About a month ago Jasmine and I drove to San Diego and we visited a childhood mentor that inspired me to paint while I was growing up in Jamul CA. Her name is Elizabeth and she is an incredible watercolor painter who organized the Graphic Arts project in Jamul Chaparros 4-H Club that I participated in from 5^th grade through my senior year in high school. With her cheering me on, I won many awards with my watercolor paintings along with many other top honors.

Now 23 years later, I’m painting with Elizabeth again. She and her husband Ron took us down to one of her favorite painting spots in La Jolla at children’s pool. Originally this was designed as safe place youngsters can swim but now it has become a popular place for the sea loins. I gleefully painted as Elizabeth watched with pride and enthusiasm. To honor my early day mentor, I gave her the painting as my thanks for many years of her loving  support. 

        

I wanted to share with you a wonderful painting experience I had with a plein air group that met at Point Reyes National Sea Shore last weekend in October. Richard Lindenberg (from Novato, CA.) arranged this weekend paint out through the California Art Club. Forty artists stayed at the Limantour Retreat Center and a great time was had by all. We painted during the day and at night we shared laughs over dinner. Saturday night a group of us took a moonlit hike that was one of my highlights of the trip. The moon was bright as we could see all the stars above. Wow!

Here is a link to Richards Blog of our adventures. I think it is well done. http://richardlindenberg.blogspot.com

Here are two paintings that I started in Carmel CA. about three weeks ago and I have just completed the finishing touches in my studio. Both paintings are 18”x24” oil on canvas panel. It’s an ambitious size for plein air painting but it does have an impact.    

The owners of the property who wanted something to remind them of this beautiful place commissioned the paintings. It was a great pleasure to have free rein to paint what ever inspired me on this enchanted peninsula and I had it all to myself. Perhaps someday soon, I’ll be able to join the ranks of the great painters of Carmel by the sea as Brian Blood and Laurie Kersey.

A month without blogging. How did that happen? For the first half of November, Sterling and I were away at a workshop. Since coming back, Sterling has been working on two seascape commissions in Carmel and another one in Dillon Beach. Here are the Carmel commissions before Sterling puts the final touches on them in the studio:
  

While in Carmel, Sterling revisited Carmel Fine Art Gallery at 6th and Dolores. They are in the process of expanding and accepted two of his paintings, Majestic Cypress and Cypress Quartet. We are very excited to be in a Carmel gallery!

  

Stepping back in time, at ARtrails in mid-October, we sold a second painting from Sterling's January Carmel seascape series.. The first one was Variety of Rock. This one was Asilomar Rocks. Cypress Quartet was also from that trip. Three other paintings have sold since ARTrails: Moss Landing, On the River and Barbe's Back Barn. Barbe's Back Barn was one of the last acrylic paintings Sterling created before switching to oils about five years ago. The barn belongs to John Barbe, a neighbor of Sterling's dad. After considering it all this time, John Barbe decided to buy it.

Our last planned show this year is the FrogSong Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair this weekend at our studio, 8280 Old Redwood Highway. This will be a small show featuring artists from the cohousing community that we live in.