California – Page 3 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Back Country, Amargosa River

The Amargosa River is located in Nevada and California, moving into Death Valley National Park of the Mojave Desert. As a river, it flows freely both above and below ground, providing much needed water in an otherwise dry climate. Because of it, there are many rare and unusual plants and animals, some found nowhere else in the world. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conserve it . . .

This is another gouache painting. I wanted to capture the contrast of the river basin to the mountains it runs through, as well as illustrate the wonderful colors you can see in a desert or riparian area. Dry, rocky mountains, flat areas from flash floods and trails, the occasional tree, low-growing plants adapted to a dry environment. Plant colors are generally pale – sage green being a dominant one as well as bright yellow flowers. Dry air lets you see for miles into the distance and at times you wonder if you will ever see a cloud in the endless blue sky.

Gouache, Strathmore Vision 9×10 140# CP paper.

Out for a Walk

I enjoy walking through the local botanical garden. I decided to head out the other day as it has been awhile, and with the coming of spring, new growth and leaf buds await to be seen. Additionally, the annual – or ongoing? – garden clean up appears to be over, so little things normally hidden are beginning to emerge. All the photos below may be seen on Flickr – just click on one and it will take you there where you can also see other photos I have done over the years.

“Green Thingies” – pretty cheerful and abstract and strange. Succulent? I don’t recall.

“Boogie Woogie” – called thus because they just looked like they were dancing! I used AI in PS to get rid of some unsightly signs in the distance that were a bit distracting.

“Remember the Fallen” – fallen leaves, fallen soldiers, fallen countries, fallen women, fallen in Fall, even though it is close to Spring!

“Do Not Climb” – or shinny or otherwise skedaddle around this tree! There are two in the botanical garden and I can never remember what species they belong to, but think they are fascinating.

I used a macro 50mm lens, which I find to be one of the most diverse lenses to use – close up and personal, to clarity as needed.

Nikon Z6ii, Nikon Z 50mm f2.8 Macro. Post in LR and On1 Photo Raw.

Land’s End, SF

I love San Francisco, like so many people. And, like so many people, I am sad to see how challenging it has become as a city in a lot of ways – homelessness, cost of living, among other things. Still, it has a lot to offer, and Land’s End is one of them. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, it is a beautiful bit of nature on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

There are paths within Land’s End, and this row of trees on a bluff is a signature landmark of the area itself. Golden Gate National Recreation Area is wonderful, and I have spent time here, and in the city and around the Bay Area often, more so when I was younger. I had friends who lived in the city itself and have great memories of all it has to offer.

This painting was a bit of a challenge. The tree trunks are bright and clear in the foreground and sharply contrast the foliage of the trees and undergrowth. In the distance, the shapes of the trees and their leaves merge into fascinating shapes. What I find so interesting about these trees – I believe they are Monterrey Cypress – is the trunks and branches seem to vanish within the leafy canopy. The hillside is variegated in vegetation, and while I caught some of the bright green and dark browns, the lights and darks were evident.

I tried to paint as directly as possible, putting paint down and then, while it was wet, varying colors within the shapes. The foliage was a good example of this, as was the hillside below the trees. The sky was painted first and brought down between the trunks near, leaving the trunks to be painted later. Bushes were also painted this way. Finally, trunks and foliage, near and far, and final touches such as a bit of titanium white gouache and a few dots and lines here and there.

Watercolor, unlimited palette, Arches 140# CP, 10×14.

Days of Fire

Fires are raging to the south of us, in Los Angeles county. I am in the county just north, Ventura. We had fires here that burnt out a lot of the areas with which I am familiar. Several years ago my in-laws were evacuated and showed up on our doorstep at 1:00 a.m. Josh’s brother’s family were evacuated from their canyon and are now back home, but areas around them are devastated and many people they know are homeless, having lost everything. If we didn’t have family here, or Josh wasn’t restricted by work where he can live, we would be long gone as I am so sick of this. It is only going to get worse, IMO.

That said, the local electric company, SCE, turned off our electricity to help prevent downed power lines – if they happen – from sparking and setting off fires. These are called “PSPS” shut-offs – public safety power shut-off or shutdown.

It’s a smart thing to do as down lines in a dry, dry area are often responsible for fires. One of our current fires is apparently the work of an arsonist – beyond my comprehension.

We had no electricity for 2 days, and while it wasn’t especially hard on me as there is a lot I do without the need of electricity except for light, Josh wasn’t able to work or play very much. Sleep from stress is difficult for all of us – the back of the brain and the ear are tuned to hear alarms of all sorts. The electricity was shut off in the middle of the night, and last night turned back on.

This was a bit of a financial loss in terms of food. 2 days without electricity means lost frozen food and fresh. Luckily, food is still in the area – we have 6 grocery stores nearby – and roads and transport are not down or blocked. Hot water continued throughout the 2 days. Gas for cooking and heating water, thankfully, but not for heat as the furnace requires electricity to start up. Here in CA where we are, cold nights exist but are not as if we were in upstate NY without electricity or oil to burn in the dead of a winter’s blizzard.

The winds are expected to pick up again, and I expect fires are going to continue to start or burn unabated. We are going to find a generator so we can have some electricity to keep from losing perishables and have access to phones and such in times of emergency. Meanwhile, all we can do is hunker down, or when in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. Or:

What else can you do? Life is so fragile but in times of safety and comfort, we forget it so easily.

Impressions of San Gregorio State Beach

Scanning – sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. It is usually better than trying to take a photo of a painting though . . . .

I used Epson V600 Epson Scan on one of these; VueScan on the other.

Above was done using VueScan. It captures the colors better but is a bit dark. Below, the greens of the trees and bushes are better captured.

More of the colors show up using Epson Scan, but they are a little too intense.

Sigh.

The fact is that scanning and post-production can really influence how a painting looks. This goes whether the painting is scanned and interpreted using software, or photographed, and then interpreted and adjusted using software. If you look up a painting on the internet and then look at all the images of it, you know what I mean – colors can vary dramatically.

All this techno speak aside, I like them both for different reasons. Both do capture the moodiness of the original watercolor, which I like. Perhaps that is the most important thing – the mood is caught?

Watercolor, Arches 140# CP, 10×14.