this little watercolor was intended to be a literal rendering of the trees but it was rather winsome at this stage, I thought. All this wonderful transparency, we wish we saw more of “out there” as well!
watercolor
Two shows tomorrow, Saturday Aug 9!
I could have posted about this sooner, but I’ve been super-busy with family in town, and, getting ready for these events!
Scene on the Straight —after a year hiatus, has returned. It is in an all-day (10 am to 5 pm) event which raises funds to hire underserved youth to restore regional wildlife habitat areas. A good cause. I am participating with the Joules, a local group of plein-air painters. Scene on the Straight website. I will have oil paintings and 6 miniatures (watercolors). Located at Martinez Regional Shoreline, Martinez. ONE DAY ONLY!
Valona Paintout 2014 —an invitational paint-out event. What is a paint-out, you ask? A paint-out is a challenge to produce a painting (or 3!) in a specified period of time, in this case, a week. The canvasses or paper are stamped by the gallery at check-in, and you are set on the loose in a certain area to capture something about that locale. There is an upcoming history article about Strendzel Hall coming up, so I tried my hand at making an old, fairly plain-looking building which has been through numerous remodels, look interesting. The C&H Sugar factory is located in Crockett, which sort of encompasses the old town of Valona, and it has many industrial but some beautiful structures. I heard from a local that these giant tanks topped by a continuous tin warehouse was a steam generator for the sugar plant. I thought they were kind of awesome. (Ok, I know my taste is sometimes odd!). This was a funny view, too, because of the proximity of this quaint little Victorian house which has a tiny, octagonal room hanging out over the street. (other people are odd too! Would you build right next to a steam generator of this size??)
Reception Saturday evening 6 to 8 pm, at the Epperson Gallery 1400 Pomona Street, Valona, CA 94525
Show will run to the end of August.
Vote tomorrow!
The Albany Public Library hosted a viewing of the second presidential debate, with commentator George Lakoff. It was great to watch it with a room full of people interested in the future of our country who have a good sense of humor besides. George Lakoff had very enlightening comments on why the deep divisions of today exist, and how they could be changed. He is the author of Don’t Think Of An Elephant! as well as many other books.
People fought hard for our right to vote – so get down to your local polling place tomorrow! Please study the issues, they are often not what they appear to be. Consult with trusted sources to get an understanding of these issues.
Dia de los muertos
Taking Bart, getting out at the Fruitvale station, put us right into the Dia de los muertos celebration on October 28th. This is a day to honor your loved ones who have passed along to another world, and to celebrate life. My two sketching friends and I stayed til the crowds got too thick to be able to draw without getting our elbows bumped!
January 25 ancient Chanel #5
My mother gave me this Chanel in about 1973 or 74. As you can see, I use it sparingly, but it is getting down to the bottom of the bottle. It’s still one of my favorites. I recently went into a Macy’s, saw some for sale with a “tester” — it smells the same!
January 22, 23
More everyday objects…
January 16, 21
Micaela Marsden 