Tag Archives: 5×7 inches

Hillcrest, San Diego Plein Air

Hillcrest Painting San Diego Plein Air

Hillcrest Painting San Diego Plein Air – For sale

Morning light on the corner of Robinson and Park Blvd in San Diego. A short walk from my house in Hillcrest.

I like this corner because of the way the buildings pile up on the hill behind the art deco building in front. I like painting steep areas.

Hillcrest plein air

San Francisco’s vertigo- inducing streets are more famous- but San Diego’s got its fair share of knee-killing ascents. Painting the city on the hills is a new project of mine.

Here are a few of my favorites:

San Diego California
North Park from Hillcrest

San Diego Paintings
Hillcrest

San Diego California Landscape Painting
North Park

Hillcrest, San Diego, Urban Street Painting
University Heights

Red Rock Canyon Painting

Red Rock Canyon Painting, Las Vegas, Nevada

Red Rock Canyon Painting, Las Vegas, Nevada – Buy now

A plein air painting from Red Rock national conservation area in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I planned to go at dawn.

I would paint glorious desert sunrises. I left the hotel at 6:15. It was only 20 minutes to Red Rocks.

I then got hopelessly lost. But hope is an anchor, and I did not give up.

Those of you who’ve known me for a while are familiar with the drill. The night before, I carefully copied down directions to and from my hotel. I sent maps to my phone. I double checked everything. I drove out of the parking garage, took one wrong turn, and proceeded to drive all the way around the city on the beltway.

Eventually, I did find the right road, so I exited 215 and drove out into the desert. I was rejoicing- but I rejoiced too soon. The road dead-ended in a half-built subdivision.

Turned out I was still on the opposite side of town from Red Rocks. So I executed a 3 point turn and drove straight across the city for about 20 miles, or 40 miles, or however far it was, and arrived at Red Rocks around 2 PM. Red Rocks was stunningly beautiful so I think it was worth it.

The day was wonderfully mild- not 105 as I had feared, and I was able to work on several paintings. Here’s the first one.

Red Rock Canyon Plein Air

Red Rock Canyon Plein Air

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View from the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas

View from Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas Painting

The view from our 51st floor balcony at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. Another plein air piece- I didn’t touch it up and just left it rough. I like it this way.

For sale

Vegas Painting

Painting in Vegas

shephard fairey

Leaving Vegas at the crack of dawn, laden with heavy, heavy painting stuff. Shephard Fairey mural in the parking garage of the hotel.

Cottage Liquor, Hillcrest

Painting of San Diego

For sale

Cottage Liquor in Hillcrest. This is where I go to buy 90% of my Lotto tickets.

Painting of San Diego

This is as far as I got with the painting plein air before the sun got too fierce, around 9:30 AM. I’d already had to move the easel once (the date palm went behind the building when I did) to get under a tree… one of my first painting teachers told us, paint in the shade, and she’s absolutely right.

Painting of USD

Painting of University of San Diego

Painting of University of San Diego

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The University of San Diego on its hilltop, seen from across Mission Valley in… Pioneer Park? I think that’s the name.

San Diego Plein Air

I painted this on Labor Day in a perfect ocean breeze.

Sometimes I touch up plein air works in the studio afterwards, but this time I liked the painting the way it is.

Santa Ynez Valley Landscape Painting

Santa Ynez Valley Landscape Painting

Santa Ynez Valley Landscape Painting is for sale.

Sunny skies, golden summer grass, and deep green shade in the Santa Ynez Valley, near Santa Barbara, CA.

We spent a long weekend in Santa Barbara earlier in the summer, and I just discovered this and a couple of other paintings that I forgot to post. It’s a beautiful place.

We joined a wine club the day I started this painting up in the hills over Santa Barbara… and that wine shipment should arrive any minute now!