Joshua Tree

 

Desert Window, 21 3/8" x 12"

Last fall, we visited Palm Springs for a couple of weeks. It was nice to extend summer (temp in the 90°s) for a bit at that time of year , just when the cold is beginning to set in at home. It's very refreshing to see palm trees and relax by the pool in November! Having visited it only briefly before, one excursion I wanted to make was to Joshua Tree National Park, with the hope of getting some photos for painting reference. I especially wanted to capture the morning light and strong shadows. Ironically, we arrived at the park early enough, but had gone to the south entrance and most of the boulder formations and trees are nearer the north side, so by the time we drove through the park, the light had started to change. It's still quite an amazing place however, and I enjoyed translating it into watercolor!

Dordogne Countryside

Dordogne River View, 10 1/4" x 14 1/4"

I thought this as a pretty scene with the chateau and the river. The composition with the row of trees was interesting and I also thought that painting the reflections in the river would be a bit of a challenge, and it was, but it turned out okay. Just a nice summer view!

One Man (and One Woman) Show

The nice folks at Pavé Fine Jewelry in downtown Bend (on the corner of Bond and Minnesota), have graciously invited my wife Gabrielle Taylor and I to display some of our work and be on hand for the October First Friday Art Walk!  She and I thought it might be fun to do a show together.  Gabrielle is a jewelry artist creating beautiful work in silver metal clay and quality gemstones, whose work has been represented by Pavé for some time.  Having never shown my watercolors before, I thought this would be a great opportunity to give it a try!  Please stop in and say hi during the First Friday event, Oct. 7, or throughout the rest of the month and take a look at our art!

The Golden Bicycle

 

La Bicyclette d'Or, 14 1/2" x 17 1/2"

This was a scene from the farmhouse where we stayed near Mouleydier, in the Dordogne region in France. I thought it was a rather quintessentially European country image with the bicycle, flowers and rustic building. I also enjoyed the concentration of golden hues and felt that it had a warm, summery feel to it. One of the great things about painting from my travel photos is that I get to re-experience the ambience of those wonderful places!

Lake Tahoe, again

 

Tahoe Shore 2, 14 3/4" x 11 1/4"

Lake Tahoe is such a picturesque area with the beautiful blue water and granite boulders, and is  always an inspiration. This was sort of a quickie, once again trying to keep it fast and loose, without getting too wrapped up in details and the end result. I find that it's often refreshing and helpful for me to simply make a point of that right from the start, and it's something I should probably practice more often.

California Coastline

Big Sur, 14 3/4" x 11 1/4"

A couple of years ago, my wife and I took a nice road trip, part of which was driving up Hwy. 1 along the California coast. I hadn't been on it for quite some time, but it's still beautiful and certainly quintessential California! One of the loveliest stretches is through the Big Sur area. Here, I tried to capture some of that beauty and also make my first attempt at painting the ocean. I messed up the sky on this initially, but actually managed to save it, and then went on to do exactly the same thing while painting the water! One of the things I have learned with watercolor is to give it another try if you think you've screwed something up - it often works and besides, if you already think it's ruined you've got nothing to loose!

Place de Vosges

Place de Vosges, 10 1/4" x 14 1/4"

Paris is filled with beautiful parks, and this one was right across the street from where we were staying. With their wonderful water fountains and manicured gardens, they are very popular and frequented daily by locals and tourists alike. This was a small painting I tried to do quickly and loosely, and to convey a stroll through the park on a warm summer day. One of my goals in watercolor is trying to give the impression/suggestion of the image without fussing the details; giving the viewer the opportunity to "complete" the scene with their imagination. Including people in my paintings is also something I'm working on, and once again, without being too detailed about it!