An Autumn Scene, Cattail Pond

 An Autumn Scene                            

"The Path Around Cattail Pond"; Oil on Panel, 11x14 inches

Sketchbook - Sunset at Bodega Head

This is a quick study that I did in my pocket sketchbook over the Labor Day weekend.  I am always glad when I see something interesting and have sketching materials ready to capture the moment!

Watercolor and pencil on paper; 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches

Crane Creek Dry Season

Here's my painting of a dry stream bed at the northern boundary of Crane Creek Regional Park. Based on photos, pencil sketches and watercolor studies done on the spot during several visits to the park during late summer.   

"Crane Creek Dry Season" - Oil on Panel; 11x14 inches

Schoolhouse Beach, Again

Here is a sketch of Schoolhouse Beach done over the weekend.  Maybe an idea for a future painting.

Pencil on paper, 3.5" x 10.75"

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

I have been making an effort to do more sketching as the opportunities arise, and then post them to this blog when I have filled a few pages in my sketchbook with drawings I think people might want to look at.  Here are some below:

"View of Baker Street in Petaluma, CA"

"Calm Day at Doran Beach, Bodega Bay, CA"

"Morning Shadows, Three Rivers, CA"

"Hillside, Three Rivers, CA"

"View of the hills, Three Rivers, CA"

View of Vineyards from Shiloh Ranch

Here is a new painting based on a pencil sketch that I did several years ago, while exploring Shiloh Ranch Regional Park in Sonoma County, California for the first time.  The view overlooks a vineyard that is adjacent to the park.  I kept the high-voltage transmission pylons in the background because  they add an element of linear perspective.

"View from Shiloh Ranch Park", Oil on canvas, 8x10 inches
Price: $400

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

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.

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.

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

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Preparatory Studies

 

 

 

Petaluma Sketch Crawl

I'm planning to take part in a "sketch crawl" this coming Saturday in Petaluma.  I did this sketch of the Open Door Church during the "Petaluma Sketch Crawl" last December. These events are really helpful for getting out and doing some drawing during a time of the year when I might not do so otherwise.

Update:  This event has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 8th, on account of rainy weather.

Pencil on Sketchbook page
11 x 8.5 inches

Another view of Mount Taylor

Here is a painting I did this afternoon at Crane Creek Regional Park.  I have done several paintings and sketches of this view in the last few years.  I keep coming back to it from time to time.

"Mount Taylor", Oil on Panel, 9 x 12 inches

Mount St. Helena

This morning I did a plein air oil painting of Mount St. Helena, as it appears looking across Lake Benoist.

View of Mount St. Helena, Oil on board

I have been planning to do this painting since last May, when I did a preliminary watercolor sketch at the same spot.

Mount St. Helena, Watercolor and pencil on paper, 9 x 12 inches

Note:  Since setting up at this particular spot on the lake shore requires carrying all my paint gear for a twenty minute hike from the parking lot, (and back again with a wet painting in hand), I probably wont be re-visiting this spot again in the near future.

Painting on the Fourth of July

Here is one of two paintings I did at a spot along the Sonoma Coast near Duncan's Cove, yesterday afternoon.  The weather was especially nice for painting.  The wind was calm and the light was perfect. 

"Rock Beach", Oil on Board, 11x16 inches

The spot where I set up my easel.

Annadel Path

Watercolor and pencil on paper

Here is a watercolor I did from a photo I took while hiking on a path in Annadel State Park.  This is another one of those studies that I use as a guide for future studio paintings.  I have already started an oil painting of this scene, but decided to do this study to see if I can make some improvements with another version of the painting.  I like the composition of this scene, and think that it is worth while to do more than one version of it.

Scotty Creek

Watercolor and pencil on drawing paper

This is another watercolor from my sketchbook of ideas for future oil paintings.  The sketch is based on a photo I took at a spot on the side of the road (Highway One) where Scotty Creek meets the Pacific ocean.  It was a bright day and there was a lot of reflection from the sand and water.  

Oak Tree Sketches

Here's a set of on-site sketches I did for a painting that I have in mind for the future. An old oak tree would be the central element of the painting.  I did these sketches between late April and early May at about the same time of day to get the same light and shadow effects on the tree trunk and branches.

In Full Sun

"In Full Sun"

Oil on panel

8x10 inches

This is a plein air study that I did during a walk along the west edge of Annadel State Park.  It shows a mound of brush catching the warm  rays of afternoon sunlight.  I will be glad to see some warmer days like this again.

SMART Train

Last Friday I attended the ground breaking ceremony for the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Train at the Petaluma station site.  During the proceedings I did a small sketch of the crowd listening to a speech by Sonoma County Supervisor Valerie Brown.  Note the two men wearing hard hats and safety vests in the drawing.