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.

Le Pont Neuf, Toulouse, France, watercolor

LE  PONT NEUF, TOULOUSE, France, 14x20 in. (35.5x50.8 cm.) watercolor, available for purchase.

One of the several bridges that crosses the industrial and University city of Toulouse, and its main river: La Garone. Le Pont Neuf is particularly beautiful as the sun goes down. Older, traditional buildings in Toulouse have been  built with bricks, giving the town a reddish color, thus called:" la ville rose". Tango Festival in the summer is fantastic, with people dancing tango everywhere! 

SAN DIEGO SKYLINE, watercolor

SAN DIEGO SKYLINE from Harbor Island, watercolor on Arches paper, 9x12 in. Painted plain air last week a day that the light was constantly changing. The sky, the clouds, and the sun, were playing hide and seek the entire morning!

We recently took a tour-cruise on the San Diego Harbor, and learned that "Harbor Island" didn't exist a hundred years ago. It was created with the accumulation of silt and rocks from the bottom of the bay, to deepen the San Diego Bay. Now there are some beautiful hotels, restaurants, parks, yatch club, it is a lovely ride with a gorgeous view of the San Diego skyline.

LA ROUTE DES CYGNES, watercolor and ink sketch in my journal

LA ROUTE DES CYGNES,  ( The route of the swans, my translation) , watercolor and ink sketch from the book by René Hardy. This is a novelized version of the discovery of America by the Vikings. The story starts in the year 870, and it goes on until 1006. I read it in French, my own translation is "The route of the swans", but it may have a different title in English. It was a very entertaining book, about a fantastic story. The discovery of a whole new continent, while they were thinking they had just discovered new lands farther away.

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, sketch in my journal

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, journal sketch from the book by Anthony Doerr. Amazing story of a 13 year old blind girl in Paris, and a 14 year old orphan boy in Germany. At the same time, the chapters succeed like a ping-pong game: girl/boy/girl... The metaphors are extraordinary, beautiful, remind me of Pablo Neruda's poems. The play of opposites next to each other for contrast and beauty are fantastic! Which is the "LIGHT" we cannot see? There is more to this book than the story of these people, and the war,

CALIFORNIA SOUVENIR, acrylic on board/panel, plein-air

CALIFORNIA SOUVENIR, 9x12 in. painted plein-air in Cambria, California. I must add I painted it last Spring while freezing to death on the cold beach, in spite of all the jackets I was wearing! But it was fun anyway, because I was with good company.

In painting as in life, it is not WHAT you do, or WHERE you do it, but HOW and WHY you do it. It's the motive, the goal, the company that counts.

KATHLEEN'S FIRE, pastel portrait on Canson paper

KATHLEEN'S FIRE, pastel portrait on Canson paper, 28x22 in., a portrait of Kathleen Mitchell, glass blower extraordinaire, at The Glashaus.

Big event today Saturday, March 14, at The Glashaus, Kathleen's exhibition of her beautiful production. Come today, wonderful music, good food, and her fantastic artwork. Most studios will be open, too, including mine, all afternoon and evening. The Glashaus: 1815 Main Street, San Diego 92113. From the 5 fwy, exit Cesar Chavez Ave. See you tonight!

BACKYARD VIEW, ink and watercolor sketch in journal

BACKYARD VIEW, ink and watercolor sketch in journal. Painted plain-air, sitting in front of the window with a cup of coffee, after finishing the book: THE NAKED TRUTH, AND PERSONAL VISION, by Barlett H. Hayes Jr.
"The Arts are man's protest to accepting the world at its face value. ...... Within each straight-away the road seems clear, but the memory of earlier directions warns that the view never can be the same for all people."   Just like in life... I loved this book.

ANTHURIUM, ink and watercolor sketch in my journal

ANTHURIUM, ink and watercolor sketch in my journal. The pot was made by my grandson, Matthew. Incredible, how this plant blooms. I received it as a gift three months ago, in early December, with five flowers. One died, one new came on, it still has five blooms!

No direct sunlight, I water it once a week with six ice-cubes! I enjoy it every day!

DOREEN'S MAGIC, pastel portrait on Canson paper

DOREEN'S MAGIC, pastel portrait on Canson paper, 28x22 in. It can be viewed in Doreen Mellen's studio at The Glashaus, in San Diego, California. Doreen is a gifted ceramist, originally from Tasmania, Australia.

She works her magic in white ceramic, day and day out. She's a true artist, because as one of my professor's at the University of California once said: "If you work with your hands, you are a laborer, if you work with your hands and your brains, you are a professional, if you work with your hands, your brains, and your heart, you are an artist."

LES ALPES, oil on canvas

LES ALPES, oil on canvas 10x10" original painting, available for viewing at my studio : The Glashaus, 1815 Main Street, San Diego, California. Available for purchasing, contact me at minnievalero@yahoo.fr

Having grown up in Mendoza, Argentina, near the Andes, from the age of two to twelve, the love of mountains has stayed with me. I love all mountains everywhere. There is a sense of infinite mystery, beauty, silence, and marvel. I particularly love the French mountains, the Pyrénées, and the Alpes.

WILD BEAUTY, oil on canvas and ceramic

WILD BEAUTY, oil on canvas painting with ceramic "hair" glued to the canvas, 24x36, in exhibition and available for purchase at THE GLASHAUS, 1815 Main Street, San Diego, California.

This art piece is part of a collaborative exhibition by the artists at The Glashaus Studios and Gallery. We combined our artistic skills and crazy ideas, and came up with new work we had not even imagined before we started! We surprised each other and ourselves. The result was a fantastic collaboration of different media never attempted before. It was awesome! It is a beautiful show, only two more weeks.