For Real?

Last week, while my guests were shopping in Laguna Beach, I excused myself and went to the Laguna Art Museum.

It had been a while since I was there and the galleries looked completely different. Last time there were some modern art exhibits on show but most of the wall space was taken up with early California Impressionism works with a contemporary watercolour artist showing on the upper level.

This time it was largely modern art with a serious dose of whimsey.

My favourite show was called 'Faux Real' in which things are not always what they seem to be.

These vases were pictures of vases.

Usually photography is not allowed in museums in order to protect the copyright of the artists or the people/institutions who own the art. For this exhibition there was a sign saying that photography was not only allowed but even encouraged.

All the items on this table were made of fabric.

Cloth art supplies.

This was a very large cupcake that you could climb into through a door (seen on the right).

Fruitful Efforts

I don't have a name for this yet. 5"x7" Oil on canvas.

Underneath the painting is a rough texture created by spreading modeling paste across the canvas before painting. Doing so the day before painting allows for plenty of time for the paste to dry.

I've had guests from England staying with me for the last few days and it has been fun to share some southern California experiences with them: bonfire and hot dogs at the beach, sunsets over the ocean, surfing, shopping and people watching at Laguna Beach, eating where the locals go, and a visit to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano.

This Lily is from one of the Mission's fountains.

Now the guests have gone it is time to wash and put away the sheets and towels, put the furniture back in place, and return to painting.

Heads Up

'Laguna Headland' 5" x 7" Oil on Canvas.

This is based on a painting I started on location but never finished. I wasn't very good at defecting distractions from all the people stopping at my easel as I was painting in Heisler Park in Laguna Beach.

Friendly Flowers

It has been a little while since I have painted with acrylic paints and I had forgotten how fast they dry compared with oils. But it was fun to work with them again.
I call this a still-life because it was done from a photograph of flowers in my garden.

'Complimentary Companions' 5" x 7" Acrylic on Canvas.

Road Trip 6

This is the final post about my recent road trip. This post backtracks a little and deals with a reoccurring site we saw on the coastal portion, California Missions.

Read about the California Missions here and here.

Because of our schedule, we weren't always able to go into the Mission because we arrived outside of their visiting hours. However sometime we could get pictures of the gardens through the locked gates.

Mission San Jose de Guadalupe.

Mission Santa Cruz.

Mission San Juan Bautisa.

Father Serra who founded many of the missions.

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.

Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima.

Displays showing how the rooms would have looked during the Mission era.

Adobe bricks.

How the bricks are made.

MIssion Santa Barbara.

Chalk artwork in front of the church.

Father Serra again.

Distance to the next missions.

Mission San Buenaventura.

For a review of my visit to Mission San Juan Capistrano see here and here.