Hayes Mansion & Edenvale Gardens Regional Park, San Jose. Thursday, December 7, 2017.

December Paintsites have started with cold early-mornings (low 40s: frost on the windshields; "Do I really want to bundle up and paint outside today?") which, so far, have turned into sunny and almost warm (in the sun at least) late-mornings and afternoons ("I'm really glad I went painting today!"). We've visited the Hayes Mansion before but there's always been lots of red-tape to cut thru to get permission to paint on the grounds and use the facilities.   Marilyn and Jane tenaciously cut thru most of the red tape (we were able to use the facilities) but were requested to set-up in the adjacent Edenvale Gardens Regional Park.   It turned out setting-up in the Park was actually an advantage as the view was the same and there wasn't the squadron of landscapers with power tools and tractors working the Park as there was the Mansion grounds.   

For more information about this Paintsite's dual venues, see ...
Hayes Mansion
Edenvale Gardens Regional Park

Upcoming Paintsites:   See the website or December & January Newsletters for details.

• Thursday, December 14, 2017: Central Wholesale Nursery, San Jose
• Thursday, December 21, 2017: Holiday break - no Paintsite
• Thursday, December 28, 2017: Los Altos Redwood Grove, Los Altos

• Thursday, January 4, 2018: Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz
• Thursday, January 11, 2018: Emma Prusch Farm Park, San Jose
• Thursday, January 18, 2018: Downtown Campbell
• Thursday, January 25, 2018:Charleston Slough, Mt. View 

Other Activities of Interest:

• Tuesday, January 9, 2018: last day to RSVP for Annual Holiday Party - see SCVWS website Home page for details
• Saturday, January 13, 2018: Annual Holiday Party, Saratoga
• Ends January 15, 2018:  "Small Treasures" exhibit at Hobee's in N. San Jose

Artists at Work:  From the Park we had about a 90 degree range of views of the front of the Mansion and took advantage of all of them.  

Annie

Head-on to the Hayes Mansion from the Edenvale Gardens Regional Park.  (You can barely see the palings of the metal fence which separated the two sites.    Also, note December's low sun angles which made for fine shadows on the immaculately manicured lawns.)   

Cindy

Elaine G., tho' an experienced plein air artist, it was her first time with Paintsites.  To see more of  Elaine's artwork, visit her website ( http://www.goldiesgardenstudio.com/ )                link in the right sidebar.

Iris (right) and her guest, Helen, at her first Paintsite.

Left to right: Helen, Lisha, Salinda and Dick also set-up almost head-on to the Hayes Mansion.

Paintsites co-coordinators Jane S. and Marilyn

Left to right: A shady (or maybe that should be shaded?) group of artists: Lisha, Helen, Iris and Salinda

Susan B-G

Tanvi

Toni turned her back on the Mansion and painted some of the equally stately trees in the Edenvale Gardens Regional Park.

Lunch: Such a pleasant day painting, we'd have kept on except hunger drove us to gather for lunch.

Sharing:  After lunch we took turns showing our work and commenting on what we'd done.

Lisha shares her painting of the Hayes Mansion with us.

While Lisha describes her painting it looks like Marilyn (far right) takes notes

Jane S. talks about her painting while Three Wise Artists (you can see their shadows) look on appreciatively.

Our Day's Work:  Unfortunately, the paintings were photographed in direct sunlight which made them look washed out.  Actually the colors were brighter and the contrasts greater than they appear here.

Annie liked the atmospheric feel of her painting.

Broncha took advantage of the long shadows cast by the palms (a requisite in for every stately mansion in the Valley) to make a strong design statement.

Cindy

Dick's painting

Iris with a long view of the Mansion from right of center.

New member Lisa T. used colored pencils for "Detail of Balcony at Mansion".

Lisha's painting of fine trees and their shadows with a hint of the Mansion.

Salinda's painting of the impressive shadows and oh yes, the Hayes Mansion.

Elaine G's sketch of the Mansion and artists Salinda, Lisha and Helen in the foreground

Elaine G's completed painting of the Mansion

Susan B-G's painting of the Mansion and a dog-walker in the Park.

Marilyn's completed painting of the Mansion

Tanvi's first painting - she was striving for something looser so ....

 

Tanvi's second painting -- looser? yes but not loose enough so ....

Tanvi's third painting - aaah, finally, loose enough!

 

Toni liked the look of the trees in the Park.  There are some old oaks, big eucalyptuses shedding bark in long strips, various conifers, pepper, and lots of smaller hardwoods --- a tree painters paradise in a small space.