Tag: Monterey

Out Back Outside

I’ve been so busy playing with my scanned negatives of late that I have not followed up on posting more photos – digital this time – from our trip to Monterey last month.  I finally took another look at some of them, and sorted them out.  Yesterday’s “On the Roof” was the first one.

Here, the back side of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The tide comes in and out here, and as you can see, you can stand above to look at the shoals below.  Sea life, both plant and animal, can be observed here.  From where I took this picture, docents have spotting scopes and binoculars so you can look out into the bay.  There, seals and otters can be found on rocks or scooting around..

The Aquarium is one of those places that is always worth a visit.  Some people like Disneyland – me, I prefer places like this, just because I find the natural world more satisfying than an expensive and crowded playground.

Cliffside Flowers, Pt. Lobos

I took a lot of photos – digital, film – while on vacation in Monterey, California.  Trees, flowers, streets, room.  This is what I saw along the trail at Whalers Cove in Pt. Lobos, California.  The cliffs are sandy and crumbly, but there are bits of very dark dirt, from black to grey.  I wonder if this area had volcanic activity at some point.  The color contrast of the soil and cliffs, along with the tenacious hold of the flowers, made for some rather lovely bits of bright color in late summer.

Somewhere in Monterey

Today is a watercolor day!

I am surprised by how much less I am worrying about how my painting is going to look and how much I am becoming more involved with its process.

Working with gouache has certainly helped me with my usage of light and dark.  For awhile I wondered if working with gouache, from dark to light, would mess with my mind with watercolor, which is light to dark.  Actually, it helped a lot as I am more aware of light and dark than before, and thus it is easier to think about how to make it happen.

This is from a photo I took in Pt. Lobos Nature Reserve, along a path.  The light was dappled and flickering as the tree branches and leaves moved with the shifting wind.  It was a warm day, pleasant, and very, very much a prize of a day altogether.  I think this painting does a fair job catching it, though, as always, there are areas for improvement.