What better place to do a country side landscape than Giverny, France. I’ve visited Monet’s home and garden twice now. This particular street is on the way to Monet’s house and garden.

This view is of the more Northern Crystal Springs Reservoir looking Northwest from Hwy 92 and Skyline Rd. That day the weather was cloudy and misting. Some good December rains had made the grass a bright green. The fog and low clouds were coming over the hill from the west blanketing the tops of the hills as they often do with the log fog.

Off of Hwy 108 / Sonora pass and few miles into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness area you will find Sword and Long Lake. Each of swim-able lakes offer granite boulders that line the lake with steep faces and the demanding view of the Dardanelles mountains behind them. Into the summer, the high 10,000+ foot Dardanelles have bits of winter snow left over.

This funky old house and Stage Coach Stop is on the corner of Hwy 84 and Stage Road. It doesn’t look lived in as there are several missing windows but hopefully it is being kept up enough to preserve the structure for those to enjoy the older building.

A short distance away from the Tree House Studio is Stanford University. Several paintings will be done with views around campus.

I started with a very rough sketch of Burnt sienna thinned onto the canvas to get the basic layout of the painting before putting in the colors. Sometimes, I will reduce the amount of Burnt sienna on the canvas and wipe down the marks so that when the paint goes over the top, the background Burn sienna doesn’t bleed into a bright wight or other lighter color.

About 30 miles North of Santa Cruz and 30 miles south of Half Moon Bay is a light house that sticks out on a point. This old structure and out buildings and fences is a favorite for painters and photographers.

About 2 miles into the Emigrant Wilderness Area in California is a wonderful smaller lake that is back dropped with granite ridges that sit around the lake bowl. To access this lake, one mile is pretty easy and gradual and the other mile has a very steep rocky section before reaching the lake.

This is a view looking east with the granite mountains reflecting into the still lake. It is always clear but on the cool side for swimming. It is about 7500 feet elevation and can have snow in the area around well until into June.

I have hiked and camped to this lake many times with family and friends.

At the most far West and North corner of the USA is some small beaches and parks in these remote, wet and green corner of Washington State.

We had driven to this beach to view first hand the rock stacking on this tiny area of beach.

We were just blown away by the hundred of thousands of rock stacks that were located on every log and rock.

From slightly different angle, I grabbed the rugged shoreline and gray day in a painting.

On Hwy 108 /Sonora Pass at about 7,000 feet is a horse and trip staging area for the Emigrant Wilderness Area. Just a short 1/4 mile hike from the lodge, store and cabins is a wonderful large flat grassy meadows where the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River wanders past.

The colors vary from the bright green grasses of the spring snow melt, and the yellow fall colors of the trees and shrubs. The gray of the steep granite mountains behind the backdrop.

Just a short 2-3 mile hike from the Leavitt Meadows campground is this hidden gem of a lake that has a silver mountain backdrop. This lake on the Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Range offers warmer swimming in the summer.