I painted near Lake Hodges today, just north of San Diego. We are nearing the end of our dry season and the water in the lake is nearly gone, but even so, the foliage is greener than most of the non-irrigated parts of Southern California. There some homes along the ridge above the lake and I liked the way they sat above the greens of the dry lake bed.
There were lots of parents and kids at the pumpkin patch this morning, and each sported a masks. Not the traditional sort of Halloween masks, but the the new normal kind.
I squeezed in as many people as I could into this scene, but people were actually spread out in order to avoid contact with others. It was great to see people out enjoying the season and keeping safe while doing so.
The marine layer was still heavy when I met my friends at San Dieguito Lagoon. The pathways of the tidal flow were beautiful and immediately became my focus.
The sun, masked by fog, was just showing above the hills, and much of the landscape was in murky shadows. The water was two-toned, bright with reflected light and a contrasting indigo blue. I worked quickly, but even so, there were significant visual changes as I went along. For instance, the trees’ edges began to light up, and the water’s color shifted from gray to blue.
About two hours later, the tide had come in a bit but, the morning was still overcast. Nevertheless, the landscape was illuminated with the kind of overhead light that allows color to show. The water was still two-toned and now showing blue and purple.
Both of these gouache sketches are on a half sheet of Stonehenge Black Watercolor paper.
Last Friday, after finishing ‘Because of the Gardeners,’ it was still early. I looked around thinking that I could at least get a good start on a second piece.
I noticed how the walkways led to my friend, who was painting at the other end of the garden. I also thought the people strolling around, admiring the flowers in the center of the boxwood hedges, added a sweet touch to the scene. I got to work, and put in the basics of the people, building, sky, and hedges.
I overlooked taking a photo with my phone. So, this morning, when I got back to working on this, I felt little obligation to show the actual garden. Instead, I worked to make my friend the center of attention by changing the color of her clothing and easel, darkening the walkways leading to her, and adding in the smaller person in the center left.
Balboa Park has become something of a steady date in the heat. Its shade, beauty, peace, and variety are a huge draw. Today I painted in Alcazar Garden, a formal garden with boxwood hedges and mature tropical plants.
I was setting up my easel, thinking about the possibilities, when I saw the gardener. I liked his thin shape and the colors of his vest and the blower. I began to sketch him, and as I drew, I noticed his measured way of working. Every few minutes, he would survey his work and smile a little bit. Watching him made me think about the tremendous service that he and the other park gardeners do for all of us in San Diego, and I wanted to convey this gratitude in this sketch.
We camped on the edge of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, not in the park, but along the Rainbow Trail in Kaibab Forest. If you look closely at this painting, you can see our two campers, my husband, sister, and her husband. Our spot was just down the road from North Timp Point.
The hiking and biking along the 36 -mile single track trail was irresistible. Between the canyon views and the fall colors, we were overwhelmed by the richness. Each day we went out for hours. This sketch shows my sister reading in an aspen grove while her dog sits close by.
Each morning, I got up early to attempt to capture something of the canyon’s grandeur. And each morning I became entangled in the challenges of showing something as complicated as the Grand Canyon. It is incredibly vast, deep, and full of formations that do not line up with neighboring formations. The canyon lighting is dramatic and the shadows shift as the day progresses. I often lost my place and would find that I was repainting a landmark that I had already placed somewhere on my page. Here is an early sketch. You can see that I had trouble.
I soon found that the massive mountain that dominated the view is Steamboat Mountain and learned to use it as an anchor for the other formations. Even as I became more skilled in showing the view, I did not succeed in showing its beauty. The following sketch is the last one that I did the morning we left the canyon. I wanted very much to capture something of the canyon’s glory, but this remains a goal for another trip.
My favorite sketch is the first one in this blogpost. I like its simplicity, its colors, and the fact that it tells a story that is easy to understand.
The model for our Zoom sketching session yesterday had the air of a thinker. His eyes were wide open and he looked directly into the camera. His left hand in front of his face seemed to hold an idea that he was pondering. And then there was something about the way he sat upright, not leaning on his arm, that conveyed a readiness to consider principles and render judgment.
Deliberate Sketching 