All the Hues of the Rainbow

Here, at Yoakim Bridge Road and West Dry Creek in Healdsburg, sits a pretty little house, barn, and vineyard which I painted last summer, but the scene is even more inspiring now with the colorful autumn leaves.

Hurried Shadows at Eventide

Once again the autumn vineyards shimmer with all the golden colors of the season. Here a Napa Valley vineyard caught my attention in the late afternoon. The shadows moved fast, so I could only capture the image with a few strokes of my brush before taking the canvas home to finish from a digital photo.

Me and the Boys

Diverging from the usual photos of my artwork, here is a photo from my recent trip to Nepal and Tibet. The trip was not your usual vacation, nor was it for the meek. Our accomodations were rustic and many on the tour suffered from altitude sickness after ascending to 12,000 - 14,000 feet along the Tibetan high plateau. I am pleased that I made the journey to see such a mysterious country.

An Autumn Afternoon

Another painting from a photo. I like the Starbucks cup the woman is carrying.

Black Ranch Vineyard

On a drive out West Dry Creek, I spotted these bracero houses. The narrow, twisty road has lots of traffic, visitors driving who are out wine tasting in the area, all in all a leathal combination for setting up a plein air painting. So I took a photo and worked from it instead.

Tom Soltesz Workshop

Last week's plein air workshop with Tom Soltesz yielded a couple saveable plein air paintings. Tom's style of color application is much more muted compaired to mine. But I did come away with some valueable painting knowledge. Mixing big piles of paint before tackling the scene was helpful to learn. Without continually mixing as you go, the plein air painting is finished in lightening speed (provided you know where to put the paint). I liked the way Tom applied the highlight areas on the tops of trees. "Sort of William Wendty", he says.

Eucalyptus at Oak Hill Farm

It was just another day in paradise for plein air painters. We were invited to Oak Hill Farm along Highway 12 in Kenwood on a Sunday so that we would not be in the way of the farm workers . Oak Hill Farm has wonderful, organic produce, as well as wreaths and other fun stuff. I painted this above the Red Barn, looking across a field of Eucalyptus that is grown for flower arrangements and wreaths. While painting there, I had to look out for rattle snakes and bees. Oak Hill Farm sells some really tasty honey from the bees who live in the hives located near my plein air painting setup.

Kendall Jackson Chateau

Monday Morning Painters venue yesterday was at Kendall Jackson Wine Center. Here are the vineyards that surround the Kendall Jackson Chateau and tasting room.

Summer Vines

This old farmhouse sits at West Dry Creek and Yoakim Bridge in Healdsburg. While painting, we were able to eat some fresh produce we bought from the nearby roadside stand.

The Farnsworth Studio

Earlier in the week, I painted this image in the Healdsburg garden of a fellow artist. It was a delight to be invited into this serene scene. The air was filled with the songs of many different kinds of birds, a gentle breeze, and the sweet scent of flowers.

Thru the Lavender

Matanzas Creek Winery is a favorite spot for Monday Morning Painters during the lavender blooming period. In fact many of us have painted there over and over again, so that we almost don't have to look at the scene because we can paint it from memory. But both the gardens and the umbrellas are subtly changing, with the addition and disappearance of these features from one year to another.

Near the Lavender Barn

The Lavender Barn is off to the left. This was a venue for our Monday Morning Painter's group. Most of us were located under a huge oak tree painting in the same direction. Someone said it looked like we were having a convention, but we were just trying to stay cool on that blistering day.

Edna Valley

View of Edna Valley near San Luis Obispo. This area, like much of Northern California, sprouts new vineyards with seemingly each passing day. The ocean's influence can be seen with the lifting fog over the hills.

Arroya Vineyards & Vineyard at Murrietta's Well

I took my painting gear with me to Livermore, where I visited with my brother who lives there. Wineries are becoming more and more prevelant in the Livermore Valley. These paintings feature Mt. Diablo as the backdrop to the vineyards.

Pastori Winery

This is one of the first wineries I visited when I came to California back in 1962 and it still has a fascination for me. I love it's terra cotta colored roof with the cobolt blue hills in the background, as well as the gnarly old winter vines. When I first visited the tasting room, the Redwood Highway was a two lane throughfare alongside Pastori Winery. Now those two lanes have become a frontage road, where I stood to paint this, alongside a four lane freeway.

A Big Patch of Sunshine

Last Monday Morning Painters' venue gave us this fabulous view, with acres of mustard blooms and winter oaks at City of Santa Rosa Brown Farm off Llano Road.

Napa Valley Mustard

The February mustard blossomed profusely this year because of the recent rains. This painting was done in Napa Valley.

Greg Larock Plein Air Workshop

Here we are: me, Char and Marcy, in Laguna Beach awaiting Greg Larock's demonstration. As well as being an accomplished plein air painter, Greg is a remarkable instructor who has the ability to pass his knowledge along to his students with great ease.

Following are my interpretations of Laguna Beach and Balboa Island during the workshop.