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.

Emeryville Waterfront

Emeryville Waterfront  acrylic on canvas  20 by 30

On our second trip to Emeryville no one showed up.  It had been windy the week before. This time the wind was not as bad and I decided to stay because the light was really beautiful.  I exagerated the movement of the water.   Karen Zullo Sherr

Lake Anza, Berkeley

Lake Anza, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24"

I took my mom to Lake Anza. Ever since my last visit I have wanted to return to work in oil, so that's what I did. My mom sat down to read while I tried to capture this spot with a palette knife. I revised a bit in the studio. I still want to return and do another one.

Between the Storms

Between the Storms  acrylic on linen  16 by 20

Last Monday we went to the Emeryville Marina on a cloudy day between storms. It was pretty grey and cold but I settled into a spot of sun and the trees acted as a wind block and painted for a few hours untill the wind picked up pretty hard. It was good to be outside.


Karen

Overlooking Carquinez Strait

Blue Tower    acrylic on canvas

Painting at Cummings Skyway has been interesting.  Views at both the sites we have gone to are good.  On one side you see the rolling hills that bring to mind so many California landscape paintings. the other side at the large turnout you can see the Carquinez Bridge and hills also. You are right at one of the entrances to the regional park. But it is not a well maintained entrance and you go down an overgrown path to get there.  There is also a short tunnel that takes you to wonderful hill views with grazing cows.  But there is something that feels a little isolated. I don't think it is a good place to go alone.

Karen

Meeker Slough

Here is one of the ones I did at Meeker Slough, this one at low tide. I had planned to work on a smaller piece, canvas all ready, but was surprised by low tide. I had an old dud painting in the car, so I slathered paint over what was there, and finally it worked out! Betsy K

Painting at Lake Anza

Lake Anza #2   acrylic on 22 by 28

I almost cancelled todays session because of the heavy fog but decided to go after all. It was foggy all the way to the park but once inside the fog was gone and there was even sun.  The lake was glistening.  I did this painting last week  at the lake and have been working on it in the studio.   Karen

Carquinez Regional Shoreline

I couldn't find any shade to paint in but set up anyway. Larry had an painting umbrella he offered to me but I couldn't get it attached to my easel. I was also using a large canvas 24 by 36 inches. So I worked until I couldn't stand any more sun.  Karen

Mare Island Ramp

This enormous ramp divided Waterfront street. I was distracted by my dog who got cold mid-painting, and by the wind. Later the sun came out, but by then I was nearly done with this 20 x 16" oil. I made the sky first and simplified the structure a little. At first I could not decide whether to give more space to the sky or the water, they were equally beautiful to me. I used a very cold, primary palette made of alizarin crimson, lemon yellow, ultramarine blue and of course, titanium white.
Rebeca

Sausal Creek

This was a new location for me. I hiked along a path and crossed a road where I saw the name of the creek. I came back near the building where all the kids were playing at Dimond Park. Usually, when I try to paint water, I wet the paper first. However, this time I didn't. The green reflection was so bright that I didn' t want to loose that. I painted that first after the top third, then put in the darks, then the rocks.

Larry Hatfield
10x15" watercolor

Belated Rodeo Beach, Marin Headlands

I started this 24 x 24" oil last week, but used the following week's session to go back up the hill and look again. There are elements I modifed in my effort to make the painting frame the beach. For example, I was judicious wih the tree branches and roadside bushes. I never took a photo the second time I went, because I am finding memory a better guide for colors and values. I went home and redid the main values. Now I am happier with the noontime light.

The Dog That Was Not a Cow

When I arrived at a good spot at Rodeo beach a black dog was playing gainst the white surf and I wanted to paint that but of course the dog left almost immediately. So I used the occassional other dog to help with the form. With animals I often have to invent because they have left or moved and I have to use memory of what that animal looks like. Some end up looking like something else-- a cow for instance. It is an 18 by 24 acrylic on canvas. Karen

Debris at the Alameda Ferry

I think most of us were interested in the wreckage found on the shores of this beach. Luckily, I had the acrylics that day and this allowed me to make innumerable corrections as I sought the best composition. The water and sky in this 20 x 24" painting were flat when I went home. I finished from memory. Like Karen, I started out blocking all of the values in one color and then moved on to the various hues. After I photographed the painting the reds and yellows did not show, so I manipulated the levels in Photoshop to resemble the original painting. Rebeca

Alameda Ferry terminal, April 24 2010

On a very hot day, I found a spot on some rocks with still water and lots of fascinating reflections. The pattern of piles under the walkway was very complex and I spent most of my time trying to get them to work with their reflections. I worked on the sky more when I got home. I had made it very flat with just a wash of ultramarine, so I added a thin glaze of cerulean blue and that seemed to connect the sky and the water a bit more. I was going to work on everything else but decided to leave well alone. Oil on canvas 18 x 24.

Alameda Beach

This oil was 18 x 24". I took a new cart that I now use to carry my gear. Karen was underneath the cypress on this picture. I finished this at home because the tide came in quickly shortly after I set up. Ifinished it from memory. My intention was to include passersby, but the incoming tide took care of that. Rebeca

On the Beach at Alameda

I enjoyed painting at Alameda, painting until the wind came up and I started to freeze. But I had plenty of people to choose from as models and crisp light that made things sparkle. Sometimes I stop too soon developing things, and other times I want to keep going. This was a time I wanted to continue but it got too cold. I am looking forward to better weather. It is an 18" by 24" acrylic. Karen

Mariners Lagoon

I walked and walked in Washington Park before I found this
little Lagoon/pond. The coots kept trying to get a closer look at
what I was doing. It was sandy and the sand would blow into my palette and on the painting. There was a chain link fence around tennis courts behind, but I didn't want to paint that so I just grayed out the background. The water was smooth when I started but as the wind kicked up, it changed. The yellow show was the attraction at first, then I liked the tree. Anyway, another Alameda painting done. I need at least 2 more for the Frank Bette Art & Wine Gala, April 17th at the Rock Wall Winery. I tried a different paper, Stephen Quiller Watercolor cold pressed. It was different, seemed to soak and dry faster than Arches. I am so used to Arches, I am not sure about the new one.

10" x 14" watercolor
Larry Hatfield

Painting at Rheem Creek

It was possibly one of the most challenging painting situations I've ever been in. There was a strong, cold wind coming in from the water. Thunderclouds kept passing us and dropping their showers on us, then the sun would come out and everything would look so beautiful that you felt bad leaving your painting unfinished. This happened four times (the last after Larry left). It was so cold and rainy I put my dog inside the truck! I was so glad not to be working in oils on such difficult weather. The temperature may be why I felt compelled to use cold primaries (alizarin, ultramarine, and lemon yellow) on this 16 x 20" canvas. I finished it at home from memory. Once there, it felt great to work on it without gloves and the constant threat of a flying easel. Rebeca

Rheem Creek, Richmond

We ended up at the mouth of Rheem Creek just off Goodrick Avenue. The atmosphere changed dramatically, including about 3 rain showers. I had raindrops on my watercolor. I went over part of the painting to work on that and darken some parts. I almost quit, but then the sun came out again. There were some of these concrete foundations of something long gone. So I decided to try and paint one. I cropped off the top of the sky. The water kept changing too. There were light blue area dark brown, yellow brown when the sun hit. I just left it the way I had it to start. Although it isn't the way it really was. I was happy to get out and paint again after being sick for 2 weeks.

Larry Hatfield

Youth at Point Pinole's Pier

Daryl, Dennis, Joan and I took the van to the end of the line and walked to the hills next to the this pier, but I didn't seem to find a spot I liked. So I tried the pier, which at the beginning was full of grown men fishing. I instantly liked a Santiago (think The Old Man and the Sea) type who was resting on a chair, so I set up at the beginning of the pier hoping to get a good look. But the tide rose rapidly. My fisherman moved behind me with his whole entourage because they needed shallow water for their fishing. I thought there was a woman with them, but it turned out to be a boy whose voice hadn't changed. A group of kids touring the park on their bikes stayed on, making loud jokes and eventually coming by to see the painting. Then the sun disappeared, and Mr. Santiago said goodbye but not without first offering some good tips. Daryl and I walked the two miles back to the parking lot, while my oil collected flies. I didn't like my work and was ready to scrape the whole thing when I got home, but my mom liked this 18 x 18" sketch, so I worked on it extensively the next day.