ANTIBES, South of France, 3 watercolor sketches END OF THE YEAR SPECIAL!

ANTIBES, South of France, three watercolor sketches (6x8") painted plain air.  SPECIAL!! Available for quick purchase before 2015 ends!!!FREE SHIPPING WITHIN USA!!!ALL THREE SKETCHES, matted, $150.- before December 31st !

"Honolulu Bus Stop", watercolor on Arches paper

HONOLULU BUS STOP, watercolor on Arches paper, 5x8"
We had bought the Hop ON-Hop OFF bus tickets, so while we waited for the next bus, I had enough time to quickly do this watercolor at the bus stop. I was sitting in the shade of a building, I think it was a government building, with big columns and a pond with little fish in front. You could see a park on the other side of the street.

HAWAIIAN CHICKENS, watercolor on gray paper

HAWAIIAN CHICKENS, watercolor on gray paper, 7.5x10" (19x25 cm.) Painted during my recent cruise to Hawaii. Why would you paint chickens in Hawaii? you may ask. Well...

It turns out Hawaii is full of chickens running around, particularly in Kauai, and Maui, we saw lots of chickens everywhere! We were told that they are not good to eat since they are very tough, and hard due to what they eat all over the place. So there you have it: Hawaiian chickens!!

NAWILIWILI PORT , watercolor on Arches paper

NAWILIWILI PORT, watercolor on Arches paper, 11x14" (28x35.5 cm)
Painted aboard Princess Cruiseship, during my recent trip to Hawaii, Samoa and Tahiti. This port was fun, beautiful, and convenient,  because the beach is right there, about a block from the port, so you can enjoy the beach and water, then go back to your ship to shower and change.
Nawiliwili is the port in Kauai, one of the islands in the State of Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

RAINBOW FALLS SKETCH, ink and watercolor

RAINBOW FALL SKETCH, ink and watercolor in my sketchbook.

Painted during Dr. Sharon Faff's conference about Hawaii, the big island, aboard Crown Princess cruiseship. I love to write comments, a summary of something she said, and sketch some of the slides/photographs she was showing during her explanations. One of the best thing of Princess Cruises is the lectures on board, by excellent experts, who are well informed and fun.

WAIMEA CANYON, Kawaii, watercolor on gray paper

WAIMEA CANYON, Kawaii, 7.5x10 "(19x25 cm.) watercolor on gray paper

TECHNIQUE: As I like to experiment with different surfaces, this watercolor was painted on gray paper, its surface intended for pencil, crayon and pastels. I challenged myself to see how I could work it with watercolor. I had to use white gouache for the whites, since the surface was gray, but it worked, as you can see! This is one of the paintings in my large Carnet de Voyage, created by Alvaro Castagnet. Alvaro is a fantastic watercolorist from Uruguay.

PRAHA TOWER, Prague, Czech Republic, watercolor on Arches paper

PRAHA TOWER, Prague, Czech Republic, 14x11", watercolor on Arches paper. Accepted for exhibition at San Diego Watercolor Society, December 2-26. Artists reception on Friday, December 4, 2015, from 5:00-9:00pm. You are invited!!! Wine and hors d'oeuvres served.

The San Diego Watercolor Society has more than 700 international members, including the most prestigious watercolorists in North,  Central and South America, Asia, and Europe. The address is: 2825 Dewey Rd., # 105,  (Liberty Station) in San Diego, California 92106.

LUAU, AMERICAN SAMOA, watercolor on Arches

LUAU, AMERICAN SAMOA, watercolor on Arches paper, 7.5x10".
Painted during my recent cruise from Los Angeles to the South Pacific islands of both Samoas, and the French Polynesia. The luau in Samoa is cooked ON the ground, while in Hawaii they cook the pig UNDER the ground, other than that, I think it is pretty similar. Delicious!!!

WORLD'S LARGEST BANYAN TREE, watercolor on Arches paper

WORLD'S LARGEST BANYAN TREE, 7.5x11 watercolor on Arches paper. Maui, Hawaii, October 2015. The day we visited this tree, near the port, they had an art festival. Here I represented just a few of the many branches and trunks and branches and trunks growing up and coming back down occupying an area bigger than a tennis court, all under the tree!!!!

BLACK PEARL FARM TOUR GUIDE, watercolor on Arches

BLACK  PEARL FARM TOUR GUIDE, 10x7.5" watercolor on Arches paper.

Painted aboard the Crown Princess cruise-ship during my trip to the South Pacific last month. Beautiful country, beautiful and kind people. The way they grow the black pearls is amazing. They insert a tiny pebble, almost a grain of sand in the oyster, and wait 7 years to have a cultivated black pearl! The same oyster can have this procedure done three times in its life, before it dies.

PACIFIC SUNRISE, watercolor on Arches paper

PACIFIC SUNRISE, 7.5x10" watercolor on Arches paper, painted aboard Crown Princess, cruising the Pacific toward Hawaii, Samoa and Tahiti, three weeks ago.

On our way from Los Angeles to Hawaii, we were sailing west, then south to Samoa, then east from Samoa to Tahiti, and finally north-east from Tahiti back to Los Angeles. It was confusing at first, due to my ignorance of the exact location of the South Pacific islands. So we bought an inflatable globe, to be able to follow our own ocean path with the globe in our hands. The first few weeks I got up very early to enjoy the Pacific sunrise from the ship. Then I got lazy and just enjoyed the sunset, ha ha!

MOOREA, TAHITIAN HOUSE, watercolor on Arches paper

MOOREA, TAHITIAN HOUSE, 7.5x10" , watercolor on Arches paper.

Open houses, with decks and straw rooftops are common in Samoa and Tahiti. Just floor, wooden columns and the straw roof, no walls, are called "Fale", in the original language of the islands. They are perfect for a warm weather year-round, with occasional daily warm showers. That's why they hang the clothes under the roof-top. No insects or poisonous snakes, warm air and warm water, fruits and flowers all around you, what else do you want????? Paradise!!!!!

Basket Weaver in Papeete, Tahiti, watercolor on Arches

BASKET WEAVER IN PAPEETE, TAHITI, 7.5x10" watercolor on Arches paper.

The skill and speed of this woman, weaving hats, baskets, flower crowns, was impressive to watch. Papeete is a big town, capital of Tahiti in French Polynesia. People here speak Tahitian and French. They use the French Francs as currency. It is interesting that they are not used in France any more, only here. So the French government makes the Francs especially for them. They are French, but the pictures on the bills are of Tahitian people. Very cool!

Nick Kolesnikow, painter, ink and watercolor sketch

NICK KOLESNIKOW, PAINTER, ink and watercolor sketch , 7x7 ".

My friend Nick and I painted often aboard Crown Princess cruiseship, in our recent trip to Hawaii, Samoa, and the Tahiti islands in the South Pacific. I kept a sketchbook of activities, views, lectures, visits, and books read during the voyage;  nothing escapes my pen and watercolor brushes! If you stand still for a few minutes, I get you!!!!

SAMOA BEACH SKETCH, ink and watercolor

SAMOA BEACH SKETCH, 4x10, ink and watercolor on a sketchbook page.
During my recent trip to Hawaii, Samoa, and the South Pacific islands of Tahiti, I sketched daily, sometimes a quick ink sketch with a bit of watercolor like this one, sometimes I did a more detailed watercolor. I will be publishing some of them on the blog in the next few days. Western Samoa and American Samoa are fascinating. The beach is white coral sand.

PRAHA, CHARLES BRIDGE, watercolor

PRAHA, CHARLES BRIDGE, watercolor on Arches paper, 11x14 in.
Tonight, at the San Diego Law Library, this is one of my paintings in exhibition for the fundraiser LAW LIBRARY WITKIN AWARD, for people in legal practices and services.

I painted this watercolor in November 2014, while in Prague, Czech Republic, where I was having an exhibition at the Latin Art Gallery, and teaching a couple of watercolor workshops. Prague is a beautiful city!

ROPA TENDIDA, watercolor on Yupo

ROPA TENDIDA, watercolor on Yupo, 20x26 in. (51x66 cm.)
This watercolor is from a few years ago. It has been juried into the San Diego Watercolor Society a couple of years ago, then Gallery 21 in Baboa Park, and now into the Point Loma Credit Union watercolor exhibition. You can see it there until November 21st. There will be a reception on October 20th, 3-5 pm. You are all invited!!!!
Yupo is a material used as "paper" for watercolors, but it is actually not paper, it is 100% polypropylene. Since it does not absorb water or the pigment we use, the water and pigment just "sit there" until it dries by evaporation. The color stays much stronger on the surface due to lack of absorption, and it is relatively easy to take away pigment and leave the white of the surface in certain parts with a cotton Q-tip, or a wet brush.

BERGOGLIO, NUEVO PAPA - watercolor

BERGOGLIO, NUEVO PAPA, watercolor, 3x7in.
I painted this small watercolor from a picture I took in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 13th, 2013, from the tv set in my cousin Mirtha's house. As I had visited her in Buenos Aires for a few days, we were waiting to go to the airport, when Jorge Mario Bergoglio was announced as the new Pope. My cousin told me that she saw him regularly at her church. Father Bergoglio would come to help fill bags of food and/or clothing for the poor. He would arrive by metro or bus, not in the car with chauffeur assigned to his office as Cardenal.

BAD HAIR DAY, urban sea life at Birch Aquarium, acrylic on canvas

BAD HAIR DAY, urban sea life at Birch Aquarium, acrylic on canvas, 16x20 in.

This is one of three paintings accepted for exhibition at the San Diego Southwestern Yacht Club, from October 10, 2015 till January 9, 2016. The artist reception will be on Sunday, October 11, from 3:00-5:00 pm. The Southwestern Yacht Club address is: 2702 Queltrough Street, San Diego 92106.

"MOON DROP", urban sea life near the Pacific Coast

MOON DROP, acrylic on canvas, 16x20 in.
One of three of my paintings that will be on display at the Southwestern Yacht Club Club-house in San Diego, California, from October 10 to January 9, 2016. This is part of the exhibition with the theme: Urban Sea Life. I researched the topic visiting and sketching at the beautiful Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.

RICHARD STARGULZ, portrait painter demonstrator at SDPS, ink sketch

RICHARD STARGULZ, oil portrait painter demonstrator at San Diego Portrait Society last Thursday. I did this ink sketch of him during his demonstration, in my sketchbook/notebook, where I was making some notes. People ask him questions, about what color he uses, what canvas, etc. When they asked him about his brushes, he said which was his favorite kind:
"ANY BRUSH THAT'S 70% OFF". Funny, and a statement of his skill, too. The skill is in his hand, brain, heart, experience, NOT in his brushes!

OCEAN BEACH, acrylic on canvas

OCEAN BEACH, San Diego, acrylic on canvas, 6x6.

I enjoy painting small canvases sometimes, they are good for quick "souvenirs" of a moment outdoors. We are so blessed living in Southern California with nearby beaches, and a short drive to the mountains or dessert! Life is good, and if you can paint it, it's even better!!!

BARRRIO LOGAN FUN, acrylic on canvas

BARRIO LOGAN FUN, acrylic on canvas, 6x6 in.
In these very hot days of summer, children take advantage of the water fountain in front of Northgate market, on Cesar Chavez and Main Street, near Downtown San Diego. This is a small acrylic to celebrate this fun activity.

SPANISH VILLAGE, Balboa Park, San Diego, acrylic on canvas

SPANISH VILLAGE, Balboa Park, San Diego, California, 6x6 in. acrylic on canvas
A fun view toward the Zoo, of the Spanish Village area at Balboa Park.  These are the artists studios, about 40 studios there, from painting to glass, metal, souvenirs, trinkets, posters, jewelry, etc. A fun place to visit, with colorful pavers, music on weekend afternoons. Enjoy!

DRAGON FRUIT, acrylic on canvas

DRAGON FRUIT, acrylic on canvas, 14x14 in.

The last one, of the series of six Drought Tolerant Fruits I painted for the convention and exhibition at  the Jacobs Center in San Diego, California. It was fun and informative to participate in this event. I didn't even know this fruit existed when I started selecting what to paint. I decided to paint them all in a "water-like" background, to emphasize the fact that they are drought resistant, as they were carried water within themselves.

KIWI, drought tolerant fruit, acrylic on canvas

KIWI, drought tolerant fruit, acrylic on canvas, 14x14. This is the fifth painting I share, of the six paintings I did for the Drought Tolerant Plants and Fruits Convention at the Jacobs Center, in San Diego, California, a couple of weeks ago.

Only one left from my small group of six paintings. There are several more drought tolerant fruits. So.....can you guess which one I painted as the sixth in the series? Guess....and send me a message. The winner will have a reward: a signed copy of my painting. I will publish the sixth painting on Monday September 7. Send me an email with your guess at minnievalero@yahoo.fr
 I WILL BE WAITING!.......

MACADAMIA NUT, acrylic on canvas, drought tolerant fruit

MACADAMIA NUT, acrylic on canvas, 14x14 in., another of the six paintings I did for the Drought Tolerant Plants and Fruits convention at the Jacobs Center a couple of weeks ago.

Living in Southern California, it is important to be aware of which plants and fruits to plant in your garden and to eat at your table. This is a naturally dry area, water is a precious commodity, we should be conscientious and favor the drought resistant plants and fruits.

PRICKLY PEAR, acrylic on canvas

PRICKLY PEAR, acrylic on canvas, 14x14 in.  One of six paintings for the exhibition at the DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS AND FRUITS, in August, at the Jacobs Center, San Diego, CA.
Bears love these fruits. My friends in Claremont, near Los Angeles, who have lots of prickly pear trees in their backyard, report bears coming down the Los Angeles mountains and filling up on them.

WEDDING DANCE, watercolor on Arches paper

WEDDING DANCE, 23x16 in. watercolor on Arches paper, commissioned and sold.

No white lace or silks here, but two handsome gentlemen in gray suits, dancing away celebrating their wedding coming up in a few days. I painted this watercolor as a commission, just finished it. It is now framed and on its way to the gay wedding!

MARSEILLE VIEW FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN, watercolor sketch

MARSEILLE, VIEW FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN, watercolor sketch in my sketchbook.

Please click to enlarge. On the right is the entrance to the port of Marseille, and on the left you can see the Cathedral: La Major, in the back ground, and in black le MUCEM, the most incredibly modern museum, inaugurated a few months ago.

I have been asked to write about my inspiration, and the artists that have inspired me. Delacroix and his travel sketchbooks have definitely been an inspiration for mine. I use ink and watercolors for my travel sketchbooks, and have a collection of them, since I started doing this, about 7 years ago. I have published a few as books, two are for sale at the moment: MY THREE LIVES: in Argentina, USA and France.  Also: LOOKING FORWARD, watercolors during my five week cruise to South America. Contact me for details: minnievalero@yahoo.fr 

DROUGHT RESISTANT FRUIT: FIG, acrylic on canvas

DROUGHT RESISTANT FRUIT: FIG, acrylic on canvas, 14x14 in.

Here is one of six paintings I have done for the weekend show at the San Diego Jacobs Center. The meeting/convention is about drought resistant and/or tolerant plants, particularly fruits. It will take place on Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8. NOT SUNDAY, as I wrongly announced it earlier.

BEZIER, DEPUIS LE TRAIN, watercolor

BEZIER, DEPUIS LE TRAIN, watercolor in my Côte d'Azur sketchbook.

 Just passing by Bezier quickly in our train, on our way from Toulouse to Menton, with my friend Mireille, this image struck me. I didn't have time to get my iphone and take a picture, suddenly the image was gone! But I had my "mind's eye", and the image was stuck in my brain. I immediately got my sketchbook and painted it, starting my sketchbook of my last week in France. I will be posting here the sketchbook page by page. If you have no patience and want to see the whole thing at once, you can do so in my webpage: www.minnievaleroart.com 

LE COQ, FRANCE, acrylic on canvas

LE COQ, FRANCE, acrylic on canvas, 16x20 ".

You must know that the rooster, a proud bird, is the symbol of France. This painting was part of my solo show this year at the Bibliothèque de Cauterets, and is now hanging in exhibition at the Agence Immobiliere Bordenave , Cauterets, France.

MARBELLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas

MARBELLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas, 16x20 in.

As I said in my previous post: "Sevilla for Gabriela", I prepared these two compositions of small watercolors as a special present for my daughter Gabriela, who lives in Sevilla and vacations in Marbella, Spain. These are watercolors done over several years, on my visits there. The last two, at the bottom of this collection, were done in the airplane one very early morning, leaving to Paris. I had both views, AT THE SAME TIME! to my left: the sky with the moon and an engine, to my right, the sun coming up on the horizon. It was incredible!!! I had to paint it!!!

SEVILLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas

SEVILLA FOR GABRIELA, watercolors on black canvas, 16x20 in. canvas.

I have been visiting my daughter Gabriela in Sevilla, Spain, for over 15-18 years. I sketch and paint small watercolors and "carnet de voyages" wherever I go. A couple of months ago, revisiting my travel sketchbooks I realized I had a good collection of small watercolors done in Sevilla over the years, and decided to put them together in some way. I selected a few, tried different ways, finally deciding on a black canvas background. I glued "photo corners" on the canvas, so each watercolor could be viewed like this, all of them together, but also you could take one out and see the reverse, where typically I write the title and/or date of the painting. I made this one with all paintings done in Sevilla, some inside my grand-daughter's bedroom, and the other canvas are watercolors in Marbella.

SUR LE CHEMIN , EN AGUARON, ESPAÑA , acrylic on canvas

SUR LE CHEMIN, EN AGUARON, ESPAÑA,  acrylic on canvas, painted and exhibited in France in June 2015, 81x100 cm. (32x36")

I started this painting in plain-air, on a hill near Aguaron, where the rooftops really attracted my attention. After 4 hours, the heat, the mosquitoes and some dog barking loud the entire time forced me to stop. I finished it later  in France, under very pleasant conditions: in the garden of "La Maison des Arts", in Pierrefitte-Nestalas, Haute Pyrenees.

MEDUSA, acrylic over ceramic mask over black canvas

MEDUSA, 16x20 in. black canvas- ceramic mask, painted with acrylics, glued to the canvas. The result is pretty striking.

My ceramist friend and studio neighbor Doreen Mellen made the mask, which I glued to a black canvas, and painted in acrylics. We had fun with this collaboration. It is in exhibition and for sale at The Glashaus Studios and Gallery, 1815 Main Street, San Diego, California. Come visit us!

L'ESPLANADE DES OEUFS, watercolor

L'Esplanade des Oeufs, watercolor, 22x28 in. Started on location, plein air, at the center of the town of Cauterets, France. I finished it later, since I needed several layers of watercolor, and had to let it dry in between layers. Also, I used masking fluid to protect the paper for the water jets of the new fountain.

This watercolor was just exhibited at the Montrabé Art Exhibition in Montrabé, France. It is now on its way to the Bibliothéque de Cauterets, France.

CAP D'ANTIBES, watercolor and ink sketch

CAP D'ANTIBES, watercolor and ink sketch, 6x8 in.

Walking all around the peninsula in Cap d'Antibes last week, and sketching and painting along the way, was very tiring and extremely wonderful. The views are magnificent, the group from Paris I joined was a very nice group, and very talented watercolorists.

Almost every small town along the Côte d'Azur has a house/museum that belonged to Picasso. He seemed to have filled a house with art, such a prolific artist, then buy another house in the next town, and work in a different style. I'm exaggerating, but there are 12 houses in 12 towns where Picasso lived in the south of France, at one point or another!!!I've only visited a few.

CATEDRAL, SEVILLA, watercolor sketch

CATEDRAL, SEVILLA, watercolor sketch, painted on location - plein air- while visiting my daughter Gabriela in Sevilla, a few years ago. It is a very small watercolor sketch, probably 4 or 5 inches long, and 2 inches wide. The view is from an archway nearby, I think it was from El Patio de los Naranjos,  I am not sure. Sevilla, Spain, beautiful city. The Cathedral is gorgeous inside and out. Go visit!

LET IT BE, acrylic on canvas

LET IT BE, acrylic on canvas, 3x9 inches, for sale at SIMPLY LOCAL, a lovely boutique/local artists gallery showcase at 3013 University, in North Park, San Diego, California.

Tonight was Ray at Night, a second Saturday of the month art walk, with music, food, art! If you missed us tonight, make a note to come over the second Saturday in May!

SEVILLA, OLD AND NEW, watercolor sketch

SEVILLA, OLD AND NEW, 4x6 in. watercolor sketch, painted on location six or seven years ago. Each time I visit Sevilla, Spain, I walk around town marveling at the beauty of these old buildings. They have the system of public bicycles, many stations around town where you can rent a bike for an hour or more, and return it in a different location. It is a great system, and very convenient for a city relatively flat,  and so beautiful! Behind the guy is one of the typical old walls, I think it was the wall to the Jardines de Murillo.

EL ALJIBE, MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE SEVILLA, watercolor

EL ALJIBE, MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE SEVILLA, watercolor in my sketchbook.

It is such a pleasure to visit this art museum, every time I'm in Sevilla, Spain. In my experience, it is always open, free, and with patios to rest between visiting galleries of paintings and standing on your feet for a long period. Then a patio with plants, a water fountain, or an "aljibe"= water well, appears for your rest and comfort. It is walking distance from downtown's El Corte Ingles, from the famous bar "La Campana", and the elegant shopping Calle Sierpes.  When I rest for a few minutes, I do a little sketch or watercolor, like this one painted a few years ago.

WELL BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY

WELL BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY, t-shirt at the Women's Museum of California.  The two paintings of women on the wall behind it, are my watercolors: "Woman, waiting", on the left, and "Fruto di Amore" on the right. The Women's Museum is at Liberty Station in San Diego, California,  open Wednesday through Sunday 11:00am -4:00 pm.

SEVILLA, FUENTE AVE. DE LA BORBOLLA, watercolor

SEVILLA, FUENTE AVE. DE LA BORBOLLA, watercolor, 4x6 in. painted in 2012, during a trip to Sevilla, Spain. I love to do small watercolors when traveling. Sometimes I do the drawing with a black ink pen, then watercolor, sometimes I do a quick sketch with a pencil.  It seems that this one didn't have a pen drawing.

COLLIURE II, FRANCE, watercolor

COLLIURE II, FRANCE, watercolor, 5x7 in., in exhibition at the San Diego Watercolor Society, San Diego, California. This is the second watercolor juried in yesterday. Colliure is a very colorful and beautiful town in the south of France, close to the border with Spain. At the beginning of the 20th C. it was the last town reached by the French trains. This is where Fauvism was born. The art tour guides tell the story of Matisse escaping the art scene of Paris, taking the train the farthest it would go, stopping in Colliure. Then he invited Derain, and others followed. They went wild with colors, and Fauvism was born.

Reception  at the Watercolor Society Gallery at Liberty Station, San Diego, California, this coming Friday, April 3, from 5:00- 8:00 pm. YOU ARE INVITED! COME FOR THE ART, STAY FOR THE WINE!

TRANQUERA , watercolor on Arches paper

TRANQUERA , watercolor on Arches paper, 11x14 in, available.
TRANQUERA was just juried into the April exhibition of the  San Diego Watercolor Society.

Rïse Parberry was this month's juror. "Tranquera" is based on sketches I did on location, and pictures taken at my friend's Lalo and Estela's Estancia in Villa Catalina, Córdoba, Argentina.

TERRAZAS DE MARBELLA I, watercolor sketch

TERRAZAS DE MARBELLA I, watercolor sketch, 4x4

Marbella is a beautiful and elegant town on the South of Spain, where Dali sculptures grace the downtown plaza leading from the gorgeous beach to the lovely Old Town shops, bars and restaurants area. This is a sketch of a quite villa of condominiums nearby.

To get to Marbella, you can fly into Malaga, and visit the several Picasso museums in Malaga, since he was born there.  His native house in front of the plaza is one of the museums.