One of my favorite San Diego views is the view of the Florida Canyon Trailhead from the Rose Garden at Balboa Park. It is especially compelling in late spring when our rainy season is ending, and the foliage is young and green. The morning fog was still visible when I started, and I had fun putting in the mist and mountains.
The commercial flowers fields are irresistible just now. Drivers on the busy I-5 interstate pass the giant flower beds, so we know when to gather up our supplies and give in to the vibrancy of the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers.
I stood on a rise at the far northeast corner and could see the view as the fields dropped down to the sea. The ranunculus beds are arranged by color and carve a pattern across a vast area, then transition to the city and the coast. Someday I will take a full sheet of paper and interpret the full scene.
By the time I started this third and final sketch from the San Diego Horticultural Society’s Spring Tour, I was tired enough to sit while painting, something I rarely do. I found a spot under a massive oak tree and enjoyed its dappled shade while I painted in the big shapes of this painting. This morning I finished up by augmenting the arbor with imaginary flowers.
An abundance of flowers and plants is such a delight. This is my second sketch from the San Diego Horticulture Society’s Spring Tour, and I focused on a beautiful agave. I liked how the surrounding flowers accentuated its long leaves and crowded them much closer than they really were.
The San Diego Horticulture Society held its 2022 Spring Tour today, and I was honored to be a featured artist in the garden at the Casa de Flores. I painted all day and came home with three pieces, the first of which is above. There was still quite a bit of morning shade, and the shadows brought out the color of the flowers and earth. I especially liked the dirt path that went up the hill.
What could be better than a lovely spring coupled with an easing of COVID restrictions?
The San Diego Watercolor Society restarted its weekly figure sessions, and I spent the morning painting ten and twenty-minute poses. I also spent the morning remembering which brushes I like for figures, which yellow/red/blue triads work well for mixing skin colors, how to plan so the full figure fits onto the page, and feeling rusty.
I was over at Tidelands Park in Coronado and sketched a view of the San Diego Harbor. It was low tide, so these two had an extra-long way to pull in their rowboat. I liked the shape of their boat against the layers of the beach.
Deliberate Sketching 