Author Archives: santacruzmountainrunners

A few years back I was visiting Provence France in mid to late June. The lavender fields were not quite in their peak yet but enough to see and smell the large lavender fields of the region. As I was creating this painting, I just couldn’t create the lavender color I wanted to express. IContinue reading “Provence France”

A few years back I was out East in the Boston/Topsfield area visiting friends during the fall and capture this scene on a photo from which to paint this canvas from.

Huddart Park is a large San Mateo County park that is located in the redwood foothills in Woodside, CA. The park is filled with steep canyons of redwoods and creeks.

As you drive over to the coast on Hwy 84, there is this classic red barn that is there with a wonderful field and coastal scene behind it. On this cloudy and gray day in the fall, the grass was dry and brown.

The colors of the Valley floor change from the browns and grays of winter to the greens of spring to the yellows and oranges of late summer. This painting is based on an August valley trip while climbing half dome and exploring the valley.

One of the iconic views of Yosemite Valley is at this one particular stop on the Merced River as you are heading west out of the Valley. At this point, the river is often fairly still in the late summer and fall seasons and it reflects the El Capitain and the Bridalveil Falls. When IContinue reading “Yosemite Valley”

Bodie is located over 9000 feet in eastern side of the Sierras where is dry and the old abandoned wood houses very slow decay but they are kept in that state continuous. This painting is more detailed painting of the house I painted in the distance before.

This tiny town, one of the 5 cites in the Cinque Terra is probably the most famous. The blue -green ocean and the light pastel colors of the very old buildings make more a wonderful image to paint.

For those who have driven south on Hwy 1 south of Half Moon Bay is this historically preserve house called the Johnston House built in 1853. Land around has been preserved and it is backdropped by the coastal range hills behind it.

This is one of my favorite old structures in Ghost town of Bodie, California called the Swazey Hotel. Bodie is an historic state park south of Bridgeport, CA on Highway 395.