A Moment in the Oak Grove

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

I painted yesterday in an old oak grove at Crestridge Ecological Reserve in East San Diego County. After taking several hours to work on a different painting, I decided to try again. All I had time to do was to capture the feeling of the grove’s dense canopy above me with rough broad paint strokes. I told myself I would smooth it out later. This morning when I looked them over, this one’s roughness appealed to me and became my favorite. I fussed a little bit with it, added my signature, and am calling it finished.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Stepping Down to Torrey Pines Beach

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

I was over at Torrey Pines painting from the cliffs above the beach. On the way down I stopped at the beach level. It was windy and the overcast sky set off the colors of the sea and sky. I liked the way the bands of color formed elongated triangles, all pointing to the far end of the beach.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The King of Spring Resists Waking Up

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

The Tuesday evening Zoom model wore a crown and sat with his dog on his bed, surrounded by drapes and pillows. The colors were bright and suggestive of the energy of spring. The model, however, looked sleepy, as though he might enjoy the pace of winter, just a little longer.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mesquite Tree in the Kofas

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

I started this sketch last week when we were camping in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. I noticed how the evening light lit up a mesquite tree and the mountain behind it, and I hurried to capture it in my small sketchbook. Although I liked the sketch, it was not really finished. Today I brightened the mesquite tree, added color to the foreground, and then cropped off quite a bit of the sky and the left side.

Posted in Landscape, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

An Empty Mug

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

Our Tuesday night Zoom model held an empty mug and leaned on the desk in his spare room. As the two hours passed, he began to take on a forlorn look that matched his empty mug. I hope he filled it tonight and celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day with a robust smile.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Bike Repair In the Kofa Wilderness

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

We took our first camping trip of the year to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. We were a group of happily vaccinated family members, my sister and her husband, my brother, his wife and their son, and my husband and me.

We had a beautiful campsite at the base of the Kofa Mountains. We were the only people for miles. We saw some birds, heard coyotes in the distance, and encountered an abundance of cholla cactus. I fit in four quick sketches between the hiking, biking, and admiring of the landscape.

This sketch shows my brother and his son fixing bike tires. These two enjoy each other’s company, and do lots of activities together. I wanted to show their companionableness in this piece.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Nowhere to Wear Them

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Sarah Sullivan

Our Zoom model yesterday posed in her closet, as she has done for us before. I love this scene and all that is in this room so much. Each time I try so hard to capture the feeling the model has for clothing and accessories. I can tell that she sees as an artist sees and knows what is special about the colors, textiles, and flow of her garments.

During a break, she said that one of the hardest parts of the lockdown is having beautiful clothing with no place open and nowhere to wear her art. An artist needs to display her work. Hopefully, she will be able to show her wardrobe soon.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , | 10 Comments