A Patch of Blue

Yet another group of storms that passed us by. The clouds were great though.

Fierce Break 2

This is the second version of the wave I saw in Half Moon Bay. I'm still working with the panoramic format and in watercolor.

Ancestry 2

Yep I'm still playing with this image. My latest challenge to myself with regard to watercolor is to use the brush to draw the image. I think the graphite lines are good for tight paintings. I'm trying to loosen up.

Fierce Break 1

We were on the beach in Half Moon Bay, California. This area I think had a huge rock formation just below the surface. The waves were explosive and you could actually hear the break of the wave. I have yet to get the entire length that I captured in the photo into a painting. This scene would translate well into a pastel or oil on copper...I will keep you posted.

New 147th Judge

I don't have many cases in the 147th Judicial District Court these days. As such, I really haven't had a chance to get some drawings of Judge Cliff Brown. Last Friday I spent most of my morning in his court working a case out. In between negotiations I penned this one. I used Inktense pencils on the new Canson watercolor boards.

Inner Aspens

This is the pastel version of the aspens that I have been working with. I worked on Canson pastel paper...the smooth side. As to pastels, I used Rembrandt and Terry Ludwig darks. I also called these birches in my earlier posts. Please forgive my ignorance of trees. Trees are important and right now here in Texas they are dying from lack of water. Hopefully we will get relief soon.

Impending Down Pour

I worked on another piece from my friend Judy's trip to West Texas. I drew it out with Inktense pencils and later added water. I want to do another in pastel. I like the drama with the watercolor but I think it will translate well in pastel.

Trial Day One 4

Two of the defendant's three lawyers. All three lawyers are ex prosecutors. They were listening to the 14 year old witness testify. The first day of trial is filled with lots of nervous tension and posturing. Day two is the job part of it as you get comfortable in front of the judge and jury.

Trial Day One 3

Two of the defense lawyers and the defendant. He was found guilty and will be sentenced by Judge Jon Wisser on Friday. I also found out that both the victim and defendant were homeless vets. The term homeless vets makes me sad because these people gave themselves in service of this country and we threat them like discarded chips in a game of checkers. But off my soap box. The defendant is the guy in blue.

Scattered Showers

I try and take advantage of painting clouds when we have them around. I was painting in my studio and walked up to the front and saw these beautiful clouds rushing by. I had to set up another painting station.

Trial Day One 2

In this image we have a defense lawyer, part of the defendant's head and a courtroom guard. I don't know the outcome but I will find out what happened. I was only able to catch a few minutes . This case like a majority of the cases that get pled out or tried in our courts go unnoticed by the press.

Trial Day One 1

A sketch from the murder trial that I sat in on briefly. This trial involved two homeless men. The allegation was that the defendant stabbed and killed the victim over his begging spot. The witness was 13 at the time of the offense. Its a pity that a person so young has to watch someone die right in front of them. The prosecutor was going over a map of the area.

The Neighbors House

The house (or part of it) across the street from Pam's. I painted this from the comfort of the living room so not really totally en plein air. Something about her neighborhood makes me want to paint it. I just created another project for myself. We just had a nice reception at the gallery. Nice crowd for a school night. A respected art instructor from the University of Texas complimented me on my work and may become a collector that always makes me feel good.

Drive by 32

One of the drive by sketches completed in the car on the way back from Fort Bragg.

Ancestry One

The first watercolor after a number of studies. Today I got to sit in on a murder trial for about 40 minutes. I took over a few sheets of watercolor pap[er, my sketch pad and Inktense pencils. I was able to get five 8 by 6 inch sketches in. I will post them once completed. Funny the defense team knows that I sketch when I'm watching a trial. They were all giving their best side and sitting still enough for me to get them down. Its always good to draw from life I think. This painting above was from sketches and photos completed on site. Maybe a pastel version is next as I have completed another watercolor in this series

Street Music 2

For this version I used Pan Pastels. One of the many musicians in and around the Pecan Street Festival. Its fun to go down with my camera and sketch pad. Plenty of colorful people that get even more colorful after dark.

Ancestry Study 1

Another study in the ancestry series. As to my prior posts of the 'birch trees", a friend informed me that they are actually aspen trees. For a country girl like me that's not good. Live and learn. I worked with the Pan Pastels on this one.

Ancestry 2 study

The rock formations on this beach reminded me of our ancestors. I thought that perhaps they were around when the dinosaurs roamed the world. They were certainly large enough. I worked with Pan Pastels.

Birch Trees

Another image of the birch trees surrounded by tall redwoods. If I have given the wrong name for the trees let me know. What drew me to this scene was the light hitting the trees. Pam and I frequently stop during our trips to allow me to sketch, paint or make pictures with my camera. She likes to make pictures herself and has a better eye than I.

Wave Formations

A wave study done with Pan Pastels. Pam commented "your impression" when she saw me working on this piece. I felt trance like while painting that day. Cool air, fog and the ocean will do that to you.

Sunset

Sunset in Fort Bragg, California. I have painted its various stages many times. On this particular day the fog bank had receded to give us a nice view of the sunset. As the sun set the fog bank was coming back in. That scene inspired this piece.

Downpours

I think I need to call this one in progress. I thought it was done but changed my mind after posting. This from my friend Judy's trip out to the West Texas area.

A Glimmer of Light

The photo that inspired this painting was taken during our trip up to Leggett, CA. There were patches of birch trees amongst the redwoods. The light was limited and delicate.