Yesterday evening my husband and I went to the Huntington Gardens to see the members opening of a photography exhibit and I discovered when we got there, to my dismay, that I had left my camera at home. We arrived at the event at 5:30 - “golden hour”- and the light was fantastic. Upon leaving, […]

“Mountain Sketch”
approx 8.5 x 11 watercolor
Well, I’m in countdown mode again - looking forward to the Sierra Madre Art Fair benefitting Friends of the Sierra Madre Library in (where else?) beautiful Sierra Madre, California, just a bit northeast of Pasadena.
So I’ll be posting some smaller sketches and paintings this […]

“Return to the Poppy Patch” 9 x 12 watercolor
It’s another walk around the Arlington street poppy garden, but this time in a more decorative, somewhat abstract mood. I abandoned any attempt to be realistic and considered the landscape as a decorative tapestry, with different colors and textures woven through. With some […]

A Spring Walk - 9 x 12 - watercolor sketch
This one is a little bit from real life, and a little bit from imagination. I embellished the wildflower strewn meadows just a tad beyond reality, but if you don’t tell, I won’t.
Ah, springtime. Our peach tree is in bloom, magnolias are covered […]

While I work on some large paintings, here’s a small watercolor sketch of a lion dog, also known as a foo dog. It is one of two guardians of the new Chinese garden, opening very soon at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino. According to this article the one I drew is the […]

Female portrait - for practice - charcoal on newsprint
One of my goals this year was to take a life drawing class - working from a live model. I’ve drawn from models on some other occasions but i was never close enough to get a good look at the head, and the models were nude […]

No Mail Today - 8 x 6.25 - watercolor sketch
I painted this little vignette this morning as a way to get some art practice no matter what the rest of the day would include (chores, an art association meeting and demo, car-shopping, housework, etc.) I’m very disciplined about making sure that […]

In the Harbor - 9 x 12 - watercolor
Last Saturday, I watched an inspirational watercolor demo presented by artist Tom Fong. The event was Watercolor West’s annual demo series, which happens every Saturday in January 2008 at the Riverside Art Museum. If you’re in Southern California I recommend it! And be […]

“A distant view” - watercolor sketch on paper
The cold and flu season has left me a sniffling, coughing, Vicks-laden mess, so I’m trying to not exacerbate the situation by inhaling copious quantities of odorless mineral spirits without a window open for ventilation. (It’s cold outside.) So instead, I’m keeping warm, drinking […]

“San Francisco Gas Light Bldg” - sketchbook painting - Rapidoliner and watercolor
Here’s another from my weekend trip - a bit of historical architecture rapidly sketched while waiting in the car and painted later at leisure. This tower is part of the San Francisco Gas Light Company Building - at Buchanan street in the Marina […]