San Diego Harbor on a Smoky Day

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I got up early and went to Tidelands Park on Coronado Island, just across the harbor from downtown San Diego. On a typical September morning, the sky and water would be dominated by blue hues.

Today, however, we had a heavy marine layer that was thickened with smoke from the California fires. Even by noon when I was leaving, there was no sign of blue skies or water. The ships, sailboats, bridge, and buildings, all blended together as they receded away from view. To show the marine layer, I took a 2- inch brush and pulled a wash across the whole top of the page.

The number of wildfires in the western states is unbelievable. Our amazing firefighters are getting a handle on our local large wildfire, but it will be a long time before all the fires are out and our air is clean again. Climate change is real.

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Model in Red

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I sketched by Zoom with the Fresno group this evening. Our model, an older gentleman, dressed in a flowing outfit of gorgeous reds. I loved how he sat back in his recliner, letting the red steal the show.

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Summer Nights

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I sketched this musician during a Zoom session last week, but needed to go back and finish up. She was a lovely young woman with slender limbs and she held her guitar in a way that made me know it was important to her. Although she was actually sitting inside on a couch, there was something about her that reminded me of singing in groups during the warm summer nights of my youth.

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Canyon Runners

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I painted for a few hours this morning at Balboa Park. I looked East toward Florida Canyon and admired all the dry desert vegetation with its dusty grays, browns, and greens. But most of all, I admired the runners who were zipping up and down the canyon trails.

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Painting Horses

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

Last month in Arizona, I painted the horses that were pastured nearby, but they always looked a little wrong. So today I studied my photos and noticed that horses have longer necks, larger head and thinner legs than the ones I drew.

Then I spent the afternoon finishing up some of the paintings with horses that I started on my Arizona trip last month. I liked this sketch overall, but the original horses were poorly drawn. Now after adjusting the three horses in this sketch to make them better proportioned, I just need to make them less awkward, more relaxed, and more connected to the background.

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At Balboa Park

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

Last Sunday I was at Balboa Park and got a pretty good start on this sketch. This evening I pulled it out and finished it up with shadows and figures.

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Glorietta Bay

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I went out to Glorietta Bay on nearby Coronado Island and began to paint, thinking that the mid morning fog would lift and the sea and sky would turn into glorious blues. As you can see, I was mistaken. Even so, the day did not disappoint as I was able to sketch some of the many people who were out and about enjoying a break from our heat wave.

Including people in a landscape painting continues to challenge me. So often they look added on, rather than organically part of the scene.

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