December Dawn, Bishop Sierra winter oil painting
“December Dawn, Bishop, Eastern Sierra”
15 x 30 inches, oil painting on canvas
SOLD, now in a private collection.
The inspiration for this new painting came one frosty morning on December 27, 2016, on our way home from a Christmas vacation with our family. My husband and I promised each other that as long as the sky was clear, we’d get up before dawn to see the alpenglow on the Sierra range. We were not disappointed. It was about 19F outside, but we were bundled up, and it was worth the effort. Ducks and coots were skimming over the water where it was not icy. We learned today that some eastern Sierra areas, namely Mammoth Lakes, received 18-19 feet of snow, to the joy of skiers. I’m glad that the mountains were not totally snow-covered when we were there. I like the way the sun turned the granite pink in contrast to the white of the snow.
Interested in this painting?
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For the Glory of the Skies – Sierra California impressionist landscape
For The Glory of the Skies
20 x 24 inches
Oil on canvas
SOLD, private collection
This new painting was inspired by the old hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth,” a song of Thanksgiving I learned as a child. I recalled the second line … “for the glory of the skies” … the moment I saw this scene in California’s Owens Valley, in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada, near the June Lake loop. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed an apt time to share it for the first time. If you are in Southern California, you are welcome to see the painting in person in my home studio.
Along Highway One – California landscape golden hills oil painting
“Along Highway One”
9 x 12 oil painting on plein air panel
This California landscape impressionist painting is from recent travels in the Central Coast, along Highway One, just a little north of Morro Bay.
Cypress trees are abundant in that area, and mix it up with the local oaks. Although the hills are brown and golden, typical for the summer, there is more grass evident than in the past few drought years.
Interested in this painting?
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Mt. Tom Springtime – Bishop, California landscape oil painting – Eastern Sierra
Mt. Tom Springtime – Bishop, California
9 x 12 landscape oil painting on plein air panel
More Sierra Nevada paintings here
This was the first time I’ve been up in the Sierra to paint this season. I always look forward to seeing the first wildflowers blooming as the snow recedes.
I painted this along one of Bishop’s many agricultural canals. I set up under a cottonwood tree for a little shade, but as the wind picked up, I decided to move. There were too many broken branches on the ground for me to feel safe.
Cathedral Beach Yosemite Autumn landscape oil painting
Cathedral Beach, Yosemite Valley Autumn
12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas
This painting was done last fall based on my visit to Yosemite. As many times as we’ve been there through the years, I’d never caught it at exactly this time, and it was certainly glorious.
Cathedral Beach is on the left side of the Southside Drive, just beyond the El Capitan Bridge. It’s a popular picnic and swim area, with wide sandy beaches.
Interested in this painting?
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Twin Lakes, Mammoth, California oil painting – Stone and Stillness
Stone and Stillness –
Twin Lakes, Mammoth Lakes, CA
9 x 12 oil on hardboard
This is a painting from this past summer when we visited Mammoth Lakes, California, which is probably now covered in snow.
The huge granite cliffs towering over Twin Lakes attracted me to the scene. If you’ve ever taken a canoe or small boat on the lake or gone fishing from the bridge, you probably have fond memories of the place, too. Every time we’ve been there – except in winter – there are always people enjoying the recreation.
Interested in this painting?
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Overlooking Ojai Valley California landscape oil painting
Overlooking the Ojai Valley
8 x 10 oil on linen plein air panel
SOLD
This new painting features a view of the beautiful Ojai Valley, a verdant agricultural area northwest of Los Angeles, in Ventura County. The viewpoint is looking southward from the north part of the valley. Orange trees are in abundance there. It’s late afternoon, a few hours before sunset.
This painting is sold, but please write if you are interested in other Ojai paintings.
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California high desert Valyermo oil painting “High Desert Color”
“High Desert Color”
9 x 12 inches, oil painting on plein air panel
Valyermo, California
Antelope Valley High Desert area
After our welcome rains that came a few days ago, my husband and I saw the sky was still filled with beautiful cumulus clouds – the kind we see around here too infrequently. So we decided to take a drive up to the high desert to see the wide open spaces. It was a picture perfect day and we found ourselves in the small community of Valyermo. Although the wind and rain may have taken away some of the glory of the cottonwoods, there was still some color left, and the paint brush took care of the bare spots.
This is a view of one of those cottonwood groves. I liked the contrast of the yellow golds against the blue violet mountains in the background. Those happen to be the San Gabriels, the closest range to our home. So now I’ve painted them from ‘both sides, now’.
Interested in this painting?
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Yosemite Falls California landscape oil painting
Yosemite Falls in Summer
18 x 24 inches, vertical
Oil on canvas
At more than 2400 feet high, from the top of the upper falls to the base of the lower falls, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in the continental United States. Peak water flow comes in late spring to early summer, the time that this was painted. The falls are fed by Yosemite Creek, and after the water leaves the falls, it joins the Merced River on its course out of the valley.
The challenge in painting a waterfall is to capture the soft edges of mist that perpetually rise from the thundering flow. Paint the edge too hard and the falls look like a cutout. Paint the edge too softly, and it looks like a big cottonball.
Interested in this painting?
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California impressionist landscape “Oaks Guarding Oranges” backroad oil painting
“Oaks Guarding Oranges”
9 x 12 oil painting
California Central Coast, near Cayucos
Available
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Through the years, some of our most enjoyable travels have been along the many backroads that criss cross California. This small road goes inland from Cayucos, just a little north of Morro Bay. Closer to the water, the marine layer softens all the edges. The fog is soft and gray. As we drive inland, the fog burns off and takes on other colors. There are many orange and avocado groves along these country roads, which proves that the area does not often get frost. But it is hot as blazes in the summer. We will commonly see eucalyptus trees used as windbreaks to protect orange groves, but along this road the California live oak trees were doing the job.
