Laguna Canyon Oaks 12 x 16

The Laguna Canyon Big Bend Staging area boasts some of the most majestic oaks in Southern California.
I was fortunate to hike down to the oak treas and experience the remaining clouds of an early morning spring shower.

After the Rains 12 x 16

I can't pick the weather on the days that I paint.  On this particular day, rain was forecast.  I decided to head farther inland to escape the storm.
By mid afternoon, the rain had just started to clear and I looked back and saw this pretty farm landscape.

Silverado Span

Silverado Canyon is a quaint community in Orange County that seems to have escaped the urbanization that the rest of the county has experienced.
I haven't been painting 11 x 14 sized paintings, but the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painters "Less is More" show established that size as the maximum allowed.
It was early afternoon, in the Silverado Canyon, when I found this small bridge just barely visible from the roadway.
(the painting won Honorable Mention)

Change of Seasons-Fertile Valley

Here is another example of how different seaons (July 2009 & March 2010) and in this case, different time of day and different weather affect the colors of the paintings. These were painted along a road overlooking the San Pascual Valley, where the Battle of San Pascual was fought during the Mexican-American War, and where The San Diego Wild Animal Park now resides.

Crystal Cove

I have been looking for nice places to paint with water, like a stream or pond. In this painting I wanted to capture the changing colors of the blue water in the canal, from a blue-green near the bridge to a beautiful blue violet nearer to where I stood. It was a gorgeous day.

Paintings as Seasons Change

This 12 x 16 painting entitled "Bridge" was painted during the Laguna Plein Air Painters 2009 Invitiational. I liked the old Crystal Cove bridge, so I returned two months later and painted it again.

I liked the interesting clouds offshore, and the glare on the water from the colder winter light.

High Desert Wash 12 x 16

I painted this in the afternoon just above the Cajon Pass.
I was interested in showing the atmospheric perspective. The color in the foreground have a higher chroma, and the colors become more desaturated as they recede.