Cattle in the Rolling Hills

Cattle in the Rolling Hills

8x10 original oil painting, $100

In the spring, the Stanford Hills are carpeted with wildflowers and dotted with grazing cattle. Right now the grass is starting to change from green to brown, a sign that summer is coming. The painting above shows the morning light on the Stanford Hills with cattle grazing in the foreground.

Cattle grazing in the area known as Jasper Ridge began soon after the Spanish established Mission Dolores in 1776 and Mission Santa Clara in 1777. Jasper Ridge is a low ridge in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains at the base of the San Francisco Peninsula. Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve covers 1,189 acres just 4 miles west of the main Stanford University campus and is owned by Stanford University.

Next week, it's back to the City to paint.

Beach Street, Santa Cruz

Beach Street, Santa Cruz

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

As you're walking along Beach Street in Santa Cruz, to the right is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Wharf and the Pacific Ocean.  On the left is the street scene above.  Beach Street is lined with surf shops, bikini shops, restaurants and all things related to surfing.

Maui Beach

Maui Beach

8x10 original oil painting, SOLD

This painting shows the beach along the Hono'apiilani Highway on the way to Lahaina.  I believe it's Puamana Park in West Maui, a long undeveloped sandy beach.  We recently spent a week in Maui and we surfed at another beach south of Lahaina every morning.  I took a photo of this view on the way home from our surf spot.

California Poppies

California Poppies

8x10 original oil painting

SOLD

Each California poppy is a solitary flower on a long stem, with four petals and colors ranging from yellow to orange.  The foliage is blue-green in color, described botanically as glaucus, meaning "bluish-grey or green".  The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning.  The poppies begin flowering in February.  The California poppy is the official state flower of California and native to the United States. 

There's nothing like painting a subject to make you observe it much more closely.  I hadn't studied California poppies close enough to notice that there are four petals on each flower and the color of the leaves are blue-green.  While I was working on this painting, I wanted a warm gray/black background color. I was having a hard time mixing the color, so I pulled out my color charts and found that Viridian and Cadmium Red Light make a beautiful warm gray. ( I've added my color charts to my blog below for any artists who are interested.)

Color Charts

Cadmium Red Light Color Chart

Viridian Color Chart

As I was working on my most recent painting, California Poppies, I was searching for a slightly warmer gray than my usual choice.  When I want a black color, I use a mixture of Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Transparent Red Oxide.  But I wanted something that was a little warmer, so I referred to my color charts.  I found that mixing Cadmium Red Light and Viridian makes a soft, warm gray/black.  Just what I was looking for, but I would not have found the combination without my color charts.

Alla Prima, by Richard Schmid is the inspiration for my color charts.  The book has examples of color charts, plus a ton of information about oil painting, alla prima (one session painting).  It is very helpful for artists who paint in the field or in their studios. Richard discusses many subjects, such as how to "Squint and Simplify, Comparison and Conservation of Values, What You See and What You Know" to name a few.  I have a link for the book on the right under "Book Recommendations."  Check it out.

Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

11x14 original oil painting SOLD

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art.  Bernard Maybeck designed the Palace of Fine Arts and was inspired by Greek and Roman architecture. The 1100 foot pergola and central rotunda were built around a lagoon which provides a mirrored surface to reflect the grand buildings.

The painting above was painted plein air at the Palace of Fine Arts.  I painted with my friend Camilla, on an unusually sunny day, with clear blue skies.  Capturing the perspective of the corinthian columns was a challenge, as well as the gold color of the rotunda dome.  This 11x14" painting is available framed.

Cattle Grazing in the Stanford Hills

Cattle Grazing in the Stanford Hills

8x10 original oil painting, SOLD

For many years I've admired the paintings of the "Society of Six." They were a group of plein air painters who worked in the Oakland area when it was still rural.  In 1917 the artists formed an association called the Society of Six.  I especially like the paintings by Selden Gile of cows in pastures.  Take a look at the paintings by the Society of Six, I've added a link under "websites and blogs."

For the painting above, I took photos of the cattle grazing as I was walking along the Alpine trail. The cattle seem to roam pretty freely in the Stanford Hills.  They are out in the winter when the grass is green, but then in the summer when the grass is golden, they seem to disappear, off to other pastures.