Friday, July 29, 2016

Downtown Los Altos and Potluck at Karen Druker's. Thursday, July 28, 2016.


Downtown Los Altos was selected as a convenient Paintsite, (almost an afterthought), mainly because it offered quick access to Karen's Los Altos Hills home where the post-Paintsite pot-luck (The Main Event) would be held.   It turned out that Downtown Los Altos is a first rate paintsite in its own right.   Low-key, relaxed and friendly compared to other Valley downtowns, we found it a great place to paint.   (Even the teenage girls were polite and interested in what we were doing.)    While there's not any particularly historic,  dramatic or grand structures to paint; the scale of the town, the bright umbrellas, the sidewalk planters, the street trees and the people all fit together so well that it was easy to find interesting and fun things to paint.   It was probably just a coincidence that, with the pot-luck coming up and food on our minds, that restaurants, especially Satura Cakes, were favorite subjects.

At 12:30 we packed up and headed for Karen's and were greeted by a very welcome cup of cold gazpacho as soon as we came in the door.    And it kept getting better and better as the afternoon wore on.   The kitchen island and sideboards groaning under all of the savories and sweets which everybody contributed and which Marilyn and Karen organized, there was a distinct possibility that the afternoon could turn into a marathon fine dining session.

But after our fill, it was back to our real reason for coming together:  'Art'.     Karen explained her 'critique' methodology for new members who hadn't experienced one of her 'Gentle Critiques' and we were off and running. 

And we all went home well fed and happy. 


Upcoming Paintsites:
  • Thursday, August 4, 2016:   Uvas Canyon County Park Hike & Sketch (Waterfall Trail) or Sit & Paint, Morgan Hill
  • Thursday, August 11, 2016:   Moffett Field Historical Society Museum, Mt. View
  • Thursday, August 18, 2016:   Harris-Lass House, Santa Clara
Details can be found on the SCVWS website and in the August Newsletter.

Ongoing events of interest involving Paintsites regulars:

  • Rich Bloechl's show at the Campbell Library  in downtown Campbell (77 Harrison Ave., adjacent to the Ainsley House.  Open Mon. - Tue. 1:00 - 9:00 PM; Wed. 10:00 AM - 9:00  PM and Thu. - Sat. 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM) has been held over thru the end of July.    (There are new paintings in the show.)
  • John Ediger will be gallery-sitting at the AZ Gallery (1213 Lincoln Ave., Suite #106, San Jose) on Friday, August 5th, from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM.   In addition to John, several other SCVWS members have paintings in the gallery.
  • Candy Yu's one-woman show runs thru August 6th in the Cupertino Library, 10800 Torre Ave., in the Cupertino Civic Center Plaza.    Hours are:  Mon. - Thu. 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM;  Fri. - Sat. 10:00 AM -  6:00 PM; and Sun. noon - 6:00 PM.
  • Mary Raftery and Laurie Barna are in the Haggin Art Museum's 59th Annual Juried National Exhibition.   Located in Stockton, the Haggin is famous for its outstanding fine art collection.   The show runs July 7  - September 11, 2016.  
  • The SCVWS Summer Palette exhibit continues its run (thru August 26th) at the Hobee's restaurant at  680 River Oaks Parkway in San Jose.     Hours of operation are:  Mon. - Fri. 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM; Sat. 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM; Sun. 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.   (This Hobee's serves breakfast & lunch only.)
  • Karen Druker has been accepted into the The 8th Annual 50/50 Exhibition at the Sachez Art Center in Pacifica.  (1220-B Linda Mar Blvd.)    There will be a Preview Fundraiser on August 26th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.   Tickets can be purchased thru the link on the Sanchez website:   http://www.sanchezartcenter.org/calendar.htm .    A  free Public Opening Reception follows from 8:00 - 9:30 PM.       Gallery hours are Fri. - Sun. 1:oo - 5:0o PM.  The show runs until Sunday, September 18th.

Downtown Los Altos
We met under the big clock on the corner of Main and State Streets and spread out from there.   

Several of us didn't get far from the old clock ....

 
Marilyn put herself on a strict schedule for the day:   30 minutes each for 3 small paintings.   The first was of the clock (here you can see she's on schedule as the clock shows 10:25 --- 5 minutes until it's on to the next subject); the second, the flower cart; and the third, a Bar & Grill on Main St.

Jane P. working on her clock painting.


Joy set-up across Main Street from the plaza for her longer take on the clock .
Joy's clock and street plantings painting.

 A favorite place to set up was the shady little plaza in front of the Chase Bank on the corner of 3rd and Main Streets.   Kitty-corner was the Satura Cakes bakery.    They claim it was the umbrellas in front of the store which attracted them but I suspect it was the idea of Satura Cakes which was the real attraction...

Candy and Dick on the corner of 3rd and Main Streets.
Candy's Satura Cakes painting ....

.... and Dick's.
Joe in the same little plaza looking across the intersection. 
Joe's Satura Cakes painting.

Painting on a hot day like this can be hard work.   Here John (left) takes a well deserved  break while Liz does the heavy lifting.
 
John's Satura Cakes ...
and Liz's.

New SCVWS member Mike and Mary P. in the Chase Plaza.   This was Mike's first Paintsite but it's obvious he's no beginner ...


Mike's painting of the cafe tables in front of Satura Cakes.

 
Mary P. used one of the clever little travel palettes which Nancy received from the manufacturer and shared with Paintsites artists, to paint her Satura Cakes.



Setting up on the corner across Main St. from the Chase plaza were ....

Iris
The sidewalk and umbrellas in front of Satura Cakes by Iris.


 And Lisha.
Lisha's unfinished painting of the same scene.


More restaurant portraits ....

Kaaren at 2nd & Main Streets painting Le Boulanger.
 
Kaaren's Le Boulanger painting.


 
Leslie's Le Boulanger painting from across the street.


Lois in front of Casa Lupe Mexican Restaurant on Main St.
Lois' painting of Casa Lupe's festive little courtyard.    (This painting is a change of pace for Lois as she normally paints in a journal format.)

Kaaren's painting of the Casa Lupe courtyard and Lisa Lisa Hair Salon in which some of her paintings are displayed.

Brad's painting of Casa Lupe - a favorite restaurant of his and Janice's when they lived in Los Altos.

 Meanwhile, one block over, on State St. ...  
Elaine painted in front of a knitting and yarn craft store.
There are lovely plantings all along Main St. which attracted the attention of some artists...
Helen
Helen's street bench and planter.
Ji-eun
Ji-eun's bench (a different one - there are many) and street planter.
Mary R.
Mary R's sidewalk planter arrangement.
Salinda

Candy's street planter vignette.

Candy's unfinished sketch of artists at work.
Broncha found this serene scene on the Library grounds across San Antonio Rd. 
 
Broncha's painting of sculpture in the Library patio.


Los Altos Hills Post-Paintsite Pot-Luck and Critique:
From downtown Los Altos it's but a short drive to Karen's beautiful home in Los Altos Hills where we had lunch ...
 
... in Karen's formal dining room ...

... and on the balcony (left to right:  Mary R.,  Lisha,  Ji-eun (standing), John, and Annie) ...
.


 ... and in the informal kitchen dining table (not shown).

After eating for over an hour (though you couldn't tell anybody had eaten anything -- there was so much food left over) it was time for one of Karen's 'Gentle Critiques' where ...

... this painting got everybody's attention .....

... while John's brought a smile to everyone's face.


Thursday, July 21, 2016

New Almaden, San Jose. Thursday, July 21, 2106

There's a lot of history (well documented with informative signage) compressed into a small area in New Almaden.   And, considering there's nothing truly grand in the small town, it's amazing to think that the mines here were once the largest in the Western Hemisphere and played an important role in the Gold Rush and subsequent California history.   So altho', the buildings are small (many of the old miner's cottages are being remodeled and restored under the watchful eye of a Historical Commission), it's not any trivial history in which we found ourselves immersed today.

For additional information about New Almaden, the County Park and Casa Grande, see:
http://www.newalmaden.org/index.html

Upcoming Paintsites:
  • Thursday, July 28, 2016:   Downtown Los Altos with potluck lunch to follow at a member's nearby home.  (See the Members Only / Paintsites Detail webpage and the Sunday, July 24th e-notification for directions to the potluck.) 
  • Thursday, August 4, 2016:   Uvas Canyon County Park Hike & Sketch (Waterfall Trail) or Sit & Paint, Morgan Hill
  • Thursday, August 11, 2016:   Moffett Field Historical Society Museum, Mt. View
  • Thursday, August 18, 2016:   Harris-Lass House, Santa Clara
Details can be found on the SCVWS website and in the July & August Newsletters.

Ongoing events of interest involving Paintsites regulars:

  • Rich Bloechl's show at the Campbell Library  in downtown Campbell (77 Harrison Ave., adjacent to the Ainsley House Open Mon. - Tue. 1:00 - 9:00 PM; Wed. 10:00 AM - 9:00  PM and Thu. - Sat. 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM) has been held over thru the end of July.    (There are new paintings in the show.)
  • John Ediger will be gallery-sitting at the AZ Gallery (1213 Lincoln Ave., Suite #106, San Jose) on Friday, August 5th, from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM.   In addition to John, several other SCVWS members have paintings in the gallery.
  • Candy Yu's one-woman show runs thru August 6th in the Cupertino Library, 10800 Torre Ave., in the Cupertino Civic Center Plaza.    Hours are:  Mon. - Thu. 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM;  Fri. - Sat. 10:00 AM -  6:00 PM; and Sun. noon - 6:00 PM.
  • Mary Raftery and Laurie Barna are in the Haggin Art Museum's 59th Annual Juried National Exhibition.   Located in Stockton, the Haggin is famous for its outstanding fine art collection.   The show runs July 7  - September 11, 2016.  
  • The SCVWS Summer Palette exhibit continues its run (thru August 26th) at the Hobee's restaurant at  680 River Oaks Parkway in San Jose.     Hours of operation are:  Mon. - Fri. 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM; Sat. 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM; Sun. 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.   (This Hobee's serves breakfast & lunch only.)
And keep checking the "Members Blogs" links in the right sidebar for updates -- Sylvia and Mary both have recent postings.     (At the next Paintsite there will be a test to make sure everybody is checking out their blogs.)   Also,  Anna Jacke's website has been added to the "Links" sidebar -- see what she's been doing in Oregon since she left the Bay Area.


The historic site signage was very informative and saved me the effort of describing the site.


 
Rich

Rich's painting of St. Anthony's apse(?).   Note the handsome lancet (pointed) windows which make a statement in this otherwise modest structure.

Candy

Candy's 1st painting - this one of St. Anthony's.

Joy

Joy's painting of St. Anthony's.
At the opposite end of St. Anthony's, painting the entrance, were ...
Dick

Dicks' unfinished painting of the entrance to St. Anthony's.

Left to right:  Marilyn, Lisha, Kathy W., and Lois in St. Anthony's parking lot.

Kathy's painting of the entrance.  The sign popped up when it was time to stop ---- something most all watercolorists need.

Lisha's painting of the entrance.    One more brushstroke and the 'Stop' sign would have appeared here too.

Lois' journal entry for St. Antony's.
Marilyn is experimenting with incorporating some "journaling" techniques into her paintings with happy results.

Salinda painted St. Anthony's from curbside for a different viewpoint.

Salinda's unfinished painting of St. Anthony's.
Next most popular subject was the current La Foret restaurant which has gone thru many lives   .....


 
Annie

Annie's painting of the entrance to La Foret.

Ji-eun set-up a little further down Bertram Rd. ... 

... from where she caught just a corner of the restaurant and the Community Center in the background.

Joe set-up on Almaden Way where it crosses Alamitos Creek for his take on La Foret.

Joe's painting of La Foret.

Candy's second painting - this one of La Foret.

Marilyn found a very informative map showing 32 historical buildings in New Almaden so there are many interesting little buildings to paint on both Almaden Rd. and Bertram Rd.  between St. Anthony's and Casa Grande.

 
Broncha's painting of the historic Carson-Perham Adobe.

Bobbi's painting of another of the historic adobes.

There were a number of very large (and presumably old) eucalyptus in New Almaden which merited our attention ....

Candy's 3rd painting - this of a eucalyptus.

Lois's journal entry of a very stringy barked eucalyptus.

 
Not a rugged eucalyptus!   A dainty, delicate lily by Mary P.

 
 Lunch by Alamitos Creek couldn't have been more pleasant.... 
Lunch (photo by Rich)