This was the last Paintsites Hike & Sketch of 2017 and a fine one it was! The last time we visited Ranch San Antonio, in June, 2016, it was the final Hike & Sketch led by beloved long-time Paintsites coordinators Jenny and Sylvia, the developers of the Hike & Sketch concept. That was one hot day (temps in the mid-90s) and, to make it even more memorable, Jenny & Sylvia led us on some of the more taxing trails. This time, led by Jane and Marilyn, we took the less strenuous Permanente Creek and Lower Meadow Trails to Deer Hollow Farm. They'd also arranged for a temperate day, one of those rare days when it was equally pleasant to paint in either the shade or sun. How often does that happen?
For more information about the Rancho San Antonio County Park, Deer Hollow Farm, and the Open Space Preserve, see:
Rancho San Antonio County Park website
Note: the lower parking lots near the restrooms quickly fill up when the park opens and don't thin out until after 10:00 AM. If the lower lots are full, don't despair, it's only a short walk from the upper lots near the park entrance down to the staging area.
Upcoming paintsites:
- Thursday, Dec 7: View of Hayes Mansion from Edenvale Gardens Park, San Jose
- Saturday, Dec 9: Weekend Paintsite: Central Wholesale Nursery, San Jose
- Thursday, Dec 14: Central Wholesale Nursery, San Jose
- Thursday, Dec 28: Los Altos Redwood Grove
On the trail:
Our first stop, just a few steps from the parking lot, was the Permanente Creek Picnic Area. Looking south from the conveniently placed picnic tables was a small stand of trees in brilliant autumn colors against a background of green hills and blue sky. That was the most popular subject. To the north, across a grassy meadow was the huge old Bay tree - not as colorful but equally impressive. (Incidentally, once on the trail, the pervasive fragrance of the Bay trees was constantly with us.)
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| Looking south, artists painted fall foliage |
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| Salinda and Lisha |
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| Jane's painting |
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| Liz's painting |
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| Lorraine's painting |
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| Marilyn's painting |
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| To the north, across the meadow, was the big Bay tree. (How big? So big it wouldn't fit in the photo frame!) |
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| Helen's painting of the Bay tree |
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| Mary R's painting of the Bay tree |
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| Brad's Tombow sketch of the big Bay tree |
Jenny and Sylvia would have been proud of us --- we actually limited ourselves to 20 minute sketches and small (but excellent) paintings at this first stop.
On to the second stop:
Then it was back on the trail to Deer Hollow Farm. Jane called a halt where the Lower Meadow Trail crosses Permanente Creek for our second sketching session. It was here that discipline broke down ... some showed admirable self discipline and sketched for 20 minutes, packed up and moved on; others were completely out of control and refused to put their pencils or brushes down until they'd completed their painting.
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| Lorraine's painting of trees along the trail |
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| Salinda's painting of artists by Permanente Creek |
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| Liz's 10 minute sketch of artists at work. (She managed to include all of us even tho' we weren't sitting together.) |
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| Helen's painting along the trail |
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| This week Marilyn's painting buddy was an acorn woodpecker |
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Despite being distracted by her painting buddy in the nearby snag,
Marilyn was able to paint this painting of eucalyptus. |
Trails End:
The final series of paintings (not just timed sketches) were done at Deer Hollow Farm where, in a compact area, there's lots of subjects from which to choose: farm animals (cows, goats, & pigs), fowl (chickens and geese), historic buildings, farm equipment, and plants & trees.
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| Jane's painting of Stella with a persimmon tree in the background. (Stella was quite fractious when we were there - I asked the ranger if it was because Jane was making Stella nervous by painting her. The ranger said "No. Stella and the two other "girls" (cows) were just having some hormonal issues". It's that time of year apparently. Just goes to prove you never know what you'll learn at a paintout.) |
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| Susan B-G's painting of lively goats |
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| Salinda's painting of a pair of goats |
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| Liz's painting of a pumpkin |
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| Tanvi's painting of farm buildings |
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| Anu's painting of farm buildings |
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| Lorraine's painting of barn |
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Lisha's painting of farm buildings and artists
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| Helen's painting of artist at the farm |
Then lunch; the "show and share" critique; and a pleasant walk back to the parking lot.
All in all, another great Hike & Sketch. Jane & Marilyn are already hard at work laying out plans for Hike & Sketch Paintsites in 2018 but it will be difficult to come up with one as pleasant as this was.
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