Descanso Gardens Teahouse Watercolor Painting – California Landscape Art Gallery
Descanso Gardens Japanese Teahouse
22 x 30 watercolor on Arches paper
SOLD (painted on commission)
This painting has a history. Several years ago, I painted a smaller version of it, and it was exhibited for sale at a local store in La Canada. One day in April a few years ago, a car transport trailer lost its brakes on the Angeles Crest Highway and crashed through the store. Two people lost their lives in the accident, and one of the most minor casualties was that watercolor painting, of which I still have a remnant.
A very lovely woman contacted me a few months ago and asked if the original painting was for sale (it was not) but I offered to paint it again for her in a size to suit her home, and this is the result. She and her husband were married at Descanso Gardens many years ago, and the painting will be a memory of that very special day. And it makes me especially happy to know that the destroyed painting survives in a unique way. It became a study for this one, which will be in their family for years to come.
Because of my concentration on oil painting, I haven’t been painting watercolor as frequently. But I enjoyed this return to the medium so much that I will probably try to devote a little more time to it in the coming year.
Merry Christmas to all those who are celebrating it tonight and tomorrow.
Stevie Denny
December 25, 2010
This is beautiful, Karen! It brings back many memories for me. About 30 years ago when I was living in Burbank, I took a watercolor class, and we painted en plein air at Descanso Gardens — close to the scene that you painted. But mine didn’t look anything like yours — it was awful! Now I want to go back and paint it again, so many years later. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful Christmas.