Weekend Paintsite Los Gatos Creek Park April 19,2014

With the holiday weekend, our artists were fewer in number, but with no less determination. Dick and Yan secured a shady spot by the water later joined by Alison at a nearby picnic table. One more determined artist arrived as we were leaving. It was a perfect day for painting.

Painting by cool water

The park was alive with many species of bird life.  A duck posed for me for nearly a half hour allowing me to complete my preliminary sketch before he joined his friends swimming in the pond. The painting is complex... I will finish it in studio. Dick

My duck

Alison

Alison's watercolor

AeroDynamic Aviation, San Jose, Thursday, April 17, 2014

Watching all of the activity at AeroDynamic Aviation, I suspect flying an airplane of one's own must be great fun --- maybe a close second to painting them with a group of wonderful artists.   Which is what we did when Watercolor Society member Marion Podolski hosted us at her husband's Reid-Hillview Airport flying school for a day of painting.

For additional information about AeroDynamic Aviation, see:
http://www.aerodynamicaviation.com/index.php

Upcoming Paintsites: 

• Saturday, April 19, 2014:  Los Gatos Creek County Park, Campbell
• Thursday, May 1, 2014:  Dun Vien Buddhist Pagoda, San Jose 
• Thursday, May 15, 2014:  Memorial Park, Cupertino 
• Saturday, May 17, 2014:  Chitactac-Adams Heritage Park, Morgan Hill/Gilroy
• Thursday, May 29, 2014: Alum Rock Park, San Jose, Paint site and Hike & Sketch

And don't forget the pick-up date for the Baylands Exhibition is Saturday, May 31st, 10:00 - 12:00 noon.

Check the Watercolor Society website or April Newsletter for details 


With lots of activity and planes moving around constantly, a number of us chose to paint an old aircraft with three flat tires figuring it wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon ...

Here we are at work: 
 

Marilyn

Marilyn's painting

Sylvia
 

Sylvia's painting

Dick

Marilyn, Yan & Lisha

Lisha's painting

Dick's painting

 Alan & Broncha found the black-on-yellow diamond pattern on a rudder interesting ...
 

Alan

Alan's painting

Broncha

 It was a wonderful "plane" air outing!    Broncha

Broncha's painting

 Melanie and Leonard kicked things up with the yellowest plane on the ramp ...  

Melanie

Melanie's painting

Leonard

Leonard's painting

 Others found a plane of their own to paint ... 

Mary

Mary

Mary's painting

Brad's painting

This old Cessna Bird Dog provided under-wing shade for my first painting so I thought I'd pay it back by painting its portrait for my second.     Brad

Sylvia & Katherine

Katherine

 Meanwhile, back in the hangar, Leslie and Marion found interesting non-flying subject matter  ... 

Leslie

Leslie

Marion

Marion

Then a long lunch and "critique" in a shady spot:

Then the drive home - how prosaic after watching airplanes taking off and landing all day.

Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Thursday, April 3, 2014

The weather forecast was for an appropriately gloomy, funereal day at the mid-19th Century Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.   But the reality turned out much the opposite: mostly sunny (made for great shadows & contrasts); magnificent old oaks & conifers (made for great backgrounds); ornate monuments (made for great subject matter); and a bunch of bright, bright bluebirds (which made everybody happy, which I believe is what they're supposed to do.)

For images of the Mission Cemetery see:   
https://www.google.com/search?q=santa+clara+mission+cemetery+images&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ru4-U7G9EsTQyAHc4IBI&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=1494&bih=630

(Hopefully no one reading this will anytime soon need the services offered on the official Cemetery website but here it is:  http://www.santaclaramissioncemetery.org/ )

Upcoming Paintouts:

• Thursday, April 17, 2014:  AeroDynamic Aviation, San Jose
• Saturday, April 19, 2014: Los Gatos Creek County Park, Campbell
• Thursday, May 1, 2014: Dun Vien Buddhist Pagoda, San Jose 
• Thursday, May 15, 2014:  Memorial Park, Cupertino 

Check the Watercolor Society website or April Newsletter for details

Here are some of our finished paintings:

John Ediger

Caroline Garbarino

This woman's tragedy moved my heart -- on her wedding day, she fell down the stairs and died.     I hope I've done her memory justice.   Most of my family are residents of this cemetery, and I sure wished they were painting there with me.   My great aunt, Clotilda Rosa Garbarino, has works in the De Young Museum collection.    Thank you again, Caroline   

Caroline Garbarino

I really "wrestled with the angel" to give him a boy's physique.   This angel watches over the Dawson family.   Thanks again, Caroline

Liz Siegel

Brad Santos

This Gothic monument was an interesting technical challenge to draw.  My after lunch painting of  the simple headstone for "Baby Wm. Abel Donovan, Died 1889, Aged 11 Months" was more emotionally involving.   Brad


 Here we are at work in the 'old' section of the cemetery:

Caroline

Helen

Jenny

Marilyn

Sylvia

Jane

Leslie

Liz

Melanie

Elaine

John

Savage, no-holds-barred critique ... (not really)

Sketches and works-in-progress snapshots taken during the critique - check back later for the finished paintings: