Painting the Foothills

"Foot Of The Figueroas"

12"x16" Oil on Canvas
The Figueroa mountains line the northern half of our valley. My backyard is pointed right at them so I get to see them throughout the year in various light and shadow. I grew up right below the San Gabriel mountains living less than 2 miles from their base. Always having large mountains within walking distance has sort of stuck with me and I think I'd go crazy living anywhere away from the mountains.

A Meadow Painting

"Afternoon Meadow"

6" X 8" Oil on panel

I'm just about to start another large painting but before doing that I painted this small painting this morning. I wanted to wipe off the remnants of paint left on my palette from a previous painting and didn't want to waste all of the paint so I used a nearby panel to paint this one. Just a small meadow scene of what the summer months will bring once all of this rain is long gone. I like the rain but lately it has come spaced just long enough that just before the ground dries up in comes another few days of rain.

Poppies And Eucalyptus

"Poppies And Eucalyptus"

9" X 12" Oil on Canvas
Can hardly wait for the poppies to start covering the ground in so many places around where I live. The other day I drove on the road down to Santa Barbara and already many flowers were starting to bloom at the roadside. The wildflower display in the Santa Ynez valley and the mountains bordering it can be pretty impressive.