Plein Air Documents Valley History

"Waterworks"

10" x 14"Watercolor

 

The real deal

 

 

 

Historical information

 

We had a picture-perfect California morning at the Rengstorff House, a preserved home from the 1800s typical of an affluent family of the times. Last year I was invited to exhibit two of my collages during their August show of local art. You can read about the event here.

 

The commute was just awful and I was never a commuter; I lived  just 3 miles from the two IBM campuses where I worked in my 30 year career.  I often bicycled to work the final 8 years. The 32 minute drive north to the paint site took almost an hour and a half! Thankfully, it was worth the drive. I had about an hour and a half to paint this piece before lunch, which keeps me from overworking the piece.

 

There were many great paintings done of the house, but I chose the lifeblood of the valley -- wind and water. Santa Clara Valley was known as "The Valley of the Heart's Delight" for its glorious agriculture. Today we are "Silicon Valley" and the fields sport companies with manicured landscapes like Google, Facebook, EBay and Paypal, to name but a few. There are remnants of agriculture and very fortunately, I live on the southern end of San Jose where the fields remain open between towns. We have a lovely farm stand just a couple miles from us where I buy my fresh produce. Today Linda gifted me with cantaloupes that she planned to compost because they were very ripe. Bob made cold melon soup from them -- yummy.

 I loved that you could order this windmill from Montgomery Wards for $42.50 in the Thirties. I enjoyed doing the dramatic shadows and I had a nice view across the marshes behind the structures and a piece of delicious shade. When we gathered for our picnic lunches at 12:30, we were impressed with the groups output. A few of the 20+ paintings are seen here.

 

 

Check out more about this paintsites event on the paintsites blog.

 



A San Francisco Charmer

 

"At Home on Potrero Hill "

14" x 11" Ink and Watercolor

 

 

Bob and I stayed at this home on Potrero Hill in San Francisco which we arranged through airbnb.com. The owner asked me to paint a sketch of the house. This was great fun. I worked from about 6 photos, none quite positioned like this. I used a dip pen with permanent ink and watercolor. It was a challenge to maintain a sketch approach. I settled on doing a vignette.  I sent three small sketches to the client, and did both a small and larger trial run before completing this piece. I also suggested mounting this 300 lb. paper on a backing, rather than matting, so I was careful to maintain a deckled edge, which you can't see in this photo.

 

Today I return to the city with a friend for an afternoon of ballet. This one is a day trip with lunch at Absinthe's, a grand old institution. 

Plein Air at Winchester Mystery House

"Morning Glow"

11" x 14" Watercolor

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA

The Santa Clara Watercolor Society painted in the gardens of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, long a favorite painting spot for the group. We were allowed in without paying the fee on a crisp, sunny winter morning. You can read about the legend of Sarah Winchester, heir of the Winchester repeating rifle fortune, who moved to San Jose after losing both her daughter and husband. She built a home and continued to build to keep herself safe from the horrors of the Winchester legacy.

Our small group spread out to paint. As I rounded the house I was struck by the light shining into a dark barn leading to a glass greenhouse. So I ignored all the other wonderful choices and set up my easel in the sun. The moist cold air was working against me as nothing would dry. I am an impatient painter, so I managed to get things bleeding where I didn't want them. I put the finishing touches on the painting at home.

Two sessions of plein air painting

"Urban Farm"

Emma Prusch Farm Park

San Jose, CA

12" x 10" watercolor

"Sunlit Shapes"

Agnews Historic Park

Santa Clara, CA

Artist Anna Jacke paints

Roosters all around -- this guy enjoyed his personal water fountain

The Tower at Agnews Historic Park

Bob and I have been very preoccupied with other commitments, but I managed to paint with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Paintsites group. Today's event was at the Emma Prusch Farm Park practically situated under a very impressive flyway of two major interstates. I could have painted in the flyway behind the barn, but chose to omit it. One of our very fine artists, Michael Rogan, did a landscape that included it in the distance. Michael is very accomplished, so it looked superb.

I was an hour late, but I managed to sketch and quickly paint part of the barn before lunch a little over an hour later. Sometimes I am happiest with the results when I am rushed and don't belabor my work. The Park was filled with families and many children viewing the farm animals. Anna Jacke, another of our accomplished artists, was hard at work near the barn. I enjoy painting structures so I sat right down and began my drawing. The roosters and chickens roamed freely, and one cocky fellow helped himself to the Burnt Sienna from my palette. It must have been delicious because I had to discourage him from returning for more. Unlike my Vermont son's rooster Leo, these guys are very tame. No spurring my shins, thank heavens.

Last week we painted at Agnews Historic Park. This lovely campus was a facility for people with mental illness and later developmentally disabled children and adults. Like most such places, the state closed it and sold off the land to Sun, now owned by Oracle. The company uses the buildings and keep them in fine repair. The campus is lovely and I was especially taken with the sunlight on the trees and the way two palms grow next to a Norwegian Fir, a living oxymoron. I did this painting in 15 minutes after belaboring one of the tower and deeming it a failure. 

When we gather for our picnic lunches about 12:30, we share our work. Today, the artists had done some neat sketches and paintings. Michael showed us a large painting of the Niles Railroad Station that he did in his studio from the quarter-sheet he did on location and photos. He said that one of his recent award winners was done with our group and he thanked Syvia for the fine service she and Jenny, both volunteers, provide to us. Today we had lovely sunshine with a stiff, cool breeze. We sought a more sheltered picnic table for our lunch break. Another great day - retired, doing art, outside with friends -- what more could I ask.

Plein Air at the Santa Clara Depot

"Down at the Depot"

South Bay Historical Railroad Society Museum

Santa Clara, CA

14" x 10" Watercolor

Another great day painting in the sunshine. We are having an early spring after a non-rain winter. Our paintsites group gathered in Santa Clara at the transit center. Morning commuter Caltrains thundered in and out, picking up and disgorging passengers traveling to and from San Francisco or the Peninsula. Buses came and went, a construction crew in hardhats worked nearby, and our artists tackled perspective. Leaders Jenny and Sylvia offered a wonderful concise lesson with handouts. I even received a nice plexiglass viewfinder for attending. This painting truly was a perspective challenge.

The train depot turned museum is set in the historic Santa Clara Depot that was built between 1863 and 1877. Beside it are modern commuter style ticket kiosks and passenger platforms. See the real deal here.

My title obscurely references a very humorous story from a classic "Bert and I" CD with tales of Maine. One of the locals won a trip to NYC, and when he returned the mayor asked him what he thought of the city. He answered, "There was so much goin' on at the depot that I never got to see the village" in a Classic Down East accent.

Frank Webb Workshop: Day 5: The Calligraphic Mark

"Dining Italian Style"

11" x 14"
Watercolor

"Life above the Elevated"
11" x 14"
Watercolor

Calligraphic marks in watercolor was the painting approach of the day. I will probably use this approach rarely, but I have used it before on sketches. Here is Frank's demo. He first did wet-in-wet washes, leaving his white area alone. Of course the paint diffuses and mixes quickly, so he used a hair dryer to stop the flow and dry the paper for the next step. Using various flats and rounds he applied the calligraphic marks. He says it's important to leave open areas and not close off structures entirely. His finished painting is playful.

Frank Webb's harbor scene

I met with Frank and showed him the sketch I did from our room in Chicago looking down on a small section of the elevated train amidst the buildings in the area of the Loop. He liked the painting, made some suggestions on the design for varying the shapes and marks. I wasn't too happy with this painting. I felt I put in too many marks, and Frank suggested that fewer on the buildings would be better. He also noted that my design had more variation in the size of the buildings; my painting has buildings of similar widths.

I had about 40 minutes until until critique and I wasn't happy with my cityscape, so I grabbed a black and white printout of a street in Portovenere, Italy. Of course, after 5 days of learning how important design is, I skipped that step because painting is more fun, and besides everyone was going to see whatever I painted during critique. The upshot is I went oh oh, I almost forgot to preserve some whites and of course, the best place would have been on the awnings. Frank loved the calligraphic marks, but noted that my white "felony" could be reduced to the lesser degree of a misdemeanor by shading a bit of the right corner. Also, surrounding the right canopy with greenery (which it was in the photo) is bad design. I should have left a break in the greenery. Of course, nature doesn't make good designs, artists do.

I intend to make myself a little checklist for reviewing my designs -- variation and overlapping shapes are especially important for me to remember.

Also, I made notes of many art quotes that Frank gave us throughout the five days.
"Art is man-made order."
"We restore the disunity of nature to unity."
"Art is pleasure objectified." (George Santiano)
"We are shape improvers."
"Beauty is the quality that emerges from the deliberate relationship of the parts to the whole."

He shared much more wisdom with us that I didn't capture even though I am a prolific note-taker, as you can tell. I learn through writing, even if I never look at my notes again.

Frank again commented that this was the best organized workshop he has ever done. The Society has many years of workshop experience and those of us who worked on this one have inherited the wisdom and processes.

Life Drawing for Doctors without Borders Haitian Relief

"Jane in Ruffles"
2 minute sketch

"Jane in a Red Dress"
10 minute sketch

"Jane in Sparkles"
5 minute sketch

Framed Granada Theater art

Jane Ferguson and a young friend volunteered modeling services to benefit Doctor's without Borders Haitian Relief. The event was held 2 nights at the Sunnyvale Art Gallery where the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society is featuring "Fresh Start," our spring show. I was unable to attend the first night. The session was overflowing with people from the society and the art community. I was glad I got there early.

Jane is a fabulous model. She calls herself the original second hand rose and gets lot of interesting clothing at thrift shops. The two models changed several times, a lot of work for them and a joy for us. They wore funky hats, boas, gloves, and vintage dresses. Jane is the artist/model featured in "Me and Matisse," now showing at the gallery.

I studied each of the pieces I did for the "Save the Granada" event and did some cleanup on edges and a bit of value adjustment. Bob cut mats and I framed the work. (You see reflections in the glazing from being photographed outside.) We delivered the work to the person coordinating the event. The sepia painting got great reviews from the receptionist. She said one of the managers said he wished someone would do one with an old car. We stopped at the restaurant and bought tickets for the paella dinner. Rosy, the owner, told us the man who ran the theater for 30 years stopped in the day before to buy tickets. I look forward to mingling with people who can recall many good times at the theater.

Memories of Matinees Past

"Memories"
10" x 14"
Watercolor

This final piece of the Granada Theater in Morgan Hill is done in sepia tones. In the early years of this theater, the films were not in color. I also thought it appropriate that I include a 1951 Packard in front of the theater, as that is the year this theater opened after a fire destroyed the old theater across the street. I kept the lines and picture planes very clean, in keeping with the "Art Moderne" style of this building. African Queen, one of the 10 most popular films of 1951, is playing at the theater. The smell of popcorn wafts through the theater as I fling my pigtails over my shoulders and take a seat at the Saturday matinee. How daring of Mom to take me to the show.

Bob will cut some mats and I will frame the art and deliver it for the event at Rosy's at the Beach.

"Showtime!"
11" x 14"
Acrylic on paper

Here is another Granada Theater picture for the "Save the Granada" event. This time I used acrylics on watercolor paper. I am reposting the art because I am terrible at photography. I've still got a bit of skew and distortion, but this is better. I also woke up this morning and realized I had not painted in a bit of the superstructure, so I fixed that.

Save the Granada

"Our Past -- Our Future"
11" x 14"
Watercolor

You can tell it's been a busy time for me with little time to visit my blogger friends. One of the events I chose to do was plein air with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society last Thursday morning. The old Granada Theater in Morgan Hill is slated to be demolished. A group of citizens are dedicated to saving the landmark building and invited painters to memorialize the building. There will be a sale of artwork at a big event at Rosy's at the Beach, a terrific restaurant in downtown Morgan Hill.

The theater was built in 1951 to replace one that burned down across the street from the present location. The style is Art Moderne, not to be confused with Art Deco. Quoting the website: "The sleek, rounded Art Moderne style originated in the Bauhaus movement, which began in Germany. Bauhaus architects wanted to use the principles of classical architecture in their purest form, designing simple, useful structures without ornamentation or excess. Building shapes were based on curves, triangles, and cones. Bauhaus ideas spread worldwide and led to the Moderne or International Style in the United States."

We had access only to the outside of the building, so we set ourselves up in front of the quilt shop diagonally across the street. We had a beautiful, sunny day with the blue sky that you get only in California. I did a cropped painting of the theater, which I redid after getting home as I wasn't happy with my first results. Fellow painters included a broader expanse of street and we always marvel how a bunch of us can do the same subject and each is unique. I have more paintings in my head, if I have time -- I would like to do the street view and include a 1951 car, perhaps a monochromatic piece in either sepia or shades of grey. Another would be done on a collaged piece with old movie playbills. I have a second painting in progress in acrylic showing the orange red marquee against a vivid sunset. If that one turns out the way I envision, I will post it here.

If you live in the area, consider supporting the effort to save the Granada by enjoying the paella dinner at Rosy's on March 22 and viewing the art. The art will be for sale with 15% of the proceeds going to the fund. On a side note, we had a nice chat with Rosy and her husband at a St. Patrick Day's party given by a former co-worker on Saturday evening in Willow Glen. Many of his friends are from Morgan Hill. In case you are wondering how a landlocked town has a beach restaurant, the name refers to Rosy's preference for being at the beach. She is a former professional volleyball player turned very successful restauranteer.

"Hi Tech, Low Tech"
7' x 10"
Watercolor

Plein Air Painting in Downtown San Jose

Today was sunny with a chill in the air. Bob had seen some lovely old houses around Delmas and San Fernando Streets in downtown San Jose when riding Light Rail. He suggested that we take our small folding bikes and go via Light Rail and bike to photograph and paint. While Bob wandered a couple streets and shot photos, I sat in a small park and painted using my tiny Koi pan set with waterbrush.

I was captivated by the scene of the old Delmas Market with a very pretty home behind it. This scene is backed by modern high rises, one of which houses the Adobe company, one of the many high tech companies here that are household names around the world. Think Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Reader. We have such an interesting mix of historic homes and businesses and the very newest architecture and companies. I did not realize until later that Bob had taken a few photos of me beside our bicycles deeply involved in painting this scene.

Tomorrow I get to have another plein air outing with the watercolor society Thursday morning group. We are traveling south of my home about 10 miles to Morgan Hill, a pretty little agricultural town that grew with the tech industry. We will be painting the historic Granada Theater on main street, encouraged by the group attempting to save the theater from demolition. More to follow.

Brommer Workshop Recap

St. Michel, the Dordogne, France
Collage and watermedia

"Puente Nuevo"
Ronda, Spain
Collage and watercolor

"Two for the Road"
Beginning phase of a montage of my bicycle ride across the USA
Collage and watercolor

The week was so busy that I did not even have time to post the final three days of the workshop. We had a wonderful time. I felt like a kid again with my matte medium, gesso, pens, rice paper, and paints. I also was humbled by the beautiful work turned out by my colleagues in the workshop. Jerry said this one of the two most accomplished groups of artists that he had had in his workshops over the years. Privately he told me that several were way beyond needing a workshop, but of course creative people love to learn new ways of working and thinking. Take this link (Myrna's name) to see the work done by Myrna Wacknov during the workshop, so good that Jerry needed a piece for his collection. Myrna teaches many workshops nationwide, is an award-winning artist, and has been featured in popular art magazines.

Jerry at 82 is just as excited about art as he was as a child. He keeps learning new things (for example, that gesso can be applied successfully to a wet collage) and pushes his experimentation. He is humble and inspirational. He kept giving us pearls of wisdom, and I enjoyed his stories of many of the famous artists we admire who have been his friends. He also gave me his full-sheet demo painting that I will treasure, though Jerry did not have time to complete the detail and darks over his underpainting.

The pieces I show here were done on days 3, 4 and 5. To be successful, I would need to redo them. I've said before that my engineering mind is very literal and it takes me a while to apply what I learn in a creative way. I will explore this medium in the coming months as I really love the textured surfaces and the effects we achieved. Each piece was supposed to maintain separation between shape and line. The piece on Day 3 is from a snapshot I took in the Dordogne, while on a Mike Bailey art vacation in 2007. We built up the surface by applying rice papers with pieces of brown paper bag for the dark values. We drew into the wet collage and added paint. Applying white gouache does some really interesting things to the surface.

Day 4 I completed the bridge in Ronda, Spain, that I visited in 1989. Ronda is one of the "white towns" in Andalusia. This bridge is the newest of the three bridges that have spanned the gorge. The first was built by the Romans, the second by the Arabs, and third is the "new" bridge built by the occupants of the town in the 1700's. New is relative. As we stood on the bridge, we could see remnants of the two older bridges hundreds of feet below us. I struggled with this painting and in the final 15 minutes before critique, I got a suggestion from Jerry to apply gesso over parts I did not like and rework them. I worked furiously and Jerry was amazed that I pulled the iron out of the fire in those few minutes.

Day 5 is just the beginning stages of a complex exploration of a theme, in my case my bicycle ride across the USA in 2008. The top 1/3 of the page is picture that embodies the theme, and the bottom 2/3rds will be filled with small line drawings with color and images of items related to the theme. I selected an image from the middle of the country, where we were treated like royalty, tiny Woodbine, Iowa. The L stands for Lincoln Highway, the first highway to be completed across the USA. The old service station had been turned into an internet cafe by the junior high science teacher and his wife. They love to take pictures of people touring the country in front of the mileage to two major East and West Coast cities.

We were instructed to collage the entire surface, let it dry, add a thin layer of diluted gesso, let it dry, and then work on that surface. As we worked, we could add more collage, more gesso, paint, photographs, pieces of related paper, whatever. Eventually, I would add a border of darker color around the edge to organize the collection. At critique, I was especially fond of a piece done by Jean D. who collaged using various old documents (or copies of them) and then had a male figure walking into the documents. A serendipitous smearing of the ink on the figure created the most wonderful results. To me it certainly suggested the past.

Jerry's approach, with any piece, is to do some planning, but he never knows exactly how the piece will turn out, very reassuring to me. He lets what's happening on the surface inform subsequent steps in the process.

The workshop went well administratively, my first time to coordinate one for the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Bob and I especially enjoyed getting to know Jerry and his wife, Georgia, first at home, then at two subsequent dinners, and a final drive to the airport. They are such wonderful people. Jerry says that we are changed with each experience we have in workshops. I can't wait to take that change to a new level.

I have a few more obligations and then in the next few days I will be checking out what I've missed from my fellow bloggers.

Plein Air at the Rosicrucian Museum

"Rosicrucian Museum and Planetarium"

11" x 14"

I didn't get to blog for a few days because I was busy with art and life. So here is a second post in the same day. Thursday was a lovely day here and the plein air group of the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society was painting at the Rosicrucian Museum. I decided to go green and rode my bike to light rail, got off downtown, and rode to the museum. I call this stealth exercise because I am riding for transportation, but get some exercise to boot.

I found a lovely spot to paint and I'm afraid I can't find a map of the grounds. This area is approached from Naglee Avenue. I love the Egyptian columns and the palm trees. Plus, big advantage, there was a table and chairs where I could sit comfortably in the sun and protected from some wind. I was joined for a time by Jenny and also by Jo Mary whom I had not met. We had a lovely time painting. Just before lunch I walked to the Starbuck's across the street to buy coffees for two of us. We ate our picnic lunches in the same area. Along about 1:00 it was time for me to make the 16 mile trek home. Jo Mary was so intrigued by my loaded Bike Friday, florescent vest, and helmet that she took a picture of me. I put a few finishing touches on my sketch this afternoon. I can't seem to get the color and light quite right onthis photograph of my original, but it's close.