Olive Trees

This is the finished watercolor of the olive trees twined at their roots. As I paint larger, I see more detail and subtlety and  the paintings become more "physical". I like this visceral portrayal.
  More tree paintings to come.... 
30" x 22"

Old Olive Trees at Knossos

I decided to continue work on some earlier paintings before beginning on my Mexican adventures.
These remarkable old twisted olive trees were once joined at their very complicated base. The deep fissures on the trunk continue in a more superficially stenciled way on the branches.  And then the gnarled roots just dive abruptly into the sandy soil. I had previously painted a small study of these trees, and this is the next step to a large painting.... Step by step....
15" x 11"

Palm Foliage

One of the things that struck me in Mexico is how the strong sunlight on palm foliage makes a patterned netting and colorful shadows - almost flattening the subject. Now I understand Matisse better, the light is very different from Northern California !
11" x 7 1/2"

Painting in Mexico

Dear visitors to this blog-
I will be back in early February, and I hope to post new work done on location in San Pancho Mexico.
I am excited by the opportunity to paint in the light and landscape of the area. I'll share the results!

Faded Flowers

This painting is about the soft color and curled blossoms of these dried hydrangeas.
Call me old fashioned, but I love their beauty!
15" x 18"

Fenceline Marker Tree

Although this painting is 40" x 30" it is not large enough to capture the strength of this amazing tree.

Workshop

Come visit Mexico for all the usual reasons, plus this lighthearted 3 day workshop.... my friend Shelby would like to start offering art classes at her place in San Pancho, and I am her  willing guinea pig for this first effort. I'm really looking forward to this - anybody else interested??