warm-up and loosening up – a great exercise for comparing line vs. value. Focus of the workshop will include design, composition, value, color and brush work. Participants will paint and the instructor will provide personal assistance. A great workshop experience and a good time will be had by all! Laura has been teaching workshops and displaying her art work for several years throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Yosemite, and the Wine Country. She has won several awards for her artwork. Please see her website for more information on her award winning art at: www.laurawilliamsart.com.

Dates: July 25 ~26th Saturday and Sunday 10:00~4:00

Location: Fremont Art Association Gallery 37659 Niles Boulevard Fremont, CA 94536

Fee: $150.00 for two days

Contact  Laura Williams at  415-398-2103 laura@laurawilliamsart.com

Painted at Niles Community Park!

What a nice day for painting!  I didn't come out with anything I really like but did a study and will work with it in the studio and go back for another try on location.  I just loved watching the birds dive-bombing into the water for fish.

And I even fit all my errands into my day.  

Tomorrow we wheelchair my 95 year old aunt to the park for her birthday cake and to watch the children play!

Painting at Niles Community Park!

We will be meeting at 11:30 in the School Street parking lot tomorrow!

There is a lake, fishing piers, swampy area with water cypress, view of the golden hills, ducks, birds, lawn area, view of distant hills.  Niles also has lots of small Victorian homes and is famous for the background on many Charlie Chaplin films and period cowboy movies.

Any artists out there can join us.