Painting of San Diego Museum of Man
Afternoon light. Oil painting of the tower and dome of the Museum of Man in San Diego’s Balboa Park. This is the second version of this painting- the first, plein air version, painted from the Cabrillo Bridge, I did in oil pastel.
I rarely work in oil pastel- I usually prefer chalk pastels because they layer so nicely, and it’s easy to correct mistakes.
San Diego Painting- Bougainvillea in North Park
Morning in an alley in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood, with a riot of bougainvillea growing over a fence, backlit by the early sun.
San Diego Painting is for sale.
Trash Cans in the Alley, San Diego Painting
Trash cans lined up in a sunny alley. I like painting in alleys- it’s very peaceful.
Morning Street in Hillcrest- Painting of San Diego
I like cityscapes where the buildings are layered, in this case, by time as well as height. Georgia St in San Diego.
Concha Still Life Painting
Pan dulce from our local Sprouts. The first time I tried to paint a concha, it went badly wrong and just looked like a blob. Pastries aren’t as forgiving of mistakes as, say, a piece of fruit.
I propped it up in the back so you can’t see the bite I took out of it.
Garden With Morning Glory Flowers
I love this peaceful backyard, with its overhanging mimosa and magnolia trees, velvety lawn, and the cheerful morning glory overhanging the fence. They have bougainvillea too.
Painting these peaches was a race against time and breakfast.
Peaches Still Life Painting is for sale.
I’ve been making some changes to my process lately. One thing I’ve been trying, and I’m not sure if I think it’s successful, is drawing lines freehand instead of using a ruler. On the one hand, I like the sketchy quality that emerges. On the other, I like things to be crisp.
I’ve been intrigued lately by the idea of doing tourist paintings. I’m more drawn to the opposite of landmarks- random, run-down places, or just an everyday street- but I like the idea of painting landmarks as well.
Canaletto’s career was based on them; Renoir painted his own versions of Canaletto’s Venetian cityscapes. And of course we have the rich legacy of Paris Impressionist street scenes. Monet, to me, was the star of that genre, but there were quite a few Impressionist masters. I’ll see where this idea takes me.
Also featured here: Gamblin Portland Grey! I’m always on the lookout for better ways to paint our cool, overcast mornings.
Balboa Park Painting is for sale.
A steep path above the gently rolling surf in the ecological preserve on Point Loma in San Diego. This beautiful place is full of native San Diego species of plants and animals.
We’ve had a heat wave in San Diego this week and I’m itching to head back to the beach today. If traffic permits, of course…
This Victorian is across the street from where my drawing group meets. Before it was restored, it was a wreck, but it is beautiful now.
Like so many things, it just needed a little work.
Painting of San Diego Victorian House is for sale at my Etsy shop
Mission revival houses up on a hill- they have great views over North Park.
