Jane Kwant's Garden, San Jose, Thursday, March 27, 2014

How appropriate that Watercolor Society member Jane Kwant's beautiful garden should be approached via Eden Ave.    It truly is a Garden of Eden.   Between last week's Hakone Garden Paintsite and the day at Jane's we had to use every bright color in our palette (and wished we had more) to capture the enormous variety and profusion of blooms.

Upcoming Watercolor Society Paintsites:

• Thursday, April 3, 2014: Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
• Thursday, April 17, 2014: AeroDynamic Aviation, Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose
• Saturday, April 19, 2014: Los Gatos Creek County Park, Campbell

Check the Watercolor Society Website or April Newsletter for additional information.

Jane in her garden

Elaine

Iris & Lisha (note Iris' color coordinated art caddy)

Susan

Uma

Yan & Dick

Jane S.

No group 'lunch' or 'critique' photos this time as our worthless photographer was pre-occupied with the Tea & Treats spread that Jane had generously set for us.    Sorry.

Some 'completed' paintings:

Dick Zunkel

Wow, what a beautiful paintsite and our compliments to Jane Kwant, master gardener. Thanks for hosting us and especially thanks for the delicious breads and brownies!   Dick







Here are snapshots of some more or less 'completed' paintings...
  

Uma

Jane S.

Jane S.

Hakone Gardens, Saratoga, Thursday, March 20, 2014

First day of Spring, Hakone Gardens in all it's glory; was that a plein air watercolorist's dream scenario or what!    Thanks to Kay Duffy who arranged for the Paintsites group's visit.     (Wonder if Kay arranged the perfect weather too.)

For more information about Hakone Gardens, go to:
 http://www.hakone.com/main.html

Upcoming Paintsites:

• Thursday, March 27, 2014: Special - Jane Kwant's Garden
• Thursday, April 3, 2014: Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
• Thursday, April 17, 2014: AeroDynamic Aviation, Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose
• Saturday, April 19, 2014: Los Gatos Creek County Park, Campbell

Check the Watercolor Society Website or April Newsletter for additional information.


Here we are in action ...

 

Leonard

Leslie

Kay & Jane

Liz

Susan, Candy & Leslie

Dick

Helen

Jenny

John

Jeannie & Iris

Pat

Brad

Lunch then a critique after the morning's labors...

lunch

critique

Paintings in progress (please excuse the shadows)....

Finished Paintings:

Sylvia Waddell

What a wonderful day - surrounded by so much beauty!  Everywhere you looked was another gorgeous view to paint.  I'm only sorry I wasn't able to stay longer.  Sylvia

Leslie Grimm

John Ediger

Brad Santos

Working at a low point in the upper garden and looking up at all the garden's many features gave me a keener appreciation of how traditional East Asian landscapers & artists use the vertical dimension to build perspective both in the garden itself and in landscape painting.    Brad

Caroline Garbarino

Liz Siegel

So many colors...didn't know where to start.   Liz

Stanford University Main Quad, March 15, 2014

Paintings on display at Stanford Main Quad

Eight of our plein-air artists found their way to the Stanford Main Quad despite the organizer's cryptic map and driving instructions. What they found was a miracle... parking places! Free, no less. We had a bright clear day for our outing. Many of the group continued to the Palo Alto Baylands Eco-Center where the Society is showing 28 paintings depicting Baylands Scenes.

Brad Santos

A very happy day painting in the Main Quad  --- so gloomy the last time we were there; this time sunscreen, not fingerless gloves, was the order of the day; a deliriously happy wedding reception taking place adjacent to where we were painting; polite tourists interested in our work; actual students, less so; and the usual convivial group of plein air painters all made for a special day.    Brad 

   

Dick Zunkel

What a great day for painting, unlike our last visit to Stanford a year ago.  I chose one of the major arches opposite the Quad.  It reminded me of European villages where arches stood at the city gate.

Caroline Garbarino

This angel of charity has been calling me to paint her since the first time I saw her. Stanford campus is rich in beauty and I hope we go again, especially to the museum. Thanks for the hours of wonder, Caroline

Sunnyvale Heritage Orchard, Thursday, March 6, 2014

We missed seeing the orchard in full bloom by a week (the evergreen Bradford Pears were a worthy substitute) but still had a wonderful day painting.     Warmer days and a just a bit of rain the past few weeks were enough to change the wintry landscapes we've been painting for the past 3 or 4 months into one full of promise as bright, new, yellowy Spring greens take the place of winter's browns & greys. 

For more info about the Sunnyvale Heritage Orchard,
http://northerncaliforniagardens.sutromedia.com/sunnyvale-heritage-orchard.html

Upcoming events:

• Saturday, March 15, 2014:   Weekend Paintsites - Stanford University Main Quad
• Saturday, March 15, 2014:  Palo Alto Baylands Members Show Reception  1:00 - 3:00
• Thursday, March 20, 2014:  Thursday Paintsites - Hakone Gardens, Saratoga

For complete details check the Watercolor Society website or newsletter 

This is what hard working artists look like ...

Dick

Iris and her new easel

Jane & Anna

Yan, Sylvia, Helen & Candy

John
A wonderful day it was!!!! 

Jane

Marilyn

Candy

Here are the fruits of our labors.......

Dick Zunkel

This is a great paint-site with unlimited subjects ideal for watercolor artists. I chose the old Caterpillar and moved in close to force the perspective.     Dick

Anna Jacke

Caroline Garbarino

Dear Sylvia and Jenny, The Sunnyvale Heritage Orchard, with its farm equipment,
was very exciting to me.   My parents grew up in San Jose, picked fruit and worked in the canneries.   My dad's Garbarino Machine and Iron Works specialized in processing equipment for the "fruit basket of the nation."    Sometimes he got paid in boxes of fruit! Thanks for the time travel experience, Caroline

Brad Santos

Altho' Jenny & Sylvia say it's OK to have Pthalo Green on our palettes but we should never us it, I couldn't resist for the just unfurling leaves on the apricot trees --- they are such a bright, clean color --- less dramatic than the blossoms I suppose but an equally welcome harbinger of Spring.    Brad

Jenny Tero

I painted this from the street just outside the Orchard - what a challenge to leave the whites of the ornamental pear blossoms.  I solved it by painting in a very pale color first, so I would have some idea how to "negative" paint around them (cheating).



And here are some works still in progress, perhaps not yet quite 'ripe' ....

Iris

Marilyn

Candy

Helen

John

Jane

Then lunch...

And a critique session...