Rocky Point, Carmel

Rocky Point, Carmel

original oil painting, 11x14 $475 framed

Viewpoints Gallery

In April, I took a painting workshop from Ray Roberts in Carmel.  We had perfect sunny weather for plein air painting.  On the last day of the workshop we painted at Rocky Point, located between Carmel and Big Sur. We ate lunch at the restaurant on the cliffs with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. I painted some small studies on site and then created the painting above back at my studio.

Ray was talking to me about the warm reflected light on the rocks in the shadows.  I always think of shadows as being cool, but you could see the warmth in the shadows.  The number 1 lesson from Ray was to get your shadow shapes in first, when painting plein air.  

While I was painting the cliffs and ocean, Peggi Kroll Roberts was painting me.  She was working in goauche - I believe starting with a pencil sketch and laying in big areas of color to represent the different values.  How cool is that to be painted by Peggi Kroll Roberts!

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Kathy McGuire

original gouache by Peggi Kroll Roberts

Chestnut St, San Francisco

Chestnut St, San Francisco

original oil painting 20x20

Viewpoints Gallery
SOLD

I painted recently in San Francisco on the corner of Hyde and Chestnut Streets.  I have painted at this corner before and decided to paint the view looking down Chestnut Street.  The Bay Bridge is in the distance where it crosses Yerba Buena Island.  Across the bay are the hills of Oakland and Berkeley.

The dark shadows in the foreground draw your attention to the San Francisco Bay and the hills in the background.  I tried a different color palette for the hills, viridian green and ultramarine blue.  It does a nice job of pushing the hills back.

Whiskey Hill Rd, Woodside

Whiskey Hill Rd, Woodside

original oil, 6x6

Studio Gallery

 SOLD

Another painting in "Tiny" at Studio Gallery in San Francisco through December 24th.

I ride my bike on Whiskey Hill Road in the mornings.  I was trying to capture the sense of distance and atmosphere in the Santa Cruz mountains with this painting. 

Poli Street at Sunset, Ventura

Poli Street at Sunset

original oil painting, 10x8

$225

I have several shows coming up soon. In April, I will be part of a group show called "City Streets" at Studio Gallery in San Francisco.  This summer I'm in a show in Ventura called "Staycation" and Friday my Santa Cruz paintings will be hanging at the Plantation Cafe in Menlo Park.  Check my website for details.

The painting above shows a street scene in Ventura, looking north on Live Oak Drive at the corner of Poli Street.  The focal point of the composition is a 1920s spanish style house that has two bronze monkeys on either side of the front entry.  Although you can't see the bronze monkeys in the painting, I believe they were original to the house and they're pretty cool.  The palm trees on the right side add a nice vertical element to the composition.  Like a lot of people who did not grow up in California, I am always fascinated by palm trees. 

I'm trying to push my colors and values a little bit.  Sunset is the perfect time to see the biggest difference in values, so I'm trying to convey the warmth of the light with some pinks and oranges in the street and the darkness of the shadows with a mixture of ultramarine blue and cadmium red light.