Tag Archives: california

Kensington San Diego Painting

Kensington Cafe, San Diego

Kensington San Diego Painting

Spring Forward at the Kensington Cafe- for sale

Painted over morning coffee on the patio at Starbucks in the San Diego neighborhood of Kensington. It’s a really nice area.

There were great views in all directions, including a stunning Sixties Functional gas station and a Modernist library with trees growing through the architecture. I didn’t paint the library though; I got too discombobulated from Spring Forward. I’ll have to go back.

While I am primarily an oil painter, I love the immediacy of completing a loose pen and ink sketch highlighted with watercolor.

At this point, I think I’m going to have to call this a series: Sunday at Starbucks.

San Diego Oil Landscape Painting

San Diego Eucalyptus Trees, Gray Day

San Diego Oil Landscape Painting

Eucalyptus in Balboa Park- for sale

A grey day.

I started this painting, and got to here when it started raining. Normally, I’d come back another day to finish, but then I decided I loved it as-is.

And I thought, this is probably one of those where you put one more brush stroke on it and it doesn’t work anymore.

Santa Barbara Beach Sailboats

Santa Barbara Beach Sailboats Painting

Santa Barbara Beach Sailboats

Santa Barbara Sparkle – buy now

A plein air painting standing on the beach in Santa Barbara.

This was my last painting of the morning- and probably begun around 10:30 AM, before dashing off to a birthday celebration! May have been earlier though; I was out there at sunrise.

San Diego Landscape Painting

Church in Golden Hill, San Diego

San Diego Landscape Painting

Church in Golden Hill- for sale

A plein air painting of a church- I think maybe a church converted to apartments, but I’m not sure- in Golden Hill, San Diego.

The church is Art Deco, I believe is the correct architectural period, but this painting session got shortened and I left out most of those deco details. It got fiercely hot on the hill on this January day, and even despite the UV umbrella, the UV hat, the special UV blocking shirt, I just felt like I was frying in my skin. My freckled, European skin. So I bailed! No deco for you.

Mission Hills Painting San Diego Watercolor

Mission Hills Watercolor, San Diego

Mission Hills Painting San Diego Watercolor

Liquor store on the corner- buy now

Just painted this one at breakfast. One slight snafu when a very pregnant woman illegally parked in the red zone, blocking my view with her Prius. But she got her coffee and left quickly!

San Diego Balboa Park Museum of Man Painting

Balboa Park Museum of Man, San Diego

San Diego Balboa Park Museum of Man Painting

Archways- for sale

A plein air painting of the Museum of Man, from the Laurel Street (a.k.a. Cabrillo) Bridge. This was one of those where the light was going and it was getting cold- almost 60 degrees in February, which is practically impossible to deal with and I had to zip up my sweatshirt- but I tried to get one more painting out of the afternoon and I’m glad I did. Who does not love these buildings? I left off some of the Baroque twiddles because there just wasn’t time, but I love the archways.

Oh, and there were street singers while I was painting this as well as another piece which I haven’t photographed yet, but hope to post soon. It was original, nice, tenor singing, a guy and a girl playing together. All in all, a great afternoon.

Balboa Park

Ah yes, and one more thing. If you’re in San Diego Sunday night, I have a painting in this juried exhibition- En Plein Air International Exhibition. The reception is from 6-9 PM at L Street Fine Art in Downtown San Diego. It’s a convenient spot right off the Trolley line and with ample parking. Hope to see you there!

En Plein Air

California Ocean Sunset Painting

Sunset on the Pacific

California Ocean Sunset Painting

Sunset on the Pacific – Buy Now

Driving south to San Diego from Los Angeles, we stopped at an overlook to watch the sun go down over the ocean. Part of Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base with miles of preserved natural coastline.