more for january

great way to bring in the new year. one of the things we love about working 'plein air' is that you get to experience the change of everything - time, light, color, conditions - just by standing there and paying attention. trying to capture all this with paint almost seems futile, but the challenge is invigorating and the greater reward - the gift of being there in the moment - is well worth it.

libby smith
january 1, late afternoon
oil on panel, 9"x12"

libby smith
winter mojave
oil on panel, 9"x12"

libby smith
first storm, lake los carneros
oil on panel, 8"x10"

the rained-out paint-out:

libby smith
morning rain, gaviota
oil on panel, 10"x10"

the sunny reward after the storm:

libby smith
morning calm
oil on panel, 8"x10"


our foggy day at arroyo burro. some of us were mentioned in an article, with photo, in the local 'independent' paper. 

libby smith
foggy morning, hendry's beach
oil on panel, 8"x10"



coco and mimi need to stop dressing alike.

libby smith
oil on panel

nina warner

gouache on paper

libby smith
oil on panel

nina warner
oil on panel

libby smith
oil on panel

nina warner
oil on panel

happy new year 2015

after the blitz of the holidays, we are back on track for the new year. coco and mimi have a tradition of starting the new year by getting out to paint. felt rusty and clunky, but determined to get our painting legs back.
here's a start, as soon as I get more images from the rest of the école, I will post them.
  

nina warner
new years day,
summerland
oil on panel
8"x10"









there was a SCAPE paint-out at gaviota beach which turned into a rain-out. we tried anyways.














nina warner
gaviota
oil on panel
9"x12"







a sunnier, beautiful day at refugio beach:

nina warner, refugio lagoon
oil on panel, 7 1/2"x18"


finally a day when all four cats where able to get outside together. foggy MLK day, with the sun coming through by mid-morning at arroyo burro aka (hendry's beach). 

nina warner
hendry's beach
oil on panel
8"x10"

nina warner, lagoon, arroyo burro
oil on panel, 8"x8"

more end of year images

we'll try to squeeze in some of the missing work before the year is out.

didn't really squeeze this one! 
great vertical format - just a slice.





diane handloser
vedanta view
7 1/2"x2"
gouache on paper

diane handloser
butterfly beach, 2 3/4"x4" gouache on paper


last couple of monday paint days:

nina warner
vedanta view, 4 1/2"x5 1/2" gouache on paper

nina warner
low lake, 4"x5" gouache on paper

from pamela, some catching up:

pamela zwehl-burke
already broken, watercolor on paper





we have all been working on portraits and figure painting as well, so time to start adding in some of those:

pamela zwehl-burke
livia #1
gouache on paper

pamela zwehl-burke
livia #2
gouache on paper

pamela zwehl-burke
livia #3
gouache on paper

pamela zwehl-burke
maddie, oil on canvas

getting to the end of the year 2014

so here it is, december. we have had a busy and very fruitful year. lots of monday painting sessions, a trip to the sierras, figure painting class, many shows and even some sales. as a group and individually, we have all worked hard at our painting and art making. not an easy thing to do given what life in general throws at us which this year included too many curveballs.

gigi has caught up with taking photos of her beautiful gouaches:

diane handloser
afternoon in the park, gouache on paper, 4 3/4" x 4 3/4"

diane handloser
hunters moon, gouache on paper, 5 1/8" x 5 3/8"

diane handloser
pearls's pond, gouache on paper, 4" x 6"

diane handloser
skin of eucalyptus
gouache on paper 
6 1/4" x 3 1/2"

diane handloser
toward bellosguardo, gouache on paper, 3" x 4"

more from this fall

catching up on work from this fall. libby is able to catch the light and atmosphere in such a beautiful way. some of this work is featured in the scape show at the channing peake and "vertical" at the casa gallery:

libby smith
goleta pier - afternoon, oil on panel, 10"x10"

libby smith
goleta pier - morning, oil on panel, 8"x10"

libby smith
october sycamore
oil on panel
6"x12"

libby smith 
toro canyon pine, oil on panel, 8"x10"

libby smith
oaks, san marcos pass, oil on panel, 6"x12"

libby smith
san marcos foothills, oil on panel, 8"x10"

November

we have continued our monday plein air painting sessions - shorter days and cooler temps. we've been busy, but have fallen behind in posting images.
time to catch up!
currently we are represented in several shows in town:
Libby and Nina have work in the Casa Gallery, "Vertical" show.
Pamela, Libby and Nina have work in the SCAPE "Near and Far, SB County Parks" exhibit at the Channing Peake Gallery in the County Administration Building. 40% of the sales from this show goes to the County Parks Foundation.
Pamela has several of her large oil pastel drawings in "Resonance" at MichaleKate in the Funk Zone. She is also part of the Arts Fund "Feast Your Eyes" fund-raiser.

going back a bit in time, from october, some of nina's work:

nina warner
AKP gardens
oil on panel
6"x12"

nina warner
tucker's sycamore, oil on panel, 9"x12"























nina warner
sycamore, oil on panel, 8"x10"


























nina warner
big rocks, toro canyon, oil on panel, 10"x10"

nina warner 
dead pines, oil on panel, 9"x12"


november brought a small storm, high tides and another sail boat stranded on the beach.

nina warner
beached, gouache on paper, 2 3/4"x4 3/4"



san marcos foothill preserve is a new site for us - beautiful views, rolling hills and trees. high overcast and a gray day are a challenge.

nina warner
gray day, oil on panel, 9"x12"

nina warner
oak, san marcos, gouache on paper, 5 1/4"x3 1/4"

nina warner
east beach, gouache on paper, 3"x6"

nina warner, gray day, oil on panel, 9"x12

Autumn

still feels like summer - heat wave after heat wave and no relief from drought.
the école has been represented in a number of shows this summer and now for fall, P & D are in the annual sbcc "small images" exhibition.

meanwhile we are continuing our monday 'plein air' sessions and working with the figure together. will get some of those posted soon.

here are some recent paintings from nina warner:

under goleta pier, oil on panel, 8 3/4"x12 3/4"

pier shadow
oil on panel
8"x10"









also some small gouaches:

moonrise from shoreline park, 3 3/4"x2 3/4"

tuolumne rock, 2 3/4"x2 3/4"

tuolumne moonset
2"x3"

across tuolumne meadow, 2"x5"

sierra meadow, 3"x3"

big jeffrey
2"x5"

new and old, 5"x7"