Plein Air May 2026

Low Tide Nantasket 9 x 12

 Swampscott Dory 10 x 121/2

Windmill Point, Hull ( the Hull Gut) 9 x12

On the Rocks (Brant Rock Beach) 11x13

California Art Club 115th Gold Medal Exhibition “Good Morning Gunnar”

LPAPA Best of Plein Air 2026 Two paintings Accepted

 

North Weir River 9 x 12 Finalist

Summer Meadow 12 x 12

• Online Launch & Preview Auction: Monday, March 2, 2026
• Gallery Opening: Thursday, March 5, 2026, 1PM
• Public Reception (Art Walk):Thursday, March 5, 2026, 6-9PM (Free Entry; Awards Announced at 7PM)
• Show Closes: Monday, March 30, 2026
• Location LPAPA Gallery, Laguna beach
•  https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/63853/auctions/196684/auction_items/6779749

Plein Air Easton 2026! thrilled!

 

GCC quick draw, gala and exhbit

 The last painting was a QuickDraw.

We painted from 10 to 12 am on the South Rim near the El Tovar hotel.

I had seen a beautiful Gunnar  Widforss watercolor at the Kolb residence and I was inspired by his light and ethereal periwinkle blue shadows.

My QuickDraw:

Morning Colors

Here are my paintings at the Kolb Studio and residence through April 

Misc other memories

Although I did not paint there I took a walk at Mather Point.

I went to the Pioneer Cemetery unsuccessfully looking for Gunnar Widforss!s grave .I was later told  that it is in the corner diagonally across from the entrance gate.( note to self for next time)

Gunnar Widforss is buried somewhere under these beautiful trees!

GCC Celebration of Art Day 2

 After 3 paintings on Day 1 I got a later start than I wanted.

I went back to the same trail Overlook on hermits road to paint a scene that I had noticed on Tuesday.

The resulting painting was a flop. I am working on it and will share if I can solve it’s many problems.

I decided a change of scene was needed.

I was told to try the Kaibab trailhead so I went there, just east of the Grand Canyon village where I did my favorite painting of the week.

The holy grail of plein air ( for me) is to capture the light. The gold highlight kissing the ridge was perfect. The shadowed foreground simplified the scene and made large abstracted shades.

Celebration of Art Diary day one

 I flew into Flagstaff with a connection through Phoenix, picked up the rental car and drove 80 miles to the Grand Canyon. The Grand  Canyon Conservancy provided a parking pass that got me into the park for free. I went to the Community Center where I was able to get my easels and painting gear that I shipped from Massachusetts from staff. Dennis Alvarez was kind enough to lend me his father’s musician’s stool to use for the week.

I checked into the Albright training center, a national park run hotel / dorm that was centrally located in Grand Canyon Village. I unpacked my palette, brushes etc and reassembled my easels and headed to the market to get my usual fruit, coffee nuts and protein bars.

Got to bed early to get out and paint first thing.

Tuesday 

Went up Hermit Road  through the gate as an authorized vehicle.

At the very first view of the Grand Canyon called first trail overlook I found a place to park and paint in the shade.

It turns out I was right next to the trail through time.

That afternoon I drove further down Hermit Rd to Hopi Point.

Although the shadows were still interesting I  could  not see the colors in the highlighted areas so I turned around and painted the full frontal afternoon scene to the left because the rocks were a lively mix of pale brick, pink , coral orange and lavender. With a grey green at the bases.

The result was “Pretty in Pink”

On Tuesday evening I went back to Hermit Road just past Hopi Point to paint a sunset painting.

End of day Tuesday 

Grand Canyon Conservancy Celebration of Art online Auction

 The auction begins this Friday on August 29.

I donated a 9 x 12 watercolor “ Spring Tapestry”

Unlike most of the paintings I did for this event, this work focuses on the plant life on the slopes of the canyon.

Here is the link to the auction

https://live.classy.org/auction/coa-2025/01ed8b1b-8536-428e-869e-aebaa40238cf/item/142b66a0-fd61-45a9-8d5c-e69cf7a854e9

California Art Club 113th Gold Medal Exhibition

“Spring Radiance” 

So honored and excited to receive this letter.

We are delighted to inform you that your superb work, referenced above, has been selected for the California Art Club’s 113th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange from Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – Sunday, October 26, 2024. Congratulations! Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University California Art Club, est. 1909 “

 

Artist Statement

This painting is about the vivid colors one can see on a sunny day in the Spring in Southern California. The early California landscape painters were mocked by East Coast critics for their use of bright colors. I take pleasure in pushing the brilliance of watercolors to the edge of gaudiness( and hopefully not all the way there) to express this glowing place.

#californiaartclub #goldmedalexhibition 

Spring Radiance

 

Spring Radiance 12 x 12 watercolor on paper 

Newest painting of the bright colors of a sunny Southern California spring day.

Verdant Morning

 

Verdant Morning 9 x 12 watercolor on paper .

I still love to paint the  greenest California Hills in Spring.

Evening Breakers

 Evening Breakers. I tried to depict the light carving the forms of  the waves in this seascape from Malibu.

Watercolor on paper 8 x 16 .

California Art Club “Signs of Spring”

 I am so happy to share that my painting, “Coastal Canyon”12 x 12 watercolor)will be part of The Signs of Spring virtual exhibition with the California Art Club. The exhibition is online March 20-June 20. Visit the California Art Club website for more information on how to see all of the accepted work and make a purchase.