Los Altos Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, Los Altos and Belgatos Park, Los Gatos. Thursday, February 4, 2016

This is a tale of  two cities, two iconic species of native trees (redwoods and oaks), and twenty artists:  With traffic horrors never before experienced in the Bay Area anticipated due to the Super Bowl, we decided to split our Paintsite into a South County site (Belgatos Park in Los Gatos - a new site for us) and a North County site (Los Altos Redwood Grove Nature Preserve - a long-time favorite site) in Los Altos so that nobody would have too far too drive. Both parks are small neighborhood parks and a bit hard to find but well worth the effort.

For information about the Redwood Grove in Los Altos, see:
http://www.losaltosca.gov/recreation/page/redwood-grove-nature-preserve

For information about Belgatos Park in Los Gatos, see:
http://www.losgatosca.gov/900/Belgatos-Park

Upcoming Paintsites: 

• Thursday, February 11, 2016:  McClellan Ranch Preserve, Cupertino 
• Thursday, February 18, 2016:  Palace of Fine Arts and CWA Exhibition, San Francisco.  Carpooling definitely recommended!
• Thursday, February 25, 2016:  Still to be determined / announced - but there will be a paintout (unless it's raining). 

For details, see the SCVWS website or the February Newsletter.
Remember, if the weather looks 'iffy', check your e-mail or the SCVWS website Home Page for cancellation notices.    Also, since we often visit sites where mobile service may be absent and the coordinators unreachable or GPS inaccurate -- if attending an unfamiliar location, best check the instructions sent by Paintsites before heading out.

Remember to check the "Members Blogs" section as Sylvia, Anna, Mary P. and Dick routinely update their blogs with their recent work and interesting comments.

Los Altos Redwood Grove Nature Preserve:  (photos by Jane)
     Groovin' in the Grove ...

2016 CWA Award Winner Cathy B.!

(For the exhibition award winners, see: http://www.californiawatercolor.org/gallery.php?cat=48 )

Cathy's sketches.  Not award winners (yet) but pretty good.

Helen (left) and Lisha

Lisha's painting thru the trees of sunlight on the meadow.

Iris

Iris' painting of redwoods and Adobe Creek winding thru the park.

Joe

Joe's painting of trees, one of the rustic bridges, and the creek.

Jane's painting of trees, the creek and welcome rays of sunlight.

It was a beautiful day and lots of great shadows.   Easy painting with just one little hill to get in and out!    Jane    (This last bit a reference to Brad whining about about the steep hill we had to climb at Belgatos Park.)

If a tree falls in the forest does an artist capture it?  Linda did in this interesting composition.

Marilyn

Marilyn's painting of redwoods and the creek.

There was enough water in the creek to make reflections and be very attractive.  The water was moving slowly, no rapids.  I walked around by the creek in the heart of the redwood grove, and got very cold.  So I found a view that was an attractive view of the creek and redwood trees, but I was sitting in the full sunshine.  The temperature was delightful, and my paints dried nicely in full sun.  A brown creeper (a bird) crept up the tree only a few feet in front of me.  The artists who set up to paint in the deep shade reported at lunch time that they were cold and their paints did not dry very well.     Marilyn

It wasn't all about trees ...

at least not big trees --- Joe's second painting - this one of  redwood needles.

Liz's unfinished painting of yellow flowers which flourish in the Grove.

Melanie's painting of a bird nesting box waiting for Spring occupants.

 Belgatos Park, Los Gatos:

 

Elizabeth 

Elizabeth's painting of the very impressive heavy timber bridge built by an Eagle Scout.   Not as much water in the creek as at Redwood Grove but there were some pools teeming with water insects.

Jenny working on her second painting --this time from near the tot-lot and lunch area --- no way she was going to climb the hill again for a second painting from the top.  (You can see the pitch of the trail in this photo - and it only got steeper!)

Jenny's first painting from the ridge top after a brisk hike.

Mary also set-up on the sunny ridge top. 

Mary's unfinished painting of one of the contorted old oaks (Blue? White?) on the ridge top.

Rich

Rich's painting from the ridge.   That's downtown San Jose in the distance and the Diablo Range in the far distance.

Dick's after-lunch painting of one of the steep trails leading up to the ridge top.

Brad's painting of one of the fine old oaks near the ridge top.   Rich, Jenny and Mary went just a bit farther and crested the ridge.

Lunch in the sunniest spot we could find.  (photo by Rich)