We took a chance in visiting this beautiful spot in late January, and as luck would have it, the sun was out and the building's shadows were magnificent! Tucked away in the Almaden Valley this classic revival mansion, built in 1854, "was used to house the superintendents of the nearby New Almaden Quicksilver mine. The mine was considered the largest of its kind in the Americas and at one point Casa Grande became a retreat for the mine’s investors." (http://scvwspaintsites.blogspot.com/search?q=casa+grande)
17 painters spent a glorious morning sketching and painting views of the mansion, and the surrounding landscape: Tanvi, Salinda, Dick, Lisha, Bill, Claudia, Jane, Iris, Candy, Laurie, Matt, Katie (new), Susan B-G, Jayne, Karen, Sal, Karen.
Normally the mansion and museum are closed to visitors on Thursdays but thanks to special arrangements made by Santa Clara County staff and rangers the buildings washrooms were opened for our visit.
For more on the site go to:
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/parkfinder/Pages/Almaden-Quicksilver-Mining-Museum.aspxLater, around 1 pm we usually meet and view our day's work ... it's a great opportunity to share our techniques with fellow watercolorists. Today, Sal shared how she has been inspired by the painting techniques of Geoff Kersey. "Through his online tutorials, he shows students how to paint realistic watercolour landscapes primarily using wet-on-wet techniques. Before I was introduced to Geoff Kersey, learning how to paint landscapes in watercolour seemed insurmountable, with most tutorials showing artists painting by instinct, and students, such as myself, feeling lost as to how these artists are able to do what they do so easily."~Sal For more on Geoff Kersey check out the following link: https://watercolourlandscapes.co.uk
Upcoming Events
FEB 2 to FEB 27 - Paintsites’s member Annie Haines has an exhibit at Viewpoints Gallery, 315 State Street Los Altos, CA 94022
FEB 4 to March 12 - Susan Butler Graham’s painting “Dappled Rabbit” was accepted in the GBAO Show. New Museum (NUMU), Los Gatos. Virtual reception Thursday Feb 3.
FEB 10 - THURSDAY PAINT SITE: Ainsley House, Campbell
FEB 17 - THURSDAY PAINT SITE: Rain make-up date
FEB 24 - THURSDAY PAINT SITE: Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch, San Jose. NOTE: Paintsites member Susan Butler Graham will present a demonstration on perspective at the beginning of this paint site.
FEB 26 - WEEKEND PAINT SITE: McClellan Ranch Preserve, Cupertino.
For additional information about the January events, go to the SCVWS Newsletter or Website www.scvws.org
Blog Guidelines: Please check out the updated guidelines for posting artwork on the blog.
Photos of Artists and their Artwork
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| Casa Grande's picnic area painted by Tanvi |
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| Tanvi's second watercolor of Casa Grande |
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| Candy chose to paint a striking group of trees situated behind the mansion. |
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| Matt's watercolor of Casa Grande |
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| Matt and Candy |
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| Susan B-G focused on the building's warm and cool shadows, and the mansion's quintessential palms |
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| Salinda, Dick and Susan |
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| Dick's abstract watercolor of the palms and Casa Grande |
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| Salinda was also inspired by the view through the palm trees and the play of light on the building facade |
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| Claudia's watercolor of the water tower |
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| Claudia |
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| Sal's painting of the front view of Casa Grande |
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| Casa Grande by Bill |
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| Closeup view of the water tower |
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| Taking a break to view morning's work |
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| Claudia's painting of last week's paint site at the Palo Alto Baylands |
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| Sal's finished painting from last week's paint site at the Palo Alto Baylands |
