Sierra Azul Nursery, Watsonville. Thursday, June 23, 2016

Although this is a famous nursery and very popular with local artists as well as gardeners, it was Paintsites first visit and tho' a bit of a drive, it was well worth it ....

Always wanted to paint lavender fields in Provence?    Save your money and visit Sierra Azul in Watsonville instead -- there you'll find a large lavender field (in magnificent bloom right now),  a wide selection of water-wise plants (succulents, grasses, natives, & mediterraneans) in a handsomely arranged retail setting and in a mature demonstration garden.   There are some small sculptures in the retail nursery but the majority are found in the demonstration garden where they're just begging to be discovered and painted --- we did our part:  we did both. 


For more information about Sierra Azul Nursery (and Sculpture Garden), see their official website:
http://www.sierraazul.com/ 
(They can also be found on Facebook)
 
Upcoming Paintsites:

• Thursday, June 30, 2016:   Duc Vien Buddhist Pagoda, San Jose
• Thursday, July 7, 2016:   Shoreline Park, Mt. View
• Thursday, July 14, 2016:   Maison du Lac, Los Gatos
• Thursday, July 21, 2016:   New Almaden Historic District, San Jose
• Thursday, July 28, 2016:   Downtown Los Altos with potluck lunch to follow at a member's nearby home.

Check the SCVWS website and the June & July Newsletters for details.

Events of interest involving Paintsites regulars:

• Richard Bloechl's watercolors will be on display thru the end of June at the Campbell Library in downtown Campbell (77 Harrison Ave., adjacent to the Ainsley House).   Open Mon. - Tue. 1 - 9PM; Wed. 10AM - 9PM and Thu. - Sat. 10AM - 6PM.  (See Rich's website link in the right sidebar.) 
• Candy Yu has a one-woman show 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.     The show runs thru August 6th.
• Mary Raftery and Laurie Barna each had a painting accepted to the Haggin Art Museum's 59th Annual Juried National Exhibition.  The Haggin Art Museum is located in Stockton and the show runs July 7, 2016 - September 11, 2016. 

Special Note:  Long-time Paintsites co-leader Sylvia and husband Keith recently relocated to Auburn.  Tho' she'll seldom be able to paint with us, we can still share Sylvia's artistic journey through her blog in the "Members Blogs" link in the right sidebar.

 It was tough to ignore the sculptures in the Demonstration Garden - most of us couldn't resist their allure .... 

Dick (that's Lisa over his right shoulder and the lavender field in the distant background.)

Dick's trio of sculptures with succulent accessories.

Lisa

Lisa's painting of one of the numerous ceramic totem poles (?) and blue jar.

Alan

Alan's painting of an abstract sculpture (right) and a big ceramic jar/sculpture.

 

Marilyn (Thursday Paintsites co-coordinator).

Since taking the SCVWS Journaling Workshop, Marilyn had done some serious "journaling".   These were her first three entries for the day.

Page 2 of Marilyn's journal entry for 6/23/16

 

Brad (Thursday Paintsites co-coordinator) (photo by Salinda)

Brad's painting of "Dragonfly and Mayflies" by LMNO Arts.   (The dragonfly has about a 6' wingspan!)

Ji-eun

Escaping the pull of the sculptures was ....
 

Salinda, a keen gardener in her own right, who went for the flowers ...

Salinda's lush garden painting.

And Lisha and Annie who found the huge cactus bordering the driveway most interesting...
 

Annie (left) and Lisha

Annie's painting of a fan palm and a large cactus.

Lisha's painting of the same.

 Time for lunch then our critique...
 

Setting up for our 'show-and-share' critique.