Rain

This afternoon I did this sketchbook watercolor of the clouds and rain showers that moved through Sonoma County this afternoon.

Watercolor; 6 x 9.5 inches

Late Afternoon, Hookton Slough

Boat landing at Hookton Slough, South Humboldt Bay.

Watercolor & Pencil; 3.5 x 11 inches

Crab Park

Labor Day Weekend at Crab Park Beach on the Eel River Estuary, Humboldt County, CA.

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Sunlight and Rocks, Shell Beach

Here's a new watercolor I did of a view overlooking the rocks at Shell Beach, along the Kortum Trail.

Watercolor, India Ink; 5.5 x 7 inches

The challenge was working with strong sunlight reflections coming off the ocean.

View of Outer Richmond District, San Francisco

Late Saturday afternoon, I did a watercolor sketch of a view overlooking the Outer Richmond District, around Point Lobos Avenue, in San Francisco. Low clouds and fading sunlight forced me to work quickly and not linger over too many details.

Watercolor, Pencil and Ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

Historic Call House at Fort Ross

Last weekend we drove up to Fort Ross for the afternoon. While there, I had the opportunity to do this small sketch of the historic Call House, built in 1878, which is located near the reconstructed Fort Ross complex.

Pencil; 3.5 x 5.5 inches

Pewetole Island

Here are recent sketches of Pewetole Island, on the Humboldt County Coast, that I painted on the same day in August of this year.  My day of sketching started off with overcast and mist, so I concentrated on the muted tones and neutrals of the scene.

Watercolor, Pencil & Ink; 7 x 10 inches

Sketchbook study, 3.5 x 7 inches

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Returning later in the day, I found different scenery with late afternoon angled sunlight on the island, which have I tried to capture in this sketch.

Panorama from Bowden Bluff

From my sketchbook; overlooking oak trees with view to the north towards Santa Rosa, from "Bowden Bluff" (Crane Creek Regional Park), on a late July afternoon.

Pencil and ink on paper; 3.5 x 11 inches

There are six small clouds in the upper right of the drawing, otherwise it was a clear sky overhead.

Storefront - Loleta Lumber

A clear, warm day at the end of June when I drew this small pencil sketch of closed-up storefronts along Main Street in Loleta, CA. The nearly overhead sun cast strong shadows from the contours and ledges of these buildings. 

Pencil on Paper; 3.5 x 5.5 inches

View of Bird Walk Marshes, Bodega Bay

A sketch I did this afternoon of Bird Walk Marshes on the edge of Bodega Bay .

Pencil; 3.5 x 11 inches

A warm, cloudy afternoon, with sounds of sea lions barking from Doran Beach.

View of the Golden Gate from Crissy Field

Here is an earlier watercolor sketch I did of the Golden Gate Bridge; this time looking from Crissy Field on a clear day.

Watercolor & Pencil; 5 x 8 inches

This page is from a sketchbook that I thought was lost during our last move, but recently found!

Cargo Ship Entering the Golden Gate Strait

Here's a small watercolor and pencil sketch that I did over the weekend.

Watercolor & Pencil; 3.5 x 11 inches

Low clouds covered the tops of the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge pylons.  A small coyote trotted though the parking lot where I was drawing.

Sketching - Heat of the Day

This afternoon I was out sketching along the trails at Crane Creek Regional Park.  A warm day (92 F); I only saw two visitors and a ranger in the park.  Also saw a noisy hawk on patrol, and an enormous vulture, that flapped up from the tall grass, like an old raincoat, each time I passed by; interrupting its feast, no doubt!  

Pencil; 3.5x5.5 inches

I stopped on the trail to do this quick pencil sketch of a hillside in full sunlight, with a gnarled tree trunk on one side with the cool shadows of foliage on the other side, where the trail is heading. Normally, I wouldn't stand out in the blazing sun long enough to do a sketch like this, but from experience I knew that somehow the camera wouldn't capture the very thing that caught my attention in the first place.

San Francisco Rooftops

Here's a sketch I did over the weekend of a view overlooking part of San Francisco, with the Pacific Ocean shown in the upper right corner.  All the time I was working on this drawing, a steady grey overcast with minimal shadows prevailed.  Almost as soon as I was finished with the drawing, the level rays of the sun came below the cloud layer and lit up the scene with a golden light with deep shadows; something that reminded me of Corot's paintings of Rome, or something by Canaletto.

Pencil & Ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

Spring Lake Meadow

While sitting in my truck this afternoon, I painted a small watercolor of a meadow in Spring Lake Park. This is the same spot as my earlier painting "In a Clearing".

Watercolor, gouache, pencil & ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

`

December Light - Pewetole Island

Watercolor study of Pewetole Island, located by Trinidad, CA.

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Sausalito Twilight - Fourth of July

Here's a small watercolor study I did, working from a snapshot (taken from inside a moving car, heading northbound on Highway 101, after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and leaving the Waldo tunnel).

Watercolor on Paper; Approx. 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Sketch of Main Street in Loleta, CA

From my pocket sketchbook. View looking north of the intersection of Main Street and Loleta Drive. Railroad crossing signal lights and tracks are shown at the lower right corner of the drawing.

Pencil on Paper; 3.5 x 5.5 inches