Painting at an Historic Site

"The Old Plow"
Bernal Guanac Joyce Ranch
Santa Teresa County Park
12" x 9"

"Gina in Repose"

Today I painted with the plein air group from Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. The location is a historic old Bernal Gulnac Joyce Ranch in Santa Teresa County Park. The ranch is just two miles from my home and my neighborhood sits at the base of Coyote Peak in the Park. You can see a few photos of the ranch here, though I found none online that did justice to this little gem: http://www.stpfriends.org/JoiceBernal_Pictures_4-13-01.html

We had a lovely comfortable day after some intense heat the first part of the week. I sat under a shady tree at a picnic table. There is a lot of old rusty farm equipment and I especially liked this old plow. I took the liberty to place it in front of the barn for a more picturesque background. The wonders of art. The ranch is a dear place to take children. There is a flock of chickens in their pen and many old buildings and implements to explore.

The second picture is my drawing from Monday morning drawing class with Bob Semans. By now you probably recognize Gina who has modelled several times for us. I am considering continuing on with my new pastels that I haven't had time to use.