Yes, There Really is Breakfast at Tiffany's

High Desert Pink and Blue

12 x 14

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

ANITA AND BRUCE'S ADVENTURE TO

My husband and I took a trip to Beverly Hills while staying at our daughter's house this past week. We're both natives to L.A. and have been to Beverly Hills zillions of times before BUT here's a new on us. Right next door to the famous Tiffany & Co. there actually exists a restaurant that features breakfast.

Breakfast anyone? and you're right next door to

We dropped into the William Karges Gallery to find this outstanding painting by Granville Redmond (1871-1935 ). This comes with a sticker shock price tag over $200,000. 

Granville Redmond"s  "Poppy Landscape"

Here's another very beautiful painting we saw by contemporary artist Dennis Doheny

(b 1956).

Dennis Doheny    "Morning Palms"

Sonny's Obsession

Sunglow

8 x10

Pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes Paper

Two days ago Sonny was at his usual spot in the dining room on the lookout for the two cats who live next door.

 It seems that lately he's become quite obsessed with these cats. He interrupts his meals to walk over to the window to see if they have returned.  He's forever staring out that door. The dear are now taking a back seat to the cats. Don't get me wrong, he barks at them also ,in fact he seems to bark at anything that moves.

He's making us crazy lately with the addition of these cats.  As it happens, this time it was the deer who showed up. Sonny's an equal rights barking dog so the deer got the same barking time as the cats.

Why Winter Scenes Now ?

Winter at Fishslough    Sold

18 x 24

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

Why winter scenes now? Because I don't have any autumn scenes to show you except one and since I have about 5 works in progress, I thought why not show my winter paintings whose title starts with winter. Makes sense to me. If you don't get my logic, don't lose any sleep over it. Here are some more "Winter........"  paintings.

Winter's Glow   Sold

16 x 20

Pastel on Sanded Board

Winter at Fishslough II  Sold

18 x 24

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

Winter at Fish Slough IV

23 x 27

Pastel on Suade Mat Board

Winter Show Case

12 x 16

Pastel on Linen Mat Board



Day Trip to Yosemite

Yosemite Valley Morning Mist

8 x 10

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a trip into Yosemite. The weather was great and the scenery awe inspiring as always even if the water falls were all but gone. Here's some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Going in we had a couple of not very long delays going in due to road improvement work. Here are scenes from the valley floor.

View looking up from the valley floor.

Merced River ambling through the meadow on the valley floor

Another view looking up at those marvelous hunks of granite.

Merced River view another view

And another

Facelift

Confetti

8 x 10

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

Work in Progress

8 x 10

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper

About the cover painting on the blog Mardi Gras : This is 15 x 19 Pastel on Canson Board. I created this work to express feelings of celebration and joy. The painting , once started, took on a life of its own. It was pure pleasure to paint. I did not put too many layers of pastel on it so as to allow the texture/pattern of the paper to show through. I used mostly Terry Ludwig pastels. They work so well to help me express   a loose free form style that I like.  

I was pleased with the results and wanted to do more so I continued on with two more paintings as shown above.

What I Like About Car Shows

Cool Color

They all look so inviting

Nice Rear

 Saturday my husband and I did our usual walk aroung the Lake. When we came to where we could see the clubhouse and parking lot we were met with a a delightful scene along with do wop  music playing over the loud speaker.  I felt happy all over humming along and quickening my pace. What is it about car shows that I love? Is it the great colors of the cars. Is it the shinyness, is it the music. Is it that it takes me back to my teens and fun times like going to the local drive in for burgers and flirting with the guys ( our local one was called Bob's Big Boy) . Could it be that it reminds me of my husband's first car a 38' Chevy held together by godknows what? Could it be all of the above. In anycase, it's something I enjoy. I was thinking about this when I realize that art has a lot in common with car shows. I noticed that often times someone will pause at a painting of mine for quite a while and when I approach the person they will say something about the painting that reminds them of a place they have been to at sometime in their past and how it brings fond memories to the forefront of their mind. 

When I hear such comments, I feel a deep satisfaction , a profound pleasure that makes my endeavors worth every minute of the times of struggles and frustrations I go through as an artist.

Tamed Joaquin

18 x 24

Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper



About My Cover Painting

High Desert Seduction II

18 x 24

Pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes Paper

When I first moved to a place called Palmdale, California in the high desert about 65 miles north of Los Angeles I said " The day has come when snowballs fall in hell". I said that because up to that time I said " What a god forsaken place this is, this ugly, ugly desert . The day it rains snowballs in hell is when I would move to this place. Who would want to live there." Well folks, the day happened in 1990 when my husband's job took him there . But what happened was that over time I came to love this high desert with its fabulous sun rises and sun sets. I became familiar with the beauty brought on by the different seasons. I specially loved the spring bloom. It inspired me to paint, paint and paint some more. I felt an intimacy with the land that I never felt before.

Here are a couple more high desert paintings.

Blue Barn and Poppies   Sold

18 x 24

Pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes Paper

Here's another one

Poppyhill

Pastel on Suade Mat Board   Sold

8 x 10





Sierra Art Trails Weekend is Over - The Aftermath

       Heron Lake photo taken this morning.

Sales were definitely not brisk for me this year at Sierra Art Trails but the attendance was good and my upcoming class appears to be full. The people had many wonderful things to say abut my works and I enjoyed speaking with my visitors.. Enough said about that because as an artist, I have learned to take something good out of every showing I have. Yes, I go into my corner for a little while and lick my chops but I come out very soon knowing it's time to get over it and go on, and it's time to get back to my easel and paint with more enthusiasm the ever before.

We had an amazing thunder storm throughout the early am hours Sun with over 1,000 yes 1,000 lightning strikes . People living here a long time are saying they never experienced anything like this before.. The lightning strikes lasted for span of several hours. It poured at times and we had hail to boot. Very exciting indeed . Today is Tuesday and for the first time in a long time my husband and I hiked around Heron Lake this morning in the misty light rain. Steam was coming off the lake. It was very beautiful. I took some photos that I'm sharing with you today. Here are some more.