Route 152 Oak

When you drive from Southern California to Santa Cruz, one way is to take I-5, which moves like the wind (if the wind were the I-5); it will take you through the agricultural middle of the state.  Then you can make your way to the coast on Route 152, which is quite scenic.  If I'm the passenger, I always try to snap pictures of the scenery flying past.  Or if I have a passenger, I delegate.  This is there.  I painted it a couple of weeks ago, from a photo that I think my son took some months or possibly a year or so ago.  The photographs are all intended to be painting subjects.  I love those old oak trees and the rolling golden hills.  The painting isn't too far off.   When I painted the clouds (actually, I painted the sky around and through them) I thought I'd messed them up completely.  Since they were the first thing I painted, I almost scrapped the project.  But I like the clouds now - they have that cloud-like randomness and improbability that I never could have achieved intentionally.

Hugo Reid Adobe

In most of the world, and even the rest of the country, you can find seriously old buildings. In California, 150 years qualifies as extremely old.

This is another 12x16. I missed breakfast, and got faint with heat and/or hunger before I was finished with this. I'm not sure it was worth it. But anyhow, I've used up all my blank canvases (except one that smells like mildew.) I think I'll get smaller ones. I think I learn as much on 8x10, and I think my chances of catching and condensing a moment of beauty are every bit as good. At least for now. Until I have bigger brushes, and work faster, and find a subject that screams to be a monumental painting.