Fielding Colour

This is from a photograph I took when I was last in England. It is of rapeseed fields which are in full bloom in May.

'Springtime Fields' 8" x 8" acrylic on board.

Convincing

Sometimes I find it hard to choose a painting or drawing project because I can't make a decision. I don't know if it is a lack of inspiration, or motivation, or having too many choices. Sometimes I'm trying to be too serious or building up too many expectations as to how good I want something to turn out.

Then one day something drops into your lap (or post/letter box) that grabs your attention and gets the creative and fun juices flowing.

Such a day occurred for me when a promotional clothing booklet was posted to my house. I'd never heard of the company before and didn't think their style suited my beach life in southern California but I liked the book.

Inside were pictures of a model against a plain background.

I instantly knew I wanted to do something with this book but what? I kept it near and would think about it at odd moments during the days that followed.

Then I decided that the plain background was the perfect backdrop for scenes of my own invention.

This first picture was done quickly without much thought. But then I tried to match the background to an impression I felt the clothes gave off. So had there been a background what kind would the company have used?

The dress below reminded me a little of school wear.

The next two seemed to fit a snowy environment.

As you can see, the drawings are quick and quite crude in parts. I can draw very well but this exercise is not about 'proving' I can draw. It is about being creative, having fun, and doing something a little different from my usual artwork. Who knows but that it will spark an idea for something else in the future.

You don't have to have fabulous drawing skills to play in this way. Or even if you do, it is still fun to see what scenes you can create. If you don't want to draw you might cut out pictures of models in magazines and find new backgrounds to place them against creating a new 'story' than the one the magazine had originally intended.

Note: the paper in this book is not very absorbent. If I have to close the book before the ink is dry I put a plain piece of paper in that page to stop the ink from marking the opposite page.

Coasting Back

I love living at the beach. However, there are times when you have to venture inland to visit other places and people. 

Recently I was in Utah to visit friends and daily for ten days. Although we had a wonderful time, it was lovely to get back to that moist coastal air again.

As you might have guessed by now, I also love sunsets and these are two stunning ones I saw from our room.

 As always after a trip, there is a lot to catch up on but I am also working on some ideas for future paintings.

Road Trip 5

We are nearing the end of the journey. Every day was packed with things to see and do and many things we didn't have time for. I was constantly amazed at all the State Parks and reserves and other sights there were to see so close to each other.

One of the highlights of the trip was hiking five miles around the Point Lobos Reserve. Every section of the trail was filled to the brim with beauty. Hillsides covered with trees and wildflowers, seals and otters feeding, swimming or resting.

Lots of Poison Oak to avoid.

Bird Island.

The fog was following us but we managed to keep ahead of it until the last moment.

The Big Sur coastline is stunning. The road winds in continuous twists and turns as it hugs the cliffs. We stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls which falls onto a beach below.

An added treat was to see several California Condors. Huge birds just 25 feet away from us.

A walk through Limekiln State Park.

Keep an eye out for snakes on the trail.

Getting my feet wet crossing a creek was worth it for this waterfall.

The Piedras Blanca Elephant Seal Colony.

Play nicely please!

Morro Bay.

Otters.

Surf at Morro Bay.

Next stop Pismo Beach.

One of the rare beaches you can drive or ride on. We decided to forgo the opportunity.

Ventura.

Our last day was marked by very heavy coastal fog close to shore. Even so I wanted to stop at Venice Beach in LA as I had never seen it in person.

It looked less glamourous in person than it did on TV.

Our original plan had been to drive all the way down Highway 1 till we got home but the visibility was so bad we decided to get home sooner by taking the freeway - and promptly got caught in Holiday weekend traffic!

I hope you've enjoyed following in our tracks and perhaps inspired you to take your own California road trip one day. 

There's just one more road trip post to come where I feature the California Missions we visited on the coastal portion of our trip.

Road Trip 4

We came out of the mountains and foothills and turned west towards the coast. Here we are in the Sacramento River delta area. Along the river were some quaint towns with old buildings, art galleries and small food markets.

There were various metal bridges every so often to small islands in the river.

We headed back into the trees near Santa Cruz to visit the Redwoods.

These trees are really tall.

The local wildlife keeping an eye on us.

Did I mention these trees are tall?

Interesting texture.

Today was our first rainy day but we made the best of it. The surfing museum was closed. Had everyone gone surfing?

Getting to the waves isn't always easy.

Some surfing rules.

The pier in Santa Cruz allows cars on it.

Despite the rain the Boardwalk was busy, though there were few takers for some rides.

I think having fun is allowed though.

We took a lovely walk along the cliffs so that Hubby could show me some of his old surf spots.

A surf spot called the Hook. Surfers give all the surfing spots a name. Some have to do with its location, or the way the wave behaves, and some are named for people.