Beginnings of Early Spring

Here in northern California, winter is slowly leaving us and the early signs of Spring are beginning.  The air is a little warmer in the early morning hours.  The daffodils are in full bloom in the garden now.  The bluejay are flying around and perching in the backyard trees, the squirrels are scurrying around.  The weeds are sprouting and growing too well.

Time to start weeding.  I'm looking forward to fertilizing the roses this month, looking forward to new rose blooms, new discoveries, in and out of the garden.

Wishing you some newness in your March and subtle anticipation of what is to be discovered in this new year still unfolding.

A New Year

In January each year, I look back to look forward.  Last fall, my husband and I found ourselves back in Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe to take in the brilliant autumn golds shining against the dense, dark green pine trees and not too far away to take in the blue depths of Lake Tahoe.  I started this watercolor in the fall and finished it this week in the new year.

In the current January issue of Sunset magazine, there is a quote by Kaui Hart Hemmings (author of the book, "The Descendants"), "We are known for slack key guitar, which is appropriate." "Hennings writes of the spirit of aloha." "It means to loosen the key and that is what we are able to do while maintaining busy, productive lives."

Maybe this is the way to start the year, as I begin my renewed resolutions, begin them with new energy but maybe in a more relaxed way, also. Kitty Morgan, Sunset Magazine's editor-in-chief stated in this month's issue of Sunset- about her new year's resolution, "To loosen the key.  To enjoy the every day miracles around me."

I hope to explore and paint the natural world around me more this year.  And, also, this week I began a new experience by joining a great group of artists at the Sutter Street Artists Gallery in historic Folsom, CA.  I hope to learn from and share new experiences with this artist group  as we all begin this new season (www.sutterstreetartists.com).

Wishing you health and happiness in this new year.

Autumn Road Trip

The idea of getting out on the road and exploring the west during the autumn season was something my husband and I looked forward to this last September/October.  We started out in Albuquerque and headed north to Santa Fe one afternoon to witness the first of many spectacular sunsets during our trip.  We explored Madrid, an old coal mining town-turned artist community. Not too far away, we explored an old twenty-eight room adobe trading post out in the middle of the desert run by the same family for the last 40 years.   I thought who would want to live out in the middle of a dusty desert without much around and then we began to share family roots that we both had in Nebraska and then I understood.  We heard about the owners hopes and dreams (new and old), and there newly obtained mining rights to a turquoise mine which will provide new hopes and dreams for them, their children and grandchildren.  The flavors of New Mexico food were amazing, also.  It will take awhile to really absorb all we saw-the deep green pine forests north of Taos (flecked with the golden leaves of aspen), the George O'Keefe country (Abiquiui and Ghost Ranch area) and the sunrises and sunsets of Monument Valley (This is a place where time seems to stand still, while clothed in brilliant golden oranges, vermilion, and rose magenta).

Wishing you warmth and small golden discoveries on your daily journeys this November, this month of Thanksgiving.

August - Late Summer

Late summer-how can that be?  Last I wrote, I was gearing up for the Colfax July artwalk.  For all of the participating artists and Colfax businesses, the art walk took on new meaning as the "Robbers" fire was still growing near Colfax, the day of the artwalk.  I had brought cookies and sparkling water originally for the art reception and attendees.  Instead the sparkling water was offered to the town's residents that I met who came into Bear River Trading Company asking about each others homes, offering each other support and offering places to stay for families who were evacuated from their homes.  I learned a new meaning of community spirit that night.

My husband and I shared in the spirit of Courtland's (another small community-this town is located along the Sacramento Delta) annual Pear fair, also, in late July.  There was music, awesome vintage cars, artisans and bbq.  Picked up pears (of course) and made my first pear pie-a new future  summer tradition. Attached painting is an image of the Sacramento Delta.
I would love to hear about your summer discoveries, too.

As summer winds down and we gear up for autumn, I leave this post with a quote from a cooler summer place- this last week's Big Sur's Nepenthe restaurant facebook page, "Waking up to fog-while remembering heat waves stretching coast to coast-imbues the morning coffee with a sense of gratitude for this uniquely Big Sur kind of weather.  Cool foggy mornings that ask us to dwell inward.  As the day opens, like a flower to the sun, so do we.  At Nepenthe this week, summertime lingers for those who have just started back to school-hovering the edge of autumn with all the changes that post-Labor Day season invites.  Fog dissipates finally and sun beams down bouncing off shade umbrellas and the red terrace, while stellar jays caw and swoop, and the red tail hawk navigates the thermals below, his flight a suspension of gravity as if on one breath, not a flutter of a wing."

July in Colfax

 

July is the month for 4th of July celebrations, picnics in the park, summer reading, summer day trips, summer clothing sales, and the July 13th Colfax Artwalk.

I will be participating in this artwalk next Friday, July 13th from 3-8 p.m. at the Bear River Trading Co. (http://www.bearrivertradingco.com/) in Colfax, CA.  Bear River Trading Co. is a women's western wear clothing store that sells name brands at a great price (see their website for details).  If you happen to want to get away to a historic little town located in the Sierras (not too far from Auburn) with a lot of railroad and goldmining history (http://www.ci.colfax.ca.us/), join me in celebrating summer!  There will be food to sample and I will have my latest paintings there.  There will be other artists to meet at shops and restaurants throughout historic Colfax that day 3-8 p.m., also,  who have created great artwork to view and be inspired.  (facebook.com/colfaxartwalk). If you cannot make it up on the 13th, all artwork will be on display for the month of July in this wonderful historic town. There are some great restaurants and a restored train depot (Amtrak still has a stop here).  There is much to explore in scenery and history in the Colfax region.  Wishing you a little sunshine in your summer.

May

May flowers and mountain creeks and streams.  My discovery of all of the flower blooms this Spring and the gentle sounds of mountain creeks can be viewed at the following shows.

My painting Hope Valley Creek is in the current Folsom Arts Association membership show at the Bank of America Art Gallery/Three Stages at the Folsom Lake College.  http://www.threestages.net/
This show reflects local artists who have created wonderful images reflecting the area where we all live.

May flowers are blooming at the ACAI Gallery in Fair Oaks.  Four of my flower paintings are showing with other local artists at this gallery this month http://www.acaistudios.com/ 

Winters Plein Air Festival

This last week I participated in the annual Winters Plein Air Art Festival 2012.  There were over 40 artists who participated in this event.  We had from 5/4 to 5/11 to paint the wonderful small agricultural town of Winters, CA and/ or paint the vineyards and the surrounding hills (just so the painting location was within a 15 mile radius of downtown Winters).

The artists who participated produced some very strong paintings by the end of the week.  I enjoyed getting to know some of these artists.  One day while painting a vineyard, I met an almond grower who pulled up on his tractor to see what we were doing. He gave us a wonderful agricultural history of the area.  Twelve miles from Winters you can see the beginnings of Lake Berryessa (ptg attached).  While painting at the Berryessa site, we heard bull frogs!! very loud!  The third painting shown here was painted on Russell Blvd.  These paintings (along with many other great artists' works) can be viewed at Briggs and Company, 314 Railroad, Winters, CA 95694 (http://www.briggsandco.com/)

from May 11th through May 30th.