Stemple Creek - Tomales, Ca.

"Stemple Creek"

Tomales, Ca.

(12" x 16" watercolors)

Story behind this painting can be found in previous post: Click Here

Plein Air - Tomales, Ca (Progress Shot)

Rain was in the forecast this past week. And this afternoon showcased lots clouds in the sky. While driving up Highway-1 towards Tomales, the overcast burned off and the rolling hills were brightly lit. But a particular hillside caught my eye so I decided to pull over and scope it out.

Such a great view with a creek along the left side and a handful of barns to the right!

Once my gear was set, I quickly penciled in my layout and immediately started painting the sky. I wanted to work fast because (through experience) once those clouds move in, they will cast numerous shadows over my view.

Luckily for me... today's weather stayed clear of rain and the wind was minimal.

Stay tuned for the finished painting in my next post!

30th Anniversary - Transformers

September 17, 1984 is the date that the first episode of Transformers aired on television! 

I still remember my dad picking me up after school and asking him to drive home Super Fast! He said, "Don't worry, the timer on the VCR is all set."  LOL!

Happy 30th Anniversary Optimus Prime.... Now, Let's ROLL OUT!

Plein Air Painting: Spring Lake (Santa Rosa, CA) - Finished and Ready for Framing

As fun as plein air painting can be, there's always the struggle of the natural elements. In this case, I battled afternoon blown out lighting over the Lake. And the temperature was 90 degree (in the shade) causing my gouache paints to dry rather quickly and my glazes appearing much lighter than intended. So I decided to pack it up and retouch areas of my painting back home.

(7" x 10" gouache on watercolor board)

It's not the first time this has occurred. Usually I scrap the entire painting and start a new. But this particular experience was really FUN!!! Actually...it's given me ideas to finish 2 additional paintings sitting in the recycle bin. Once I give it a go, I'll be sure to share the outcome. But for now.... it's time to get this framed. Thanks again! 

Plein Air Progress shots at Sunny Spring Lake

Have you ever driven through a town and wondered, 
"What if I just drove down a little further?"

That's how if felt when I visited Spring Lake Regional Park located in Santa Rosa, Ca! Located just 15 minutes from the main freeway. Really easy to find, no curvy roads, just a straight shot to the park entrance.

Although it was a  Summer Weekend I had to wait in line (about 4 cars in front of me) to pay the park entrance fee. There are several parking lots to choose but finding an open spot can get tricky due to the popularity of the park.

I walked around the entire Lake to scope out an area to set up. Saw some great views by the Lagoon area,
but lots of foot traffic and all the shaded areas were occupied by picnickers. On the opposite side of the Lake I found a cool swamp like area with algae resting on the top surface, but I could immediately hear the swarms of mosquitos planning their attach on an innocent plein air painter, LOL!

So I ended up setting up where my hike began... just 20 feet from my parked car, haha! So I walked along the shore, where visitors can rent paddle boats. Found some good shady coverage and set up my gear. Had a great view of the Lake, trees, paddle boats and a couple of hills off in the distance.

Stay tuned for my next post featuring the final painting!

Thanks!