Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, Hike & Sketch, Thursday, July 31, 2014

This was our first Hike & Sketch that wasn't led by Jenny & Sylvia so we didn't go as fast or as far as past Hike & Sketch outings.   Fortunately, Sylvia did attend and offered advice when the new leader faltered and was unsure what to do, or where to go, next.   So, some slight indecision aside, we had a fine day painting:  The breeze off the Bay made for both pleasant hiking and painting interludes interrupted only by a long and stimulating lunch and critique session.

For more information about the Don Edwards Refuge, go to:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/don_edwards_san_francisco_bay/

Upcoming Paintsites;

• Thursday, August 7, 2014:  Rosicrucian Museum, San Jose
• Saturday, August 16, 2014:  Gilroy Gardens Artists Access Day - contact Dick Zunkel at  wkendsites@scvws.org to make a reservation for free admission to the Gardens
• Thursday, August 21, 2014: Gamble Garden, Palo Alto

Refer to the Society August Newsletter for details.

First stop:  The still standing "hunting lodge" and an adjacent shack converted into a "picnic shelter" had a peculiar charm only a die-hard duck hunter, or a plein air artist, could love:

Liz

Liz's work-in-progress of the "Lodge"

Leonard

Leonard, from higher up the trail, captured the adjacent red Shack

 

Lisha

Lisha also choose the Shack/Picnic Shelter

Brad's watercolor pencil sketch of any geezer's dream "Lodge"

Lisha and Candy weren't painting each other, only sharing a table

Candy's unfinished painting of Cathy & Sylvia atop the levee

Cathy & Sylvia on the levee painting the salt ponds and bridge to the West

Sylvia's painting of the ponds, a dredge and the Dumbarton Bridge

Cathy's painting of same

For the second stop we'd moved a bit higher so could see more of the Bay, the levees and the salt evaporation ponds ...

Sylvia, Cathy, Candy, Lisha & Liz

Sylvia, Candy & Cathy (Alwyn's there somewhere too)

Brad focusing intently on sketch #2 (photo by Liz)

Brad's sketch of the group at stop #2

Sylvia's 2nd painting - looking North toward the San Mateo Bridge

Candy's 2nd painting - looking West to the Dumbarton Bidge and beyond

Lisha's 2nd painting - also looking West

Cathy's 2nd painting - looking North-West

Another short walk and we stopped for lunch and the "critique" at the high point in the park --- which was so much fun it was perhaps the high point of the day!

After lunch some of us stopped for one final painting on the walk back to the parking lot.   The colors in the ponds, sloughs and the Bay was fascinating.    The intersecting angles of the levees made it difficult to find a focus for some of us.    But not for Cathy or Sylvia.

Cathy's 3rd painting looking over the evaporation ponds, Hwy 84, the Bay and the San Mateo Bridge.

Sylvia's 3rd painting looking North-West again.

Brad's 3rd painting, also looking North-West

Menlo Park Caltrain Station, Saturday July 19, 2014

The weather was perfect for plein-air painting. Few people were on the platform making an ideal opportunity for life drawing sketches. The nearby street fair presented no parking issues at the station.

Uma and Son

"We had the best summer weather while we painted at Menlo Park Station. It was warm, but not under shade; a light breeze blew and brought with it the music from a nearby street fair. When painting got a bit taxing, I turned to sketching. A demure lady sat on our bench and became a model until the train 430 arrived." Uma

Platform by Uma

Life drawing portrait by Uma

Alison

Mary

Dick

When I start a painting I often overlook the complexity of the subject. About a half-hour into this work I thought, "Why am I doing this?" That's when it's time to stop sketching and start painting.

Rengstorff House, Mt. View, Thursday, July 17, 2014

Horrible, horrible traffic on all the freeways leading to Mt.View!   (Probably engineered by  an anti-Watercolor Society --- they are so jealous of us.)    But that didn't stop us from settling in for a perfect day's painting at the Rengstorff House at Shoreline Park in Mt. View.    The house itself was the big draw but some of us were equally drawn to the old pump house and windmill.

For more information about the Rengstorff House, see: 
http://r-house.org/

Upcoming Paintsites:

• Thursday, July 31, 2014:  Hike & Sketch:   Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, Fremont

The Watercolor Society website and the July newsletter have the complete details.


Here we are (note plein air therapy at work:  all smiles, brush in hand, residual road rage tension melts away) ...

Yan & Kaaren

Anna

Candy

Cathy & Melanie

Judy

Kaaren

Laurie

Helen & Lisha

Liz

Mary P.

Mary R.

New member Nancy - first Paintsite adventure

Nancy T.

Mitsi

Dick & Yan

 Paintings of the main house:

Melanie's finished painting of the main house

 

 

Liz's finished painting of the Rengstorff House

 Some details of the house:

 

Caroline Garbarino

  the pump house and the windmill:

Beautiful day painting with friends and a nice place to recover from horrible commute traffic on 101. I was drawn to the pump house and windmill. I loved that you could order this windmill from Montgomery Wards for $42.50 in the Thirties.      Mary P.

Dick

"When the going gets tough, the tough paint details."


 Our work completed, still smiling, it's time to evaluate our day.  (And eat lunch.):