“Huntington Hotel Palms” - 9 x 12 oil on canvas

Paintout report:

It was a picture perfect day in Southern California, although it didn’t start out that way. We had been getting a little early taste of “June Gloom” which meant that a low marine layer hovered over much of the southland until it burned off around 12:30. I had anticipated this happening, so I didn’t start to paint the sky until afternoon - I spent my time blocking in the trees, lawn and palms, knowing that I could change the color to represent the warm light when the sun came out. A purple jacaranda tree had started blooming, and some bird of paradise plants provided welcome contrast to all the green.

We arrived around 10:30 and I found my chosen spot on the Terrace balcony - right outside the tea room. I had a panoramic view of the great lawn and this clump of palms attracted my attention. The paintout was organized by the Laura Segil Gallery as a kickoff to the Huntington Artist in Residence program. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was taking time to chat with all the passersby who were strolling after Mothers’ Day brunch or perhaps were guests of the hotel. The hotel is the former Ritz Carlton, but is now part of the Langham Hotel chain.

Altogether, a delightful way to spend the day. Since my two kids are out of town, we will defer Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days (and a passel of birthdays) until we are all together again sometime in June. But they did send me a beautiful big bouquet of roses which I adore.

“Arroyo Seco Eucalyptus” 9 x 12 oil on canvas

Not too long ago I did a plein air watercolor sketch of this beautiful eucalyptus which stands along one of the pathways in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco. The morning light was bouncing off of the ground and causing some of the ragged hanging bark to glow with rich warm tones. A smaller shrub was struck by the sunlight and shimmered in pale chartreuse. Although my objective had been to paint the bridge, I couldn’t resist this combination, which I have now turned into an oil painting.

Tomorrow (Sunday, May 11) I will be painting en plein air at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena (formerly the Ritz Carlton Huntington.) Look for me on the balcony near the Tea Room, enjoying the fresh air and beauty of the grounds. I’m hoping for blue sunny skies - and if they don’t happen, I’ll invent some!

“Mountain Sketch”
approx 8.5 x 11 watercolor

Well, I’m in countdown mode again - looking forward to the Sierra Madre Art Fair benefitting Friends of the Sierra Madre Library in (where else?) beautiful Sierra Madre, California, just a bit northeast of Pasadena.

So I’ll be posting some smaller sketches and paintings this week as I get my framing completed and gather together other items for sale.

This sketchbook study was painted with watercolor first - then the ink was added. It’s a little different from the way I usually work, but my objective was to think about color and shape more than line - hence the “reverse” order.

“Autumn Glow”
16 x 20 oil on canvas

The Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library, Gallery and Botanical Gardens - in all its autumn glory. This painting is now being shown at the Chevy Chase Country Club in a special show themed “The Artist Travels.” Some of our paintings are from far away lands and others just evoke the feeling of distant lands. If you’re in Los Angeles, come join us at our reception this Friday, May 9, from 4 to 6 pm.

And speaking of shows, please come say hello May 17-18 at the Sierra Madre Art in the Park event, the weekend after next. I’ll have a lot of new work to show, plus prints and cards as well.

Other local must-sees if you’re in LA.

Visit the John Salminen exhibit at the San Marino Gallery in Pasadena. John is a spectacular watercolorist and his show is a visual feast. Design is his forte, and although his watercolors are very detailed and realistic, somehow they are abstract at the same time. The San Marino Gallery is at 70 N. Raymond Ave.

See the Gold Medal Show of the California Art Club at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. Hundreds of oustanding paintings will be on display daily for another week and a half or so.

“Swift Water - Eaton Canyon”
15 x 22 watercolor on paper

Well, today was the day from computer hell. Once in a very long time my Mac system gets corrupted and I need to reinstall system. However it got balky it now seems resolved. I painted this yesterday but didn’t have time to put any finishing touches on it until I got the puter back in order today. Many thanks to my dear husband for helping with the troubleshooting.

This painting was inspired by the winter and spring rain we had at Eaton Canyon in Altadena (near Pasadena.) Although the water wasn’t deep it was abundant in the wide ravine and fun to paint.

“Laguna Sunset (at Crescent Cove)” - 16 x 20 oil on canvas

This is another of the paintings I’ve taken to the Huntington for the Art Matters event this Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. The inspiration was the small beach called Crescent Cove or perhaps Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach. I’ve seen people refer to it by both names. We were there in late March and stayed until the sun went down, enjoying every last bit of the beautiful sunset.

Pink Magnolia - Huntington Gardens
16 x 20 oil on canvas

This is another new painting I’m taking to the Huntington for Art Matters (see yesterday’s post for information on the event this coming weekend.

In the spring, the Huntington magnolias are a sight to behold. Their delicacy reminds me of the inside of pink conch shells. They are the very emblem of the new season. My objective in this painting was to focus on one unfolding blossom - a plant portrait, so to speak. By using different edge softness and manipulating color it was my goal to make the bloom look as though it was 3D, breaking through the picture plane, enticing the viewer to draw closer.

One of these days I’m going to have to get a small pink magnolia for our garden. We used to have a huge tree that bore white blossoms, but it died due to an oak fungus that must have been dormant in the soil.

So, magnolias are very dear to my heart. I hope this one will go to another magnolia lover.

“White Magnolias” 16 x 20 oil on canvas
SOLD at the Art Matters show

The moment I saw these beauties at the Huntington Gardens and Library, I just knew that I had to paint them. They were luminous in the morning light - exactly the kind of subject matter that excites me. This will be one of the paintings that I am bringing to the Art Matters show, which opens this Friday night, May 2 at the Huntington in San Marino. Friday night is a special ticketed event. The show will be open to the general public with gardens admission on Saturday and Sunday. This is also a lot “tighter” than many of the paintings I’ve been doing of late, but the subject matter seemed to require it. I have another botanical which will be there for the show and I’ll post it soon, along with some other paintings.

Last Saturday night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Gold Medal show of the California Art Club at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. What an exquisite treat to be around such beautiful works. I will be returning many many times in the next few weeks to savor the show while it is still hanging. A number of my painter friends have works in the show. Almost everyone who attended said it was the best one ever.

“We Two” - (La Canada Flintridge Trail) - 12 x 16 oil on canvas

Like the study that preceded it (Fall in Winter in La Canada), this painting was inspired by a walk my husband and I took last winter along the Flint Canyon Trail in La Canada, our home town. The sycamores were blazing with autumn color, even though winter was on the way. I am keeping this painting for sentimental reasons, but if anyone is interested, I can make prints. I’m entering this in an upcoming show, one of the many I’ve been preparing for.

If you live in or near La Canada, the location of this painting is very near the little old stone bridge at Berkshire which goes over the Flint Canyon creek. This is a part of the equestrian trail that is to one side of the creek.

“Poppy Paradise” 8 x 10 oil on canvas

Yes, this plein-air style painting is for sale. And for a very good cause. It will be delivered tomorrow to the Make a Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for their 15th annual wine tasting and auction at the Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Airport on Saturday, May 3. One of the organizers saw my work and asked if I’d participate with a donation, and I was delighted to give her a big YES, absolutely!

So, if you are in the LA area and planning on going to the fabulous festive event - keep a lookout for this painting and put a bid on it, OK? The Make a Wish Foundation helps grant wishes to children who are very ill. I hope that this poppy field will go to help make some little kid’s dream come true.

I chose the subject matter for this painting because it is peak season for poppies in the high desert of the Antelope Valley. And if there’s any time that people will be thinking about poppies, it’s probably now. To me it also has some nice associations with the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy and her friends’ journey through the poppy field and her dearest wish, to get back home.

Here’s to the children … may they all be happy and may all their good wishes come true.