Tag: California

Lone Cherry Trees Along Figueroa Mountain Road

These two trees have long since vanished. I photographed them in 2012 in Santa Barbara County along Figueroa Mountain Road in the early spring. I thought they were a beautiful spot of color against the greens of the California hills, which in themselves, during a superbloom, can be covered in shades of lavender, orange, and gold.

I mixed together gouache paints – whites (zinc and titanium) and some ivory black with my watercolors. This allows for layers to be built and bits painted over, as in gouache, but allows for a bit of transparent and opaque. I’ve done this before and always find it is a lot of fun. Gouache, when thickish, is best with small paintings, but mixing whites with watercolor gets an effect like gouache but at a much lower price point.

The photo – linked from Flickr – is not an especially good photo, but I do feel it catches the beauty of these two trees. When I went back looking for them a few years ago I could not find them, so I am glad I have captured them!

Lone Cherry 3

Watercolor paint mixed with white and / or black artist’s gouache. 11×14 on Canson watercolor paper.

The Wicked Sun

The Wicked Sun

I pushed this photo in a lot of ways to get that sun glare and spots that showed up when I aimed to the western sky. Even though this is good farmland, I felt that sunny glare – not quite like that of a person staggering through a desert in mad search of water – but I did feel its intensity! Again, at a friend’s family farm.

Coastal Farm

Coastal Farm

Along the California coast, fog forms and covers the land, usually in the mornings and later in the day. It is a very standard – and annoying! – part of summers here – “May Grey” and “June Gloom” and “Goodbye July” are the standard snarks about the lack of sun! Here, another view of the farm, misty fog coming in as the afternoon moves into evening.