The Old Cactus Garden in Winter

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Sarah Sullivan

There are two cactus gardens in San Diego’s Balboa Park, one old and the other even older. Both gardens are wonderful but this oldest one is my favorite because it is wild. It is known as the Old Cactus Garden and dates from 1935 when the area was developed for the California Pacific Exposition. This area has remnants of old buildings, terraces, and succulents.

I chose this view of the garden because I liked how the cloudy skies and light rain muted the distant California Tower and Dome. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish this on-site, but I was able to work on it some more today. As I painted, I got carried away and added the wall. To be clear, if you ever go to the Old Cactus Garden, it is highly unlikely that you will see this wall.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Making Plans

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Sarah Sullivan

I went to a live drawing session yesterday. The model was young, gorgeous, and able to sit still for 20 minutes throughout a three-hour session. Her face had an expression as though she were taking the world in and making plans for it.

It was a good work session and I came home with several good possibilities for portraits. I worked a few more hours on this one today, lifting color out and repainting parts until I was satisfied that I caught some of her beauty and personality.

Posted in Body Language, Figures, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Winter Nights

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Sarah Sullivan

We have a cozy little room with a fireplace. I love this scene and over the years have painted it several times but never came as close as I did tonight to capturing the feeling of winter nights by the fireplace.

The new paper I am exploring, Colourfix by Art Spectrum, takes layers and layers of gouache and stays intact. And the more layers of gouache I put down, the more intense the colors become. I will have a happy new year learning about this paper.

And I wish a Happy New Year to you!

Posted in Interior | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Kitchen Table

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

The table and flowers are from this week’s Tuesday night still-life session. Because I like to include something of my own, I added our kitchen as a background.

Posted in Still Life | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Terrific 2023!

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Early Morning at the Plaza de Panama

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

Our Thursday Morning plein air group met at the Plaza de Panama in Balboa Park. Recently, I noticed this view with a pedestrian walkway connecting the two fountains. It was on my mind as a potential painting and was even nicer this morning with its long, deep shadows.

Posted in Plein Air | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Afternoon in Winter

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Sarah Sullivan

Even in San Diego, the afternoon light becomes softer and more diffuse.

Posted in Still Life | Tagged , , | 13 Comments