Showing posts with label landscape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label landscape. Show all posts

Death Valley Sketches

Monday, November 16, 2009 at 8:49 AM | Posted by mARTa
DeathValleyNP no.1

DeathValleyNP no.2

DeathValleyNP no.3

DeathValleyNP no.4

The latest editions to my large watercolor moleskine sketchbook that I began this summer while on a road trip through the american southwest. We left Death Valley for a fall visit because we certainly didn't want to visit when it's 125F in the shade!

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Anza Borrego Mountain Top View

Friday, November 7, 2008 at 4:41 PM | Posted by mARTa
Anza Borrego, Ca 
I began this landscape a couple of weeks back when we went to Anza Borrego State Park for a long weekend.  It was fun to set up out on a mountain top and try to capture the light.  I got it home and was disappointed that it was too 'light' so I went back into it today with color and confidence!  

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lavender farm painting

Sunday, June 24, 2007 at 12:01 PM | Posted by mARTa

lavender farm b, originally uploaded by mmvgonzales.
lanaquarelle cp 140# 8x8"

This 8x8in painting was begun at the festival but my paper was drying out too quickly with the sun pushing me to move to another location.

I did a very quick pencil sketch, filled in the basic colors and then finished it in the studio this morning. I am not too excited about the composition and so just left out the old piece of farm machinery that was in the road. The red bushes were oleander bushes lining a graveled path along side the pine trees.

I am having fun with the lavender colors choosing to just get my color from the tube paints rather than mixing my purples. I uses winsor violet, cobalt violet and a new w&n color I received free with my last art supply order; smalt blue.

I have another quick ink sketch I did while there but am not sure I want to add color to it as on the other page is the oak painting and I really love that one. I thought I might even "cut it out" of my sketchbook to frame.

Shirley from Paper and Threads asked what inspired two totally different techniques between the lavender farm sketch and the oak tree painting. I don't know! Maybe just that people started to show up and look over my shoulder so I quickly got some sketches in and then moved to a isolated location where I painted the oak tree without distractions. Maybe it was the heat. Who knows???

Off to San Diego today to view the Bodies exhibit. I think they are real human bodies encased in some sort of resin. hum...should I take a sketchbook?

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Lavender Festival

Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 4:40 PM | Posted by mARTa

lavender festival1, originally uploaded by mmvgonzales.
arches cold press 90#, reloaded sketchbook

I heard about this lavender farm about 40 minutes from here in Cherry Valley, California. Rudy and I went very early before they were really open and I enjoyed some sketching time. The plein air group I belong to (PAAR) were there as well. I still don't think of myself as a plein air painter and with the heat today and my colours drying out, I know why I prefer the studio!

Some of the treats we enjoyed today were lavender green tea, lavender shortbread sundae made with lavender ice cream of course and drizzled with lavender honey. I had a lavender infused beef brisket sandwich while nestled under the eucalyptus trees overlooking the lavender fields.

This giant oak tree is over 1000 years old and with the lavender field just in front of it, I had to paint it! No place to sit so I stood with sketchbook in hand (no preliminary sketch) while Rudy held my pallet......I do adore that man!

I'm off to a surprise Hawaiian Luau for my sister's 50th birthday so I'll post again later with another sketch or two! Mahalo!

Take a look at the photos from 123 Farm.

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Big Bear Lake, California

Monday, May 7, 2007 at 4:01 PM | Posted by mARTa

This was the view from the conference room we used for our Quilt Camp gathering this past weekend. I did several sketches while there and then this watercolor in my studio this afternoon. Casey and Ronelle's challenge last week was to paint water or something that holds water. I think the lake counts! This is 10x14 on arches cold press 140#. I am not thrilled with it, but it is all in the process of learning.

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Little Artists

Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 9:11 PM | Posted by mARTa

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at 8:35 PM | Posted by mARTa


You know what kind of day it's going to be when it's 7am and already in the 80's. Then you get lost getting to the location you are supposed to meet your group at. Once you've gotten to the "assigned" home where you are going to paint 'plein air' and pick the perfect spot, supplies at the ready and discover in all your perfect planning you've forgotten your paint!!!!!
Dianne and I only met last December and are fast becoming good friends. Today I think the friendship was solidified.......the lady 'shared' her watercolors with me. She threw me a life preserver and saved my butt today. Thank you again dear friend.
This home wasn't anything spectacular. The owner wasn't the friendliest sort, but hey, what the heck, we were there to paint. She seemed irritated that we didn't have art work to sell, that we weren't real artist maybe? At one point during a very hot day we overheard her tell a group of people touring her gardens and home, "and over there are little artist painting." That's about the time we should have picked up our little wc blocks, paints and taken our little selves home. Dianne and I exchanged looks and that was it...the women was a b....in my book. So I turned my chair around and painted the view across the road of a vineyard with the purple mountains in the background. I didn't feel like sketching any more of her home/garden.
I don't know if today was a success or failure. I only posted the better of the 3 paintings from today. But after the day was done the group of 10 of us went out for a wonderful Italian dinner and did a show and tell. Some of the artist did such beautiful work. I aspire to paint as well someday.
As a side note. Thank you all who come to visit and leave comments. I appreciate that you take the time to look and comment. I've got the time off for the next 12 days so hope to catch up with all your great blogs and see what you are all up to!



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Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 7:09 PM | Posted by mARTa

My new friend Diane and I recently joined PAAR; Plein Air Artists of Riverside. Today we went to our first "paint-out" at one of the member's home, Elin Pendleton She has this great place at the outer edges of our city right smack at the base of the foothills. She's got a horse, a goat, a cool studio and fantastic views all around. The day was sunny and warm so I picked a shady place to sit while I did this 5x7 watercolor. The shadows moved and I must have blinked and missed them!! But I had fun and enjoyed getting to know Diane as we commuted to Elin's. We decided this was lots of fun and plan on going out again to paint.

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I've decided I really...

Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 8:06 PM | Posted by mARTa






don't care for the Moleskine sketchbook. The paper doesn't hold up to my abuse as I try to lay in watercolor washes. But I do love the Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook. The paper is creamy and really holds up when laying in the watercolor.

This was a wonderful weekend. Yesterday's outing to the theater was fun and I sketched in the MS but when adding watercolor the paper frustrated me. I did a skyline view of Los Angeles and the interior of the theater just before the curtain rose.

Today we drove out to the Huntington Library and Gardens to check out the new Chinese Garden which is in it's first phase of construction. It's going to be beautiful when done! This sketch is in the MS watercolor book. I used masking fluid on this one to preserve some whites. I think I was close to mudding up this sketch so I stopped. I'm not sure if I like this or not. But everyday I learn something new so I keep trodding along.

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Weekly Drawing Thread/ Wet Canvas

Friday, February 9, 2007 at 8:56 PM | Posted by mARTa

I was looking forward to this week's drawing challenge from Wet Canvas. I spent more time on it than I thought I would but was very happy with the result.

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Weekend in San Diego

Sunday, February 4, 2007 at 10:41 AM | Posted by mARTa





I drove south on Friday to spend some time with my Amy in San Diego. We arose on Saturday to a beautiful day and decided to take a hike searching for waterfalls. We drove east on interstate 8 to Sunrise Hwy for a hike to Cottonwood Creek Falls. It was a relatively short hike but a long climb down and worse getting back up to the road. We enjoyed the morning and I had a chance to do a quick wc sketch while she skipped stones in the creek. Although we've had such a dry year, the water was flowing and the falls cascading.

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