Sespe Creek – Ventura County California Sespe River Oil Painting

Sespe Creek Ventura County - Where the Sespe Flows - Sespe Landscape Oil Painting

Where the Sespe Flows
16 x 20 oil on canvas
Sespe Creek Campground, Ventura County

This beautiful little creek, cut so deeply into the surrounding land, provided an opportunity to work out on trees, water, reflections and eroded land masses, all in the same painting. What a treat to paint. The Sespe, 25 miles long, is not interrupted by dams and is one of the main sources of water of the Santa Clara River. The Sespe originates in the Sierra Madre mountains and is part of a condor sanctuary. According to wikipedia, it’s one of the last wild rivers in California. Long may it be so, for campers and artists alike.

Newport Back Bay Twilight – Newport Beach California estuary marine oil painting

Back Bay Twilight
(Upper Newport Bay – “Back Bay,” California)
9 x 12 oil on canvas panel
Plein air oil painting
SOLD

This is sold, but you can see more of my Newport Beach paintings here

This was one of the paintings that I took to the Newport Back Bay show last weekend, one of several which went home with new collectors. What a great weekend it was meeting so many new people and sharing my love of art with them. The weather was beautiful. Good times all around.

Now I’m painting for several upcoming shows but my outdoor show schedule will settle down until early September when I do the Montrose Artwalk again, followed by the Bowers Museum Invitational show. It’s good to have a few weeks off to regroup, get out and paint some new work for fall exhibitions.

Silvery Streams – Newport Back Bay Oil Painting

“Silvery Streams”
8 x 10 oil on canvas panel

Juried into SoCal PAPA’s Newport Back Bay Show – July 23-25, Muth Interpretive Center, Newport Beach

This was painted in Rigel Park in Newport, about a month or so ago, for the SoCal Plein Air Painters Assn. biennial show and sale which will be taking place this weekend. The artists reception is 6-9 pm Friday evening. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll attend.

This small painting was challenging to do not only because of the changing light at sunset but also because the tide was coming in and the patterns of water among the estuary sand bars didn’t stay the same for long.

Kayaking on Back Bay – Newport Back Bay Oil Painting

Kayaking on Back Bay
acrylic
11 x 14

When I was painting this, I liked the scene, but I liked it even better when some kayakers glided through the bay. There was a good place for them so I put them in.

This is one of two paintings that I painted for the upcoming SoCal Plein Air Painters Association Juried Show at the Muth Center, in the Upper Newport Bay next Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25. In addition I will be exhibiting about 18 other paintings of Southern California in this 50 artist outdoor group exhibition and sale.

I’ve decided that in addition to getting around the state and exploring different areas, I should also explore some places closer to home. Orange County, and the areas around Laguna, Newport Beach, San Clemente and Dana Point are among the locations that I’ve been painting at, and will continue to appreciate in paint.

Through the Bowers Museum show and various California Art Club events, as well as through the San Clemente Plein Air paint out and studio painting opportunities at Randy Higbee’s store and gallery… I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a number of SoCal PAPA artists. It was the right time to join the group and have fun participating in some of their shows, too.

Here’s one thing that’s tricky about classifying a painting like this. It’s an estuary, so technically it’s a marine painting. But is it a seascape? A landscape? A sea-landscape? I’m going to list it in both categories, just to be contrary.

California Landscape Painting – Arroyo Meadow – Impressionist Sunset

“Arroyo Meadow”
9 x 12
California impressionist oil painting on canvas panel
SOLD

The San Gabriel Mountains constantly change their colors through the late afternoon and early evening. Starting out as browns and greens, they become blue violet as shadows fall, and eventually reflect the warm colors of sunset.

This scene captures a moment in that transition, from the vantage point of Hahamongna Park (formerly Oak Grove Park) in the upper Arroyo Seco between La Canada Flintridge and Altadena/Pasadena.

Wildflowers billow and catch the warm light of the late afternoon sun.

Yesterday I received some more good news about one of the many shows I’ve been entering. One of my plein air paintings, “Days End at Fallbrook” was accepted into the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) 6th annual “Best of Plein Air” show. The exhibit will be at the Esther Wells Collection in Laguna Beach from July 17-25.

“Days End in Fallbrook”
11 x 14
oil on canvas

California Impressionist Landscape Painting – Eucalyptus scene – One Summer Morming

“One Summer Morning”
California landscape oil painting
11 x 14 oil on linen panel
SOLD

Please join me this Saturday for the 2nd Montrose Artwalk of the year. I’ll have new paintings like this 11 x 14 oil, “One Summer Morning” as well as prints, cards and original oils and watercolors.

I’ll be at the same location as last year, in front of the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 3701 Honolulu Avenue at the corner of Ocean View. Park nearby on Honolulu or Ocean View or in one of the several free public lots.

If you see something here on the blog or on my website that you’d like to have a closer look at, drop me a note and let me know before Friday night and I’ll try to bring it along for your review (assuming it’s not on exhibit somewhere.)

After the Montrose show closes at 4, I’ll be off to the reception at Segil Fine Art in Monrovia, for their first annual works on paper show reception, 5-7 pm.

I recently joined the Southern California Plein Air Painters Association (SoCal PAPA) in time to participate in their biannual Newport Back Bay Show and Sale. Painting for SoCal Plein Air Painting Association’s Biannual Back Bay Show. I have two paintings juried into the competitive component of the show, and will be exhibiting about 20 Southern California landscape and seascape paintings at the show and sale July 24-25 at the Muth Center. I’ll be posting those paintings on the blog in a few days.

Even though a large part of the US has been cooking with high temperatures, in Southern California we’ve had unseasonably cool weather. Often early June is gray and cool (June gloom) but to have early spring type weather in early July is very strange. I’m not complaining, though – it makes it easier to paint outdoors and cuts down on the water and electric bills and makes it easier to do yard work, too.

I think today is going to be a doing errands and catching up sort of day

Arroyo Ducks – Colorado Street Bridge Painting

Arroyo Ducks
(by Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge)
12 x 16
oil on linen panel

SOLD

The previous painting in this series sold very quickly at Gale’s Restaurant during the Art for the Animals show, so I decided to paint another version of it, this time horizontal. There are always ducks paddling around down there, as we’ve discovered from our frequent walks, so this may not be the last exploration of the theme.

This past weekend we enjoyed some time closer to home and our own natural habitat, which we had been sorely neglecting as I’ve been painting all up and down the coast. So we cleared off the porches, gave the Boston ferns a good haircut and deep watering, trimmed back the geraniums and took cuttings to propagate new plants. I’m hopeful that all of these projects will provide abundant plant material for future still life paintings, or, at the very least, for our enjoyment.

This Saturday from 9-4 you’ll find me at the Montrose Artwalk in Montrose, at the corner of Honolulu and Ocean View – see map below. I’m on the sidewalk next to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, where they have great iced coffees! You might even find me doing some painting.

View Larger Map

Saturday evening from 5-7, I’m delighted to be at the artist’s reception of Segil Fine Art’s First Annual Works on Paper show. Address is 110 West Lime in Monrovia. I’m honored to have my pastel painting “Wildflower Sunset” included in this inaugural show.