Wednesday, January 7, 2015


Day 7 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

The Old Vine | Pastel | 4x6

My favorite time of year is what I call 'mustard in the vineyards-time'. Early spring begins in late February for us here in northern California.  I always plan on my first plein air (outdoor) painting venture to begin at this time by taking a trip over to Napa Valley, just 45 minutes away.  There, the special color of mustard is growing high amidst the vines.  You have to look further and further to find old vines but there are still a few fields of them along Route 12 near Glen Ellen. Savagely pruned every year of their life, these knarly dudes are like bonsai trees.
Painting every day is becoming a rhythm.  Early afternoon finds me choosing what I want to paint, then squeezing in a quick thumbnail.  After watching the 5:30 news and eating, it's off to the studio to set about the task.  Breaks are between commercials when I'll venture into the family room to catch a snippet of a TV show.  I've always been a night person and the fact that this is the time of day I gravitated to do my 30/30 is no surprise, and yet it was a surprise!  I thought I'd get myself into the studio bright and early but the luxury of retired life, which I'm still new to, begs me to linger over my coffee (peppermint mocha, in honor of the season), do the crosswords, check the garden, etc, etc, etc. Afternoons are spent painting big stuff for upcoming shows.  Evenings are for my 'quickies' - with a whole new meaning in these later years! Ha!

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