Mendocino Remembered

"Mendocino Memories"
10" x 13" Watercolor

In January, Bob and I spent three days in Mendocino at the MacCallum House, a BandB with cottages and lovely gardens. We even managed to use our own garden spa in spite of rain and cold weather on the coast. We enjoyed a private wine tour of the Anderson Valley. Bob likes to do Argentine Tango so we went to a Milonga,  a dance event for people who dance Argentine Tango, in tiny Casper. People gather in the most interesting places. We also met up with one of Bob's high school girlfriend, special because they attended Austin High School in Chicago! I so enjoyed meeting Sue and her partner. Sue has lived in California many years. Bob and Sue had not seen each other since right after our big Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989. Sue was then in charge of a large geological group in Berkeley and very busy when they met.

McCallum House

That is the background. So what is this painting and why did I paint it? I have always enjoyed patterns and geometrics, so I took a closeup of the "Chickens and Hens" growing near our cottage. Lots of blue/green mixed with a touch of scarlet made a good grey-green for this painting. I am fascinated by how mixing complements can make such lovely greys. I learned most of what I know about color from Stephen Quiller's workshop and books.

If you are older than 40, you might recall that this coastal town, 3 hours drive north of San Francisco, was the setting for the moving "Same Time Next Year," one of my favorite oldies with Alan Alda.