California Art Club Exhibit "Art Between the Lines" features "Mount Diablo Northern View"

I am in the process of moving and really miss painting on Mount Diablo.
I am sure I will find new places to paint but wanted to participate in this exhibit with a painting  of Mount Diablo as my farewell.

Art Between the Lines
Peninsula Museum of Art
April 29 to July 8

Reception April 29 , 2 to 4 pm

American Women Artists Exhibition Under a Vast Sky at the Tucson Desert Art Museum until December 3th

Poppies Above the Bay 21 x 21 watercolor on paper

This painting and 144 other beautiful works by women from across the United States, are on exhibit until December 13 at the Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road. Be sure to attend Under A Vast Sky: Symposium on Women in the Arts, November 4 from 9:00 am - 4 pm, at the Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Street. The event is free to the public. You can view the works in Under A Vast Sky on the gallery page.

Going Softly to Gold Plein Air Watercolor painted on Mount Diablo

Going Softly to Gold 14 x 14

I took advantage of an afternoon with no wind and continued my exploration of the scenery on Northgate Road on Mount Diablo. This meadow had the barest tone of green under the grasses going to gold that made interesting patterns..

Seven Layers of Spring, painted on Mount Diablo

Seven Layers of Spring

The dark pine-covered ridge was the perfect foil for the early spring oaks and poppies.
This was painted on Mount Diablo on Northgate Road looking down from the poppy meadow and across to the western ridges of the peninsula. there's not enough elevation to see it , but the San Francisco Bay is in between the last two ridges.

Diablo Ranch

Diablo Ranch 12 x 16

Painted east of Mount Diablo during the spring burnout when the bare hills are interesting to paint.
Plein Air Watercolor

Spring training for the first time in years!

With the drought over and a genuine rainy season, I found myself very rusty after a season of slow methodical studio paintings. Here are the three plein air I've completed so far this month.

Eastern View Curry Point 9 x 12

My favorite place to paint on Mount Diablo, I thought was a good place to start.

Green Going 9 x 12

I was energized by finding this view of Mount Diablo near my house and wanted to paint the green before it went completely, we had a few 70 degree days and it is surprising how much the grass faded. I got this done in time for Saint Patricks Day.

Poppy Pastures 11 x 14

Nothing gets my paintbrushes dancing like the poppies on Mt Diablo. Going back as soon as it's sunny because the poppies don't open without sun.

"Looking North" and "Summit from Curry Point " in Exhibition Curated by Jean Stern for the LPAPA Signature Members.

Looking North 16 x 20

Summit from Curry Point 18 x 24

Signature Membership in the Laguna Plein air Painters Association is a challenge to achieve and I am happy to be a part of this organization with strong ties to the plein air tradition in California.

This is a curated exhibit of paintings from within the ranks of the Signature Members.
By my count 44 of the 60 + artists were chosen to exhibit.

Worth mentioning, this organization has close ties to the Irvine Museum Executive Director, Mr Jean Stern and he selected these works. There are 16 Women Artists included, a higher proportion than usual.

Cindy Baron, Brenda Bolyan, Cynthia Briain,
Hiu Lai Chong,Debra Joy Groesser, Carolyn Hesse Low,
Jane Hunt, Debra Huse, Lisa McDill, Rita Pacheco,
Camille Prezwodek, Robin Purcell,Lori Putnam,
 April Raber, Elizabeth Tolley, Kim Vander Hoek

Exhibit Information

Signature Impressions
Huntington Beach Art Center
538 Main Street

Opening Reception Sat November 19
6 to 9 pm

Exhibit runs until December 17.
The exhibit can be viewed online here

https://onlinejuriedshows.com/ClosedShowThumbs.aspx?OJSID=8700

"Poppies Above the Bay", new plein air watercolor of Mount Diablo

Poppies Above the Bay 21.5 x 21.5

We had so much rain this year and the Wild Flowers did so well, it was like painting in a giant garden. Along with "Blue Ridge" and the other two Mount Diablo paintings I recently posted below, it's a series of large square paintings giving me an excuse to paint in the same place for multiple days in a row. These each represent two or three times on Diablo. And because the poppies open later I get to paint later in the day.
The green is virtually gone now, but I really appreciated it, having had several winters where there was only a trace.

Poppy Slope 13 x 16 (Poppies on Mount Diablo)

Poppy Slope 13 x 16. Painted  plein air this spring on Mount Diablo. The poppies usually fight  for space with the grass. This year, the grass burned out early and the poppies were on a matrix of golds and pink instead of green. I enjoyed the softer colors around them.

Morgan Fire on Mount Diablo as Inspiration for the After the Fire Paintings. Special Exhibit Honoring our Firefighters Pleasanton Firehouse Arts Center

In September of 2013 ,the largest wildfire in decades began on the eastern part of Mount Diablo and crossed the mountain's South side, directly above where I live in Danville. Here is what I could see from my neighborhood that morning.

Driving around Danville as the day went on I could see the fire advance and the battle the firefighters were in.
This is a plane filled with pink fire retardent dropping it over the fire:

The fire burned all the way over to Summit Road. This shows a manzantia exploding in flames on the far left.

I live between the fire and the route the firefighters took to their camp in Dublin and saw many fire trucks traveling back and forth on the days they fought the fire. Their hard work was heroic and inspiring. I don't paint figures but if I did they would be a great subject.
 I am happy to be exhibiting my paintings of the aftermath of the fire along with Vincent Liu's  series "Courage" honoring our firefighters.

I went up to Mount Diablo to explore the burned area, it was like the moon, all charcoal grey and black standing charred trees. When the first rains came they revealed a changed panorama, including a lovely new band of terracotta pink , exposed chert soil. Chert Soil is fossilized tiny marine creatures. My interest in the geology of Mount Diablo led me to start a series of paintings documenting this exposed swatch and how it changed the mountain's appearance from a distance. These are the painting in the series about that.

As I visited the burn zone, I became interested in the way the vegetation was recovering. I don't know much about the plants and trees but it was wonderful to see how the plants are clearly adapted to fire, the root systems survive and the plants are regrowing faster than I would believe possible. The new growth is a lovely bright yellow green that creates a wonderful contrast with the soil.
Here are the paintings in the burn zone showing plants areas regrowing:

This is a border of the burnt area, showing a fire break created by the fire crews. 

Many of the After the Fire paintings are on Exhibit now at the Pleasanton Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave. I am honored to be a part of this tribute to our Firefighters
There will be a reception on March 11, 7 to 9 PM. I would love to see you there.

Update March 12:

There was an article in the Contra Costa Times today about this exhibit

http://www.contracostatimes.com/my-town/ci_27683474/tri-valley-e-pleasanton-art-exhibit-pays-homage

Some Photos  of the exhibit

"Bay Light", plein air watercolor 11 x 14

Bay Light 11 x 14. Plein Air Watercolor

This was painted on South Gate Rd on Mount Diablo, just down from junction. As I' ve been looking inland as I paint the After the Fire Series, when I turn to go home at about 4 pm and see this wonderful view of the late afternoon light reflecting off San Francisco Bay. It is interesting painting the late afternoon light as it changes quickly. Painted in about an hour.

"Late July Hills", Plein Air Watercolor Study 9 x 12

Late July Hills 9x 12 watercolor painted on location, Mount Diablo.
I needed a break from driving way up to the burn zone, this was a quick hour and a half in changing light.
 The faster the light is changing, the smaller I paint. I also stop when the light is gone and complete these paintings from memory rather than try to paint in the dark. The different scale of the shapes appealed to me and the value pattern was all there, one of those turn my head and say "that's a painting" moments

After the Mount Diablo Fire Series, "After the Fire III" and " After the Fire IV"

 After the Fire III  Plein Air watercolor 16 x 20

After the Fire IV Plein Air Watercolor 16 x20

Here are two more paintings showing the changes on Mount Diablo  in the first year after the 2013 fire. Despite the drought  there is green vegetation returning in the bald areas left after the fire. As the season prgoesses I am trveling further up into the burn zone to see the plants against the bare earth.

"Late Bloomers" ,Plein air watercolor, painted on Mount Diablo

"Late Bloomers" 14 x 14 .
Got the last of the poppies on Mt Diablo before the heat hit this week.

"Poppy Mound" plein air watercolor painted on Mount Diablo

"Poppy Mound" 16 x 20 Plein Air Watercolor .
 Painted on Mount Diablo.
 The best poppies I've seen on Mount Diablo in years, the drought allowed to poppies to grow faster than the grasses. This was so much fun to paint! Perfect conditions, sunny in the 60's , no wind and lots of friendly visitors stopping to take pictures. Probably the most people I've ever seen while painting on Diablo .

I made cards of this painting. They are available here:
http://www.zazzle.com/poppy_mound_greeting_cards-137248925079928988

 Here are two in process shots:

"Mount Diablo, Earliest Spring" California Watercolor Association Guest Artist Demonstration

 Mount Diablo , Earliest Spring 14 x 14

Getting started

A black and white version of a painting that had summer colors and a small postcard of a different painting from the same place,I wanted to use it to paint a spring version.
My talking points, on my board right next to the painting.
My palette on the easel( I use a horizontal Richeson Steele easel)

Thanks to the California Watercolor for taking the pictures and for inviting me!

Across the Valley ,more accurate colors

 Across the Valley 22 x 22

The electirc colors of the one on bottom were bothering me as I compared my image with the one in Plein Air magazine. The upper image is closer to the painting in color temperature and saturation.

Wild at Heart , A California Hill Painting

Wild At Heart, 14 x 14

I've been tweaking this in the studio after starting it in late spring on Mount Diablo.
It is a meadow from what I consider the heart of Mount Diablo.
Up past Curry Point and the outer ridges, there were some  rare and late wildflowers from this past spring with it's late and sparse rains. I like the soft purple brown colors on the oaks as they were leafing out and how that worked with the greens and oranges in the meadow.

"Across the Valley", Mount Diablo Plein Air Watercolor

Across the Valley 22 x 22

This was started last fall and finished after a long winter of work this spring.
It has been very difficult to get a good image because of the value shifts in transparent and opaque passages of color. The blue green in the top part and blue violets in the lower section are transparent and the deep crimsons and burnt oranges are relatively opaque. In person, this painting looks great ,but every time I take a photo the light bounces back through the paper and shifts  the value on the transparent passages. This was printed in Plein Air magazine and it is much truer to the painting in the magazine than it is here. I don't want  to change the painting for the sake of a photo. The cool and warm balance here works very well for me and it's always fun taking a red and green scene and making it not look like a Christmas Tree.

Plein Air Magazine thumbnail

California Landscapes 2012 Calendar

Link to California Landscapes 2012 Calendar

A little early this year! You can see the 12 paintings in the Calender by clicking the link above. Some are so new they haven't been published anywhere else yet and some have found new homes and I want to live with them again next year.

NEW: Now through October 23rd, 50% off this calendar with the promo code top3holiday at checkout.