"Palms" ©

I can hear you, "Palms again?". Well, it's sunny California and everywhere you look these beauties are dancing in the sun. So, every once in a while they are going to pop up here because I love to paint them. Actually the palms in my valley suffered greatly in a few days of very low temps. Most of them are brown but at sunset the brown turns rust and they glow. Maybe they will be next?

Oil on canvas, 9" X 12"

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"Corgi" ©

This little Corgi has the largest ears you can imagine. He is a ranch dog and is willing to let me pet him as long as I would like. He will also fetch a stick just so that I can keep throwing it. His eyes speak volumes.

Oil on Panel, 5" X 7"

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"Ocean Air" ©

Down by the sea the air acts like a veil, creating more and more layers as you look to the distance. Capturing that effect was my goal with this piece. I was in Malibu with the ocean singing behind me.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"Summit Park Trail" ©

Summit park starts out with tennis courts, then a large grassy area and finally a path into the wilderness. It's right smack dab in the middle of town and yet most people don't even know about the back area. There is a small sign warning about snakes and coyotes. During the day coyotes lay low and it's to cold for the snakes. So it was a perfect painting day. My buddy Sandy and I chatted, painted and chatted some more. She painted a lovely watercolor and it was nice to have the company.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

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"Eaton Canyon" ©

Today the "Thursday Irregulars" painted Eaton Canyon. When you are plein air painting, not much can distract you from the task at hand. Not 40 children singing, not the hiker with a pit bull straining against it's leash, not even the couple that want to offer advice. But today a small mouse was running from one clump of brush to another, back and forth, the whole time I painted. I almost named the little fellow. He managed to distract and endear me to him. Finally the rain drove me out of the canyon and back to my car.

Oil on Panel, 9" X 12" sold

"Koi Fountain" ©

One of the first sights that greet the visitors to Descanso Gardens is lovely Koi pond with fountains. Painting daily allowed me to spend my morning engaged with the water bouncing off this beautiful fountain.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Rice Canyon" ©

Rice Canyon is part of the Santa Clarita Woodlands. Even though it's still winter the canyon is stunning. In spring it bring us to our knees with beauty. The photo is washed out on the right due to the size of the panel and wet paint, my apologies.

Oil on Panel

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"Little Red Cabin" ©

Lately my family has been discussing our summer vacation plans during dinner each evening. These talks spirited this little painting, as I was day dreaming of a perfect vacation spot today.

Oil on Canvas Board, 8" X 8"

"Lake At Descanso Gardens" ©

Today I painted out with a group called "The Thursday Irregulars". "Irregular" is in the title, I was told because all of the artists are professionals and depending on their show/travel/commission schedule they attend irregularly. We met at 9am to paint in the famous Descanso Gardens till 12 noon, and then gathered together at the cafe for lunch and a critique. What fun!

I painted at the far end of the garden, past the cactus garden, looking over the bird sanctuary towards the San Gabriel Mountain range. This is my mornings effort.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

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"Colors Of Malibu" ©

Last Sunday, on the beach at Malibu these were the colors flying. It's no wonder that Malibu has such a reputation for beauty. I feel so fortunate to have been born in California and so lucky to have the opportunity to see this sight in person.

Oil on Panel, 5" X 7"



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"East Mountain" ©

I have been working on this painting, while "blogging" the smaller pieces, the last couple of days. It's close to the finish line, now. Posting it allows me to see it with new eyes.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 30"

"Sun Dappled Gray" ©

A large berry tree stands just outside of Neo's stall, shading him most of the day. His is the first stall in a long row, so he greets or ignores every visitor depending on his mood. I was captured by the sun splashing here and there over his back. I was being ignored.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"


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"In The Arroyo" ©

Saturday the California Art Club held one of their quarterly paint outs in the Lower Arroyo Park, just south of the famous Pasadena bridge. The weather was suppose to be horrible (for painting out), I just don't think the clouds would dare to pounce on a CAC event. So, a fabulous time was had by all. Artists painted the casting pond, hills or the bridge and I chose this wonderful path through the trees. I walked quite a ways down the path, as it pulled me further and further along. This is the feeling I wanted to pass on to the viewer of my painting.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10" sold

"Highway 126" working title ©

This view is near Filmore, out Highway 126. Houses are planned for this lovely land. In a few years this view will be history.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20" sold

"Golden Sycamore" ©

This tree must be one hundred years old. It stands along the bank of the Placerita Creek. Now it's naked, but painting just the bear "bones" felt so cold, so I dressed her up.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10" sold

"Valencia Palm" ©

We have had a couple of very warm, summer-ish days in sunny Southern California. Most of the palms have a tinge of rust because of the cold snap a couple of weeks ago. This little beauty is hanging on to some green.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

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"View From Rancho Deluxe"

Late last spring I had the opportunity to visit Rancho Deluxe in Sand Canyon, just down the road. This was the stunning view from one of the ranch houses. The painting is not entirely finished, I'll tweak the piece tomorrow morning with fresh eyes.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 30"

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"Evening Light" ©

This view is Placerita creek, dry as a bone, late in the day. This painting will be part of the "Chasing Open Spaces II" exhibit, in a couple of months. Two painters and myself are painting the undeveloped areas in our valley, in order to expose and document the beauty that surrounds us everyday. I still have a bit of tweaking to go but this is what I painted today.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"After The Rain" ©

The storm clouds are heading to other lands, leaving behind puddles, dark bark and wet asphalt. New storms will march into the valley before February is past, giving our creek it's chance to run.

Oil on Panel, 5" X 7"

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"January Sunset" ©

It rained! You could almost hear the ground sucking as the drops fell from the sky. I am looking over the tops of the Oak trees at the glorious clouds. If the "painter police" pronounced a rule that every painter must pick one and only one subject to paint forever, I would pick clouds.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

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"Wistaria" ©

In a couple of months the world famous "Wistaria" Festival in Sierra Madre will take over the small village of Sierra Madre. This painting is of a tiny section of the Wistaria vine that is the cause of celebration.

Oil on Canvas

"Burbank Palm" ©

They say that if you want to become proficient at painting one particular "thing", paint lots of them. With this in mind the palm trees continue. Burbank is a city about 25 miles from home and this neglected beauty was standing next to the freeway off ramp. I just remembered all of the orange streamers floating off each palm frond.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

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"Following The Sand" ©

This scene is of the creek that runs in front of my home and the mountain that greets me everyday. It is very difficult to walk in the wet sand but worth the effort. I always see wildlife and feel as though there isn't another soul for hundreds of miles.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

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"Afternoon Shade" ©

I was standing in the afternoon shade for this scene. Sometimes shade is difficult to find, in our sunny land.

Oil on Canvas Board, 8" X 8"

"Classic California" ©

These beauties were on full display in our January sun. Today was a classic California day, 76 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

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"Sand Canyon Gold" ©

The brush of Sand Canyon glistens as if it's spun gold under the end of the day sun. Under stormy clouds the drama is breath taking.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

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"Three Palms At Sunset" ©

Daily painting allows the artist a bit of elbow room to explore themes and methods that we ordinarily might not take the time to do working on large pieces. Today I just wasn't ready to let the palm trees at sunset leave my easel. I even dreamed about them last night, along with an Indian in lemon yellow leather on a dark horse, riding out of a Viridian sea during a storm. Oh, how I wish I could paint that for you. Anyway, palm trees and fluffy pink clouds filled my day and here are "Three Palms At Sunset".

Oil on Board, 5" X 7"

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"Palms At Sunset" ©

From the back door I hear, "Laura come quick", my husband doesn't want me to miss the sunset sky. He is simply wonderful. My neighbor raises palm trees, so I have a whole bunch of exotic and average palms dancing for me daily. Combine the sunset and the neighbors plams and you get "Palms At Sunset".

Oil on Panel, 5" X 7"

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"Sunlit Trunks" ©

Looking around for a view I spotted these Oak trunks in the distance soaking up the early morning sun. It was all I could do not to follow the road to get a closer view. The bits of brush on my panel will come off when the paint dries, somehow with the wind they drifted onto my painting.

Oil on board, 8" X 10"

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"Keeper Of The Canyon" (working title)

In the 1800's I would have been one of the painters that was still tweaking my painting during "varnishing" days at the Paris Salon. I'll have this piece up on a second easel and continue to adjust here and there, but basically it's "done". The is not a "daily painting", as the piece is larger and took several days. To read more about Sierra Madre and this piece look down a couple of days to "Keeper Of The Canyon, study". Please note that the shine of the wet paint is catching the light on the far right and upper mid-left, my apologies.

Oil on Board, 16" X 20" sold

"Road Home" ©

Late today I was on my way to a meeting at City Hall. While driving there, I saw these mountains, trees and brush. I really wanted to stop and paint, but time was not on my side. The next best solution was to try to memorize what I was seeing and paint the scene when I got home. All during the meeting I thought about the "Road Home".

Oil on Board, 5" X 7" $150.

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"Keeper Of The Canyon" ©

Not one thing in the Sierra Madre Canyon is straight. The canyon is filled with homes from the early 1900's, built as vacation homes to the residents of Los Angeles. The Craftsman styled homes have tons of bedrooms, huge dining rooms, screened in porches that wrap the upper decks and tons of river rock surfaces. All designed for the extended families summer fun. The roads are narrow and snake up the hill, towards the dam, cooled by trees from the heat of the summers day. The tree I have painted is at the start of the canyon, hovering over the road and bridge that crosses the canyon creek. I am working on a studio painting of this scene and took advantage of my packed palette to paint this daily painting.

Oil on board, 5" X 7"

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"Canyon Chill" ©

The temperature gage in my car read 34 degrees, with the wind howling it felt like 24. The scrub brush was still frozen from the night and my feet crunched on the ice. I decided to take a photo and paint from that in my studio rather then fight with frozen paint. I know wimpy, native Californian.

Oil on board, 8" X 10"

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"Rose" ©

Another day, another rose. Today I wanted to continue exploring the curves and lines of the rose. I experimented with a different technique then yesterday, which helped me from becoming lost in the luxurious petals.

Oil on Canvas Board, 8" X 8"

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"Sunday Rose" ©

Intimacy with a rose is a lovely way to spend a Sunday. I explored each petal, curve and edge of this beauty. The color changes as the curves flow within the rose were a challenge and pleasure to work with. All the while I was chewing on the thought that I should be outside pruning, maybe tomorrow.

Oil on Canvas Board, 8” X 8”

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"Inlet, Morning" ©

The sun is rising and catching the tops of the trees and brush across the inlet. The water is so calm that bird calls skate across the water forever.

Oil on Board, 5" X 7"

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"Eaton Canyon Gold II" ©

Today I painted the same scene as yesterday, without distraction. If you compare the two paintings, you will see I changed the composition, pushed the colors, simplified the mountains and tried to hone in on the feeling you have standing at the base of the San Gabriels, as evening is approaching. Most people wouldn't believe the color range these beauties dazzle the viewer with. Some evenings they are just simply pink, other evenings a rich gold with a hint of green. I am so thankful to live in such a paradise.

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Oil on board, 8" X 10"

"Eaton Canyon Gold" ©

Late in the day, Eaton Canyon, one lovely gold Sycamore tree. I will paint this as a studio painting large, as there is potential here.

Oil on Canvas Board, 6" X 8"

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"Fork In The Trail" ©

Today I added a color to my palette called Terra Rosa. It's been such a long time and what a joy to paint with. The scene is San Francisquito Canyon once again and just ahead is a fork in the trail.

Oil on Board, 12" X 16"

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"Late In The Day" ©

It's getting late. The afternoon warmth is trading places with the chill of the evening. The road home is behind me, not far away and one hawk has kept me company, making lazy circles high above.

Oil on Board, 8" X 10"

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