Hakone Gardens, Saratoga, Thursday, March 20, 2014

First day of Spring, Hakone Gardens in all it's glory; was that a plein air watercolorist's dream scenario or what!    Thanks to Kay Duffy who arranged for the Paintsites group's visit.     (Wonder if Kay arranged the perfect weather too.)

For more information about Hakone Gardens, go to:
 http://www.hakone.com/main.html

Upcoming Paintsites:

• Thursday, March 27, 2014: Special - Jane Kwant's Garden
• Thursday, April 3, 2014: Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
• Thursday, April 17, 2014: AeroDynamic Aviation, Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose
• Saturday, April 19, 2014: Los Gatos Creek County Park, Campbell

Check the Watercolor Society Website or April Newsletter for additional information.


Here we are in action ...

 

Leonard

Leslie

Kay & Jane

Liz

Susan, Candy & Leslie

Dick

Helen

Jenny

John

Jeannie & Iris

Pat

Brad

Lunch then a critique after the morning's labors...

lunch

critique

Paintings in progress (please excuse the shadows)....

Finished Paintings:

Sylvia Waddell

What a wonderful day - surrounded by so much beauty!  Everywhere you looked was another gorgeous view to paint.  I'm only sorry I wasn't able to stay longer.  Sylvia

Leslie Grimm

John Ediger

Brad Santos

Working at a low point in the upper garden and looking up at all the garden's many features gave me a keener appreciation of how traditional East Asian landscapers & artists use the vertical dimension to build perspective both in the garden itself and in landscape painting.    Brad

Caroline Garbarino

Liz Siegel

So many colors...didn't know where to start.   Liz

Neale's Hollow, Saratoga, Thursday, January 16, 2014

The problems we as plein air artists have to deal with are almost beyond human endurance:  witness our mid-January day at Neale's Hollow, a recycled Western movie set --- a slightly chilly mid-morning, an almost too warm forenoon and early afternoon, and a monotonously blue sky (Liz's comment that she hasn't mixed a new blue or grey sky for months on end was certainly true).     I'm sure the people in other parts of the country must feel very sorry for us.    But we press on, undaunted, with our art.

Upcoming Paintouts:

• Thursday, January 30, 2014 - Rancho San Antonio Park & Open Space Preserve - first Hike & Sketch of 2014 - details will be forthcoming via an e-mail notification.
• Thursday, February 6, 2014:  Carmelite Monastery, Santa Clara
• Saturday, February 15, 2014: Casa Grande & the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, New Almaden (San Jose)
• Thursday, February 20, 2014:  Friends Meeting House, San Jose

Check the Watercolor Society website or newsletter for details

Lunch:

 Followed by a thoughtful critique...

 Of what we did.    Here are some completed paintings:

"Winter's Glory" - Mary Paquet

I had intended to do an ink drawing and drop in color, but I left the ink at home. Plan two, do a small piece of part of one of the buildings. I wasn't happy with the results. I looked around and decided this stately old Sycamore made a fitting subject. Without rain to strip the trees bare, many still have fall foliage clinging to their branches.     Mary

Liz Siegel

Brad Santos

Normally I prefer to paint from a more oblique angle but the shallow faux gables were a bit unsettling so a head-on approach, where I didn't have to deal with that, worked better for me.    Brad

And here are some snapshots of unfinished paintings showing what we accomplished (in spite of the hardships).   Please visit again when the finished paintings are presented.

Sylvia Waddell - unfinished painting

I was rather ambitious in trying to paint the whole building, as I couldn't stay for long enough to finish it on site!  Hopefully I'll get time to put in the finishing touches and repost it.   Sylvia

Kaaren

Iris

Jenny

(superb charcoal sketch by Iris' daughter)