Spring Afternoon

We have had some amazing amounts of rain for our dry patch in Southern California. Local dams are spilling and water rationing, at least for the present, is not a big deal. Now, the weather is warmer and drier, and Mother Nature is happily letting us see her beauty. This time of year is a favorite of mine – flowers and fragrances and birds and butterflies.

A couple of days ago I went to our local botanical garden, and took photos – a lot of them. I had forgotten I had set up Nikon Z6ii up to do 5 bracketed images at a time, so that is what I got. I used Photomatix 7.xx to process them and LR and On1 to complete the process. I have a lot more to edit, keep, or discard, but for now, these will have to do.

Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (5 of 6)
Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (4 of 6)
Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (3 of 6)
Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (2 of 6)
Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (1 of 6)
Conejo Botanical Garden on 3-2-2026 (6 of 6)

Deep Winter

The Great Plains stretch from Canada south to the tip of Texas and into Mexico. It is essentially a high plateau of prairies and grasslands, a vast flat country swept by winds. The Rocky Mountains form the western border and the woodlands of the midwest form the eastern edge. Tornados are not uncommon, and unpredictable weather is the norm. Rain is sparse, increasing as the plains roll eastward.

When we moved to California from New York, we drove across the plains in the dead of winter. Often the weather was windy and the air was frosty and misty. Stubble fields were seen, with remnants of corn or wheat pushing through the snow. It can be very desolate and lonely, but indescribably beautiful in a rather terrifying way.

Here I have tried to catch that loneliness. I used a limited palette for the most part consisting of cerulean, lemon yellow, and alizarin. Payne’s grey and burnt sienna helped with the darker areas. Patience was needed here, from applying the very thin washes and letting them dry, to carefully considering how paint the wooden buildings. I painted on it throughout this morning and early afternoon, in between exciting stuff like dishes and laundry!

Bockingford 140# CP paper, 16×20, watercolors.

Along the River

This painting is based upon a pubic domain photo by Natividad Chavez of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) taken at the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park in Pilot Hill, CA. Northern California has some absolutely beautiful landscapes. As well, the BLM showcases some truly magical parts of the country, areas both easy to get to and others quite remote, requiring hours to reach.

What I liked about the scene was the curve of the water and the people standing on the river’s shore beneath the trees. While my execution of the light was not what I wanted, I am rather pleased with other parts of it. And, it has people in it!

Millford paper, 140# CP, 16×20, watercolor.

Spring at the Settling Ponds

There are some days where chaos is the daily menu and you just have to flow with it. I had an appointment in the morning so I could go to my painting class in the afternoon. Well, that appointment turned into a hurry-up-and-wait-for-a-phone-call situation. Solution? Watercolor!

This painting is loosely based on a photograph I took while out at the settling ponds in Ventura. In California, “Spring” happens after any rainstorm. The brown grasses green, trees bud, flowers bloom. It’s the nature of the beast. We had rain yesterday and have another big storm coming in next week. In the days before my visit to the settling ponds, we had a lot of rain, and the result is this lovely little bit of trees and grass. Hard to believe this is within walking distance to the beach!

Gentle Spring

I did a bit of post in LR on the photo, but it does catch the sense of Spring, I think.

Watercolor, Millford paper, 9×12.

Rainy Night, Snowy Night

Pixabay is a wonderful source for photos for painting subjects. Resources like this allow you – the artist or whoever – to explore worlds new to you. I, for one, doubt I shall ever visit a city with yellow trams unless I travel far from my current stomping grounds. This painting is derived from one such photo.

In the afternoon of one of my classes, I had about 20 minutes left to paint. The one I was working on was done to the point I could not go any further. It still needs to be finished while I try to figure out how to do the people in it.

I laid in an essential outline and some basic colors in those remaining 20 minutes and set it aside for the next class period, which is about 2.5 hours in length. I also decided to do it alla prima – finish it all at once. And, I did. Over the past few days I worked on some refinements, but very little.

The only thing I think I want to do a bit differently is the headlamp on the tram – make the white brighter and colder. To achieve this, I probably will use a cold blue mixed with titanium white.

Pretty pleased with this one!

Oil on 11×14 canvas panel.