Betsy Powell-Emeryville 2015

Diana Yoshida-Blakes Garden 2015

Linda Kohn-Emeryville 2015

Sharon Hind-Smith-Emeryville Dock #2 2015

Ling Liao-Martinez 2015

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.

Viano Vineyard, Martinez

What a beautiful morning to paint an idyllic vineyard scene.  I made a sketch with markers.   It was about all today's strength could muster.  I plan to go back  to do an actual painting.


Jean Womack

Alhambra Creek Boathouse

There was a high fog overcast and the lighting was very diffuse. The right side of the building was brighter primarily because the paint was probably 20 years newer. I painted a shadow on it after I got home. It doesn't look as if it can be used to launch any boats since all the reeds are blocking the door now. I couldn't figure out how to do the reeds, they were the most interesting part for me, but there was no way to paint what I saw. I think there must be a better watercolor solution to them but I couldn't find it that day.

Larry Hatfield
10.5 x 14.5 Watercolor

A Hill in Martinez

It was just Larry and me in Martinez today.  We decided to look for another view and drove up the Carquinez scenic road. It leads to Crockett but you can't drive all the way because the road is damaged by past storms. There were beautiful views but we couldn't find a spot out of the wind to stop. So we went backdown the hill. I painted this looking up at the area we were driving.  It is 18 by 24.    Karen

Discarded Storage - Martinez Waterfront Park

We started at the Grange Wharf area of The Martinez Waterfront Park. After walking along a path for some distance I went out on a road that looked across the railroad tracks. These two old rusting storage tanks were in a lot at the base of the hill. I would probably do some things differently, but I like the way the colors came out. I used a lot of Perinone Orange with Phthalo Green YS to get the dark trees on the right. I also used in in the shadowy light hillside and added it to the rust.

Larry Hatfield
10x14" Watercolor

Martinez

There were many things to work with at the park in Martinez and we should go back many times.  I chose a view looking towards the hills. Again it is a large canvas and I worked pretty fast. I am posting this one and the one below in the xlarge size option because the texture  and brush strokes are showing up much better.

Orange Trees at Muir's Orchard

Luckily for us, it was a mostly sunny day during our second week at John Muir's Historical Site. This is a very small oil painting for me (11 x 14"). I was in a hurry because I got there late, and did not have time to work larger. It is certainly true that painting will get you to really see things for the first time: I wanted to paint the orange trees I had seen before because they reminded me of the orange groves I had experienced in my childhood. Joan and I had both been interested in this humdrum house but she ended up painting a different view. I focused on making the grass feel grassy.

John Muir's Plant Sprayer

The park ranger told me that John sprayed some nasty chemicals like copper sulfate on the fruit trees and grapes. They wanted to kill bugs. I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on not knowing how un-environmentally friendly those chemicals are. I didn't know what to do for the background, I didn't want to paint stuff back there. I just made the fence dark, then darker, and the violet distance is just there. Then the grass became a problem. Maybe I should have filled up the paper more with the wagon. I added the shadows late, there were some cast shadows from the tree behind me. I incorporated that with the shadow under the wagon to help the composition.
Larry Hatfield

John Muir's Orchard

John Muir's house sits atop a hill on vastly reduced lot. Only two small orchards remain behind it. The house did not call me and neither did the adobe. I even dared think the orchards did not hold a lot of interest at first, but I was to be proved wrong. The longer I sat there, the more interesting those parts shrouded by the hills' shadows became. But I had chosen the wide paved path with the shadows cast by the orchard. This was an interesting 18 x 24" oil because it took a life of its own. I would not change the colors if I had to do it again and I like the color harmony, but the painting as a whole feels a little scary, like the orchard is haunted or something. Joan mentioned a "tension" between the elements that I also see. Is there (should there always be) a focal point?

John Muir Historical Site

Monday it was raining. I was already to paint in Port Costa so I decided to redraw the painting and play with the color and explore some of the direction my painting seems to be going. I think I still prefer the first one though.

John Muir Historical Site

Saturday I painted southern view of the John Muir building— augmenting it a little after returning. I think it was better before the augmenting— then again maybe not. I wanted to develop the color a little more.

John Muir Historic Site

Matt and I arrived a bit late (too much browsing in antique shops in Martinez) and knew the sun would not stay for long. The orchard has some lovely bright green grass and leafless trees standing in formation. If you can make it next week and haven't been inside, remember to go into the house and take a look – great views from the top and some huge traditional landscapes on display plus, lots of info from the docents.

I kept wondering how long the grass will stay this green and really enjoyed the strange grays and pinks of the bare branches against the dark evergreens.

John Muir's House II

I darkened the shadow side of the building and intensified the color in the windows a little.

John Muir Historical Site

A view of John Muir's home. I struggled with the perspective, and the detail drawing so long that I only had an hour to paint, then finished it at home. I dumped a lot of detail before I was done, but it was a struggle not to be distracted by it. I eliminated a very big tree that was obscuring some of the house. At first I thought I would use it as the right frame element, and there was a palm on the left, but I decided to leave both out.

Larry Hatfield

Briones Road

Larry and I were painting close to the same spot. Larry caught the stripes, I faltered. It seemed I spent a long time fishing for colors. The sparce leaves were this odd shade of dull pinky orange. The trunks of the trees hung from the foliage like black sticks on a very green background. My version kept looking like blossoming trees in the spring so I ended up experimenting by just using grey and black paint — usually a no-no in some camps — so ok break rules. Also adding compliments in the detail to grey down. The feeling of the day was cold. I now have an appreciation of just using black paint.

Marilyn Hill

Briones Regional Park Winter Oaks

Only 2 lonely painters today. Marilyn Hill and I painted not far from the parking at the top of Briones Rd. It was a lot dryer today, but still some mud. We haven't figured out what kind of oaks these are, but they had an appealing orange leaf canopy. The leaves look like Blue Oak, but I didn't think Blue Oaks dropped their leaves. I will get out my field guides and try to figure this out. It was overcast with a little sun now and then. I was not happy with the painting when I left the park, but after seeing it from a distance, I think I'll keep it. I might carry on the dark behind the middle ground trees up to the left some more.

Larry Hatfield

Briones Park

My concentration in this painting was to explore negative shapes in watercolor. For instance, the tree in the foreground was light against a medium to dark background. In watercolor, painting white or light detail over a dark is generally not an option. So the exercise was to see and paint the spaces between objects. Although I didn't in this painting— I occasionally cheat and use white gauche to create an opaque light. This practice is frowned on by many purists. However John Singer Sargeant expertly used gauche when it suited him so.......The tree was frail, dead and complex with lacy branching. So conveying this with interest and some conviction was my other challenge.