beware the ides of march - such a lot of unexpected, hard things. and such a reminder of the tenuous hold we have on life and to be open to it and thankful for it.
our portrait sessions have been fun and frustrating. so good to get out into the landscape and breathe.
rocky nook park is a great spot. D, L & N spent a day trying to do justice to a boulder. will post the others as soon as I can get images.
nina warner
rocky nook rocks
8"x12"
oil on panel
Mimi was lucky to have a beautiful weekend in cambria/los osos area.
nina warner
coast at cambria
5"x7"
oil on panel
L & N went to do battle with the wind and paint by the old mill at the santa ynez mission. we worked fast and loose and managed to get something reasonable started. will post when we finalize them.
yes, we did get out to paint last month, just haven't posted them yet. D, L & N worked at rocky nook park after a long stretch of inside portrait painting.
now it is march and we had a beautiful post-storm week. lots of boats where they don't belong. L & N took a few hours to have a look.
libby smith, stranded sail boat, oil on panel, 8"x10"
nina warner, stranded, oil on panel, 8"x8"
full moon on january 15 - we decided to try the view from the bluff at shoreline park. it is a challenge. beautiful, big yellow moon, with great reflections on the water.
libby smith
wolf moon, january 2014
10"x10", oil on panel
mid-january. the weather has been unbelievable. down-side: drought and fire season year round. up-side: warm days, clear beautiful weather, sunny most days with amazing sunrises and sunsets. needless to say, great for plein air painting.
the école is still a bit scattered with the things life puts in the way, but we hope to be back on track with the four of us together on mondays once again.
in the mean time, Mimi and Coco have been going out to paint, with a guest appearance of Gigi.
are we looking at the same thing or what? interesting to see the same view through our own lens.
this was a grey day, great spot to paint and try out our new gear - pochade boxes & tripods
nina warner
IV bluffs toward devereux
6"x12" oil on panel
libby smith
winter afternoon, devereux point
8"x16" oil on panel
a warm day with constantly changing skies and mountains.
a bob-cat grabbed a coot for lunch right across the lagoon from us.
nina warner
goleta slough
8"x10", oil on panel
libby smith
goleta beach slough
8"x8", oil on panel
trying to get out of the wind. calm spot where we watched squads of canada geese come in for a landing, have a rest and take off in formation. the sound of them: honking and beating their wings as they flew over our heads, was amazing.
nina warner
devereux
8"x10", oil on canvas
looking south toward campus point. the white heron posed for a little while, then got bored and left.
nina warner
IV bluff
9"x12", oil on canvas
libby smith
january, campus point
9"x12", oil on canvas
Coco is catching up on sending images:
libby smith
arroyo burro beach walk
9"x12", oil on panel
beautiful way to start the new year - looking down at the ocean rocks as the tide moves out.
libby smith
new years day, 2014
8"x16", oil on panel
beautiful winter day - cool sunshine, cooler shadows.
as one of the cats has often said, "begin as you would continue", so out to start the new year with paint brush in hand. cold spring canyon actually starts out as 'gould park' before running off into various trails, so as I keep working on my park series, it was a good place to start. the light was fleeting in the canyon, but caught this young bay tree for a moment.
nina warner
gould park
cold spring canyon
oil on panel
6"x8"
here we are at the end of another year - many mondays of painting together.
this has been a particularly difficult year with all sorts of unexpected and/or unwelcome challenges and events, but through it all we have continued to work. the camaraderie and support that the 'école de quatre' share is without measure.
we've worked through many hours of portrait painting and kept up in the landscape. the last few weeks have been hectic with holidays and other obligations, but we are all looking forward to starting up again in the new year.
here are a few examples of the last months work:
beautiful winter day at the beach. coco and mimi were on the sand, watching the clouds come in.
nina warner
looking south, hendry's beach study
6"x8" oil on panel
nina warner, looking north, hendry's, 9"x12" oil on panel
libby smith
afternoon walk,
arroyo burro
9"x12"
oil on panel
different day,
view from the overlook
nina warner,
hendry's beach
6"x12"
oil on panel
c & m went to the sb mission, only to find it covered with scaffolding. we hunted around for a place to paint and ended up in the mission garden, off limits apparently to the general public, but we were ultimately allowed to stay and paint. beautiful, bright, sunny day.
libby smith, mission garden, 8"x16" oil on panel
nina warner,
monastery view
from the garden
9"x12"
oil on panel
c & m found a good spot looking at leadbetter beach. lot's of unexpected foot traffic - it's a good walking area. folks would stop to watch and comment. one person actually wanting to purchase a painting. that was a pleasant surprise!
libby smith, winter walk, leadbetter beach, 8"x16"
nina warner, leadbetter point, 6"x12"
a couple of full moon paintings from november. c & m bundled up, watched and waited for the moonrise - it was worth it.
nina warner, moon-rise over the mountains, 6"x12" oil on panel
libby smith, november moon-rise, 6"x12" oil on panel
beautiful afternoon at lake los carneros. the time change makes for long shadows and a shorter afternoon painting session. lot's of birds out on the 'new' beach. canadian geese, swans, mallards, coots, egrets…..
libby smith, oil on panel, 8"x10"
nina warner
small study
oil on panel
5"x7"
nina warner, oil on panel, 9"x12"
went back to a great spot by the beach, lagoon with birds, sand, ocean, boats, mountains in the distance - it's all right there. and a beautiful day - sunny and hot
libby smith, oil on panel, 6"x12"
nina warner, calm sea, oil on panel, 6"x12"
nina warner
looking toward east beach
oil on panel
9"x12"
