Clear to Sea Part Two

Yesterday I left you on a boat in Newport Bay after enjoying a fabulous unclose view of California Sea Lions.

The second portion of the ride focused on the various homes, boats, islands and other sights to be seen around the Bay.

The house below is owned by Hollywood actress, Diane Keaton.

Some interesting birds passing through the area.

Boats and more boats. I get seasick so owning a boat has never appealed to me.

The lady who owns this house has over 3,000 bears who all like having a view of the water.

The front of the party Tiki Boat.

A view of the ferry. It takes three to four cars.

A house owned by a couple from new York where the wife was missing home.

Collins island only has eight homes on it.

This home used to be owned by Hollywood actor Charles Bronson.

This home was either once owned by golfer Tiger Woods or someone completely different. I hadn't heard of many of the people who owned homes here so after a while, the names and homes all blurred together.

This empty piece of land will cost you $22 million.

Hollywood actor John Wayne's (the Duke) former home. My Dad loved western films so I grew up watching John Wayne on TV.

This boat is worth $42 million and is owned by the owners of the Shogun restaurants.

The Balboa Bay Club. Hubby used to play a gig here as part of a trio.

This is a upscale clothing store.

John Wayne's former boat.

Once owned by Hollywood actor Rock Hudson.

Lido Island.

At the end of the boat trip we made our way from the Peninsula back to Balboa Island.

When the boat docks, a ramp drops down to allow cars to drive off. Pedestrians exit to the right via a side ramp.

We returned to our friends hotel for dinner and to enjoy the sunset.

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.