At Fir and Date Streets
This morning the Wednesday painters painted in San Diego’s Little Italy. This is a sketch looking down Fir Street towards the San Diego Bay and is more of a drawing than a painting. I was going to smooth it out when I got home but decided that I like this the way it is.
This is a 12 X 17-inch gouache and pastel sketch.
A Second Moonless Night
This is a second attempt at sketching our street from photographs taken at night. Last night’s sky had reds in it and I think that is more interesting than today’s purples. Both skies were made with lots of wet paint dropped onto wet paper.
Streetlight on a Moonless Night
The moonless sky was gorgeous tonight. There were layers of color in it and the lights on the canyon across from us gleamed. I took a few photos and used them for guidance on this sketch, working in the light and warmth of our house. Now that I know what catches my interest in this scene, I hope to get some more photos tomorrow night so I can develop this sketch further.
This is a 9 X 12-inch gouache sketch on black paper.
Poinsettia Season
The huge poinsettias are in the stores and that means it is time to bring a few home and paint them again. This is probably the first of several that I will sketch in the next month or so.
This is a 12 X 12- inch gouache sketch with some pastel lines.
Mediterranean Garden at SDSU
I was planning on refining yesterday’s sketch but when I got up to the college a large delivery truck was blocking the view that I painted yesterday. As it turned out, this was good luck for me. I walked on back into an area known as the Mediterranean Garden and once I got to looking at the options, painted very happily for the morning. The shapes of the plants and the colors of the rocks and succulents were just gorgeous and lots of fun to paint.
This is a 17 X 12-inch gouache sketch on black paper.
Near the Student Union
Sometimes I walk up to the college at the end of the day. Now that it is getting dark so early, the campus has a wintery feeling. I really enjoy the light in the windows and archways, against the dark walls and trees.
This is a 9 X 9-inch gouache sketch with some pastel lines.
Torrey Pines Beach
It is worth the 30-minute drive to paint at Torrey Pines. The day was gorgeous, slightly cold, and windy enough for good wave action. I focused on capturing the water current and cloud action with my brushstrokes. This is a 17 X 12-inch gouache sketch.
Deliberate Sketching 