Mammoth Village II

Mammoth Village II, inkwash, 4x6. Plein-air on location at Mammoth Village, northern California,  a couple of days ago.
Mountains in winter are beautiful! We wish there was more snow, like there usually is at this time of the year, but we have to accept what we have, and we have here beauty, love and laughter. We are blessed.

Mammoth Village I

Mammoth Village I, California.  inkwash, plein air sketch done a couple of days ago.
Lovely mountain town, normally totally snowed in at this time of the year, but not this year. Very little snow, yet Silver Lake nearby is frozen enough that we went ice-skating on the lake this morning. It was fun!

Auberge d'Arrioutou

Auberge d'Arrioutou, watercolor, 5x7" (12x17cm), available. Painted on location, at this restaurant on top of a hill near the town of Argeles-Gazost, in the French Pyrenees, France. This "auberge" or family hotel/restaurant, was started by the lady, still the owner, about 50 years ago. She's now in her 90s, still peeling carrots in the kitchen, but her children and grandchildren run most of the operation. She visits with the clients, when you are sitting there she comes by, table by table, chats a little with each customer, very well presented, then goes back and works some more. Lovely lady, with a positive attitude about life and work.

Early Training

Early Training, watercolor, 7x5, available. My granddaughter Marina and her friend were looking at shoes at a store in Marbella last summer, and I took several photographs. I  later used them to paint some  small watercolors and a couple of oils on canvas. This is one of the watercolors. Marbella is a high class summer resort in the south of Spain, with nice beaches, lovely shops, and a white marble esplanade between the main beach and the quaint old town shopping area, with about ten original Salvador Dali sculptures. Expensive and beautiful town to visit.

Andre et le lac

Andre et le lac, watercolor on hand-made paper, 20x26cm., available. Can you see Andre on the left? He cannot see you, my friend Andre is losing his eyesight, due to a rare case of macular degeneration. The lake is beautiful Lac de Gaube, near Cauterets, France.
Georgia O'Keefe said: "Painting is not good, unless it is good in an abstract sense."

Venus after Botticelli

Venus After Botticelli, watercolor, 10x14, available. I painted this copy of Botticelli's Venus for a contest aboard a Princess cruise. Our table friends and I had a lot of fun creating an original presentation with costumes, floating devices, this painting as a banner, a march of all of us around the pool, etc. and we almost won!!!! but we didn't.

Marseille, Port des Belges

Marseille, Port des Belges, watercolor, 7.5x10", available.
Like the watercolor posted yesterday, this one was also painted alla prima, plein air in Marseille (France) this past October.
Joan Miro's exhibition in Baden-Baden (Germany) in 2010, had many pieces of his theme: women, stars, and birds. I also saw two series of "slow paintings" and some "spontaneous paintings" as he called them. It was a wonderful show! And the city of Baden-Baden itself is a garden of delights!

Marseille, Vieux Port

Marseille, Vieux Port, watercolor, 7x10, available. I was in Marseille, France, in October, and painted this watercolor sitting in front of this open-air market along  the Old Port (vieux port). Marseille is such a beautiful and colorful city! The old fort at the entrance of the bay is far-away on the right hand side of the painting.
Si quieres leer este blog en espanol:
1. Cliquear a la derecha, aparece una caja de dialogo.
2. Cliquear en "translate this page to English" dentro de la caja. Aparece una barra arriba de la pantalla.
3. Cliquear en la barra de arriba, que quieres traducir del ingles al....puedes elegir cualquier idioma que quieras, incluido espanol.

Runaway Dreams

Runaway Dreams, acrylic on canvas, 12x24" (30x60cm) Framed, available.
This painting is one of the four paintings I present in the show: THIS MUST BE HEAVEN, at the La Jolla Art Association Gallery, from December 19th -31st. Reception is Wednesday, December 21st, 6:00-8:30 pm. La Jolla Art Gallery is at 8100 Paseo del Ocaso, La Jolla, California. Come one and all! You are lovingly invited!!
THE ARTIST IS NOTHING WITHOUT THE GIFT. THE GIFT IS NOTHING WITHOUT THE WORK.---- Emile Zola.

Cauterets, coucher soleil

Cauterets, Coucher Soleil, watercolor, 10x15 cm (4x6 ") painted plein-air, alla prima, in the beautiful mountain town of Cauterets, in the French Pyrenees, this summer. SOLD.
Today my son sent me a beautiful quotation I'd like to share with you all: "Don't ask what the world needs; ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive." theologian Howard Thurman.--- Painting makes me come alive...

Catedral de Burgos

Catedral de Burgos, watercolor, 6x4" (15x10cm) Available. Painted on location, at the cathedral, this past September. The Catedral de Burgos, in Spain, is an incredible beautiful church, in a gorgeously beautiful city. Sorry for the superlatives, but I had not heard too much comments about the beauty of Burgos, while other cities in Spain are very famous for their beauty, like Sevilla, Toledo, and others. Maybe that's why Burgos took me by surprise so much. The river and park along the river is magnificent, with modern statues, and extremely well kept gardens. The cultural life and friendliness of its inhabitants make Burgos, in the north of Spain, a city well worth visiting.

Golden Girl

Golden Girl, 2006, watercolor, 11x14" (28x35cm.) Available.
California is the state of the golden poppies, and sometime in April every year "the hills are alive" with these poppies. This painting will be in exhibition at the La Jolla Art Gallery in San Diego, California, starting next Monday December 19th till the end of the month and year in the exhibit: THIS MUST BE HEAVEN. The reception will be on Wednesday, December 21st, 6:00-8:30pm. You are invited!!
Dans Google Chrome, de lire mon blog dans une autre langue: 
1. Faites un clic droit ------- une boîte apparaît 
2 Cliquez sur "Traduire cette page à ..."---- une boîte de dialogue. apparaît en haut de votre écran 
3. Cliquez sur la langue désirée que vous voulez traduire --- magique!

Winter at Balboa Park

Winter at Balboa Park, 2009, watercolor, 5x7". Available.
Balboa Park, in the city of San Diego, California, is the "largest urban park in the world" I read this morning at the San Diego History Museum. Size matters, I know, but beauty matters more, and Balboa Park is beautiful! My little watercolor from a few years ago, painted on location at the main fountain in front of the Museum of Art says nothing compared to the beauty of this park, its gardens, buildings and museums.
In Google Chrome, to read my blog in another language:
1. Right click-------a box appears
2. Click on "translate this page to..."----a dialogue box appears on top of your screen
3. Click on the desired language you want to translate ---magic!

Pinecove, Idyllwild, California

Pinecove, Idyllwild, California. watercolor, 5x7" (12x17cm.) This is the very first painting I ever exhibited at an art gallery. I used to paint and draw just for myself, as a hobby I enjoyed on weekends. I painted this watercolor sitting on the deck of this beautiful house in Pinecove we used to own,  in 1997.  A friend, who is a watercolor artist, insisted I enter  a couple of paintings in a South Bay Watercolor Society contest. I did thanks to him, Etti Andreani, and this one got accepted. I had tasted the sweet flavor of shows and exhibitions, and they haven't stopped since then, 14 years ago. Needless to say, this painting is not for sale. I cherish it.

Bora Bora Wave

Bora Bora Wave, watercolor, 2009, 8x10", available.
A few days ago I went to the movies to see  the opera "SATYAGRAHA", filmed at  the Metropolitan Opera, in New York. It is an opera in Sanscrit, about Gandhi. Philip Glass wrote it in Sanscrit as a sign of respect for Gandhi and his cause: help the poor and the downtroden. Four hours of intellectual challenge and beauty.

Emilie

Emilie, pastel, 20x16" (50x40cm.) Available, at La Jolla Art Association Gallery, in La Jolla, California, reception Friday December 9th, 6-8:30pm. You are invited!!! Come for the wine, stay for the art!!
Henry Matisse (1869-1954) said: "In most cases success equals prison...An artist should never be prisoner of himself, prisoner of a manner, prisoner of a reputation, prisoner of success."

Dreamer

Dreamer, pastel, 40x30cm. Available, until December 19th at the La Jolla Art Association Gallery: "Help Us Free The Girls" exhibit. Reception this coming Friday, December 9th, 2011, 6-8pm. YOU ARE INVITED!
Odilon Redon, Prince du Reve (Prince of Dreams), his works remind us of a mysterious universe with strange figures. I saw his "Profile sur meandres rouges" at Musee d'Orsay, a mysterious and strange portrait in pastel, with a red background.

View from My Garden, France

View from My Garden, France, watercolor, 4x6 (10x15cm.) Available, and in exhibition this month at the Gallery of the San Diego Watercolor Society, San Diego, California.
Ian Roberts, in Creative Authenticity, says: "A work of art is like a visual form of prayer."

If you would like to read this blog in another language:
1. Right click....a box appears
2. Select "translate..." ...a dialogue box appears on top of your screen
3. It says: "English to.."....choose your favorite language, click!
Voila!

Sitting the Gallery

Sitting the Gallery, watercolor, 6x9" (15x22cm.) Available.
While sitting the gallery at La Jolla Art Association, in La Jolla, California, last week, I found time between visitors to paint this quick watercolor of our gallery. Come visit us! at 8100 Paseo del Ocaso.

Zu meinem Blog in Spanisch, Französisch, oder vielen anderen Sprachen lesen: 
. 1 Rechts klicken --- erscheint ein Feld 
2 Klicken Sie auf "übersetzen ...". --- Bar erscheint auf der Oberseite 
3. Übersetzen Englisch ---- wählen Sie die gewünschte Sprache.

Recordando a Piazzola

Recordando a Piazzola, watercolor, 16x12" (40x30cm.) Available. This painting has been juried in the December show at the San Diego Watercolor Society, San Diego, California. When I was in the International Watercolor Festival in Brioude, France, this past July, I saw an artist complete a watercolor with a sponge, and decided to try it. "Recordando a Piazzola" was painted using no pencil, and no brush. I did the entire painting just with a sponge. I have painted several watercolors in this style and I must say it is not easy!!!
Per leggere il mio blog in spagnolo, francese, o molte allie lingue:
1. Fare clic destro--appare un riquadro
2. Fare clic su "tradurre..."--viene visudezza una barra sopra
3. Traduci inglese---scegliere la lingua desiderata

Ma Chambre `a Chantilly

Ma chambre `a Chantilly, watercolor on my traveling journal, 4x6", available.
I stayed in Chantilly in the summer, in the house of my friends Fredrerick and Nathalie. Their beautiful house reflects their traveling experiences, and their love for beauty, stability, organization and order. This was my room/bed while I stayed there in July this year. Chantilly is a lovely town north of Paris, in France. Chantilly is famous for their thouroughbred horses, their castle, and now...this Blog which mentions it!
Si tu veux  lire cet Blog en francais, fai comme sa:
1.  Faites un clic droit---une boite apparait...
2. Cliquez sur "traduiere........"une barre apparait sur le dessus
3. :Traduire l'angais vers........"........choisir la langue que tu veux....et voila!
bon dimanche!

Estampida

Estampida, 20x25" (50x67cm.), watercolor on Yupo. Available at the Pool Art Fair, South Beach, Miami.
I was chatting about VALUE with an artist friend today, and decided to share with you: Value is the most important element in a painting. Value holds it together....or not. Value decides if the composition works.....or if it doesn't. Every year I do a notebook of value studies alone. No color. It's amazing how much I learn just by doing that. So now....go do value studies!

Deja Vue

Deja Vue, acrylic, 16x12" (40x30cm.) Available at Pool Art Fair, South Beach, Miami, Florida for $500.-
Hundertwasser believed that nature was its own goal. That nature's perfect structure engendered universal harmony: beauty. Art is the road that take us to beauty. So beauty, or the expression of harmony in the world, assures everybody's happiness, if we are all creators.
Para leer mi blog en espanol:
1. Haz clic derecho.....aparece un recuadro
2. haz clic en "traducir...." aparece una barra en la parte superior
3. Dice "traducir de ingles a....".elije el idioma que desees, espanol en este caso.