More from Meeker Slough

We have one more day scheduled at Meeker Slough to finish our marathon session there. Here is another one I worked on.

Fall at Meeker Slough   acrylic on canvas 20 by 30

Meeker Slough at High Tide

We have gone to Meeker Slough so many times this fall. Everytime we are there people want to go back again. It is actually a very modest place on the Bay trail so close to the condos on the bay in Richmond. But the more you look at the place the more you see to paint.  Last time we were there it was high tide and it was completeley different.  A different place entireley.

High Tide, Meeker Slough           acrylic on canvas 20 by 24

Dec 2, a warm welcome to EBLP

On a gray morning, this morning in drizzly  December, members of the East Bay Landscape Painters group were not dissuaded from painting by tough conditions. In fact, we painted in spite of the foggy weather, the cold feet in our shoes and a landscape that could hardly be called easy to paint. We were at Meekers Slough, a favorite EBLP spot. It's an easy place to see birds and water and lucky for me, when I arrived late around 11:30, the scene had settled, the fog had lifted, and the water had risen. Rumor has it, the marsh dried up earlier in the day which presented significant challenges to those who now had to paint a totally different scene. Fortunately the artists gracefully made adjustments: two pairs of gloves for the cold, hat for the sun, and my favorite, multiple canvasas and paintings for the temperamental  weather.

I really enjoyed my first painting experience painting with the EBLP today and was so inspired by the work of everyone there.

Painting 1: oil on canvas Meekers Slough (l2/2/13)
Painting 2: oil on canvas Meekers Slough (11/30/13)

Invitation to Berkeley Seen

Participating Artists:

Barbara Clevelend 

Betsy Kendall

Carol Sutton

Dan Marlin

Georgianna Greenwood

Iris Sabre

Karen Zullo Sherr

Bruce Klein

Leslie Tenney

Lin Fischer

Linda H. Kohn

Ling Liao

Lisa Greenstein

Lynne Olivier

Michael Moyer

Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez

Sharon Hind-Smith

Jana Bouc                    

In and around Berkeley.

Karen pointed out today that it's been a long time since we posted to this site. Boy is she right!


One of my goals for the past year has been to learn to feel comfortable painting in a small format. I have a bias toward larger scale, because it allows for ample movement of my brush, and shows off gesture so beautifully. I wanted to create paintings with a physical presence in spite of their small size.

It has taken quite a bit of time to work toward this goal.

Betsy Kendall, Trail Crossing, at Urban Ore , 18" square, Oil.

Trail Crossing goes back to last year's outing at our local construction junkyard. The yard is surrounded by interesting construction supply businesses and warehouses. Plus you can see the hills to the east.

 Betsy Kendall, Tilden Trees, 16" square, oil.

We all tried various views of Tilden Park from a rise in a popular dog-walk trail. Lots of pines and redwoods give way to a view of golden grass and ridgetop trees. Interesting changeable light, and some stressed conifers turning red-brown in bits made it interesting.

Betsy Kendall, Gateway, University Village, 18" square, oil.

Gateway was one of three I tried at the end of 6th Street in Berkeley, where a park marks a "daylighted"creek, and international families stroll in and out to the University's student housing. Albany Hill is seen in the distance.

I was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, and everyone was very friendly and curious. I also saw a Belted Kingfisher perched above the little creek (behind me in this painting), looking for fish in this new hunting-ground.

Only Anytime, 16" square

Only Anytime was from one of the group's trips to the Berkeley waterfront park, near a lagoon where people row. Lots of parking restrictions! But trees and greenery, and wading birds, too.

Stover's Garden

Keith's Garden

Keith Stover is a landscape designer and one of our members went to his garden on the Montclair Gardent Tour and arranged for us to come and paint.  It is about one acre and very beautiful.  He has a a lot of native plans but says he has branched out to put in other plants he loves and wanted in his garden.  I painted one of the inviting sitting areas with a view of his house.  He was very gracious and it was a great place to spend some time.   Karen

Keith's Garden                                                                      acrylic  18 by 24

Plein Air at Point Pinole

I started this one a while ago on a trip to Point Pinole with Rebeca and our dogs Kafka and Cintu but only recently finished it.   Karen

Karen in the Vineyyard

Early in the Vineyard, oil, 18" square.

From one of last November's trips to Viano Winery in Martinez. The November rains made everything green and wet this fall. Fog stayed around till near noon, and we had to bundle up. Just up the rise beyond the orchard, trains rattle by.

September at Meeker Slough

 Slough Bridge, oil on canvas, 18" square.

The fog cleared to a beautiful fall day. I liked the glow of the dead grasses along the causeway to the bridge.

September Marsh, oil on canvas, 30" x 24."

Over the fence marked with a sign saying Danger, Toxic Materials, a wealth of life enjoyed the water.