"Mary's Trail at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park"
8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board
© 2010
I could not resist contributing to Alice Thompson's latest art challenge, "The Secret Garden." Alice asked, "Do you have a secret garden? Do you retreat to a pond, park, tree or nursery? Do you have a small patch of earth to cultivate? If so I’d like for you to paint that and tell us about it."
The challenge appealed to all my interests, gardening, landscape architecture, flowers, browsing nurseries, Spring, parks, and botanical gardens. A recent spring visit to Descanso Garden, past visits to Filoli, our community greenbelts, flowers in our garden, and even parks I've had a hand in designing yielded a multitude of images from which to choose. However, I finally decided I needed to capture a vignette of the magnificent abundance of wild flowers and lush native growth we are currently experiencing in southern California.
The heavy winter rains brought forth an incredible array of colors and textures in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. The trail and scenery that inspired my painting is near the Nix Center at Little Sycamore Canyon.
This past spectacularly clear Monday I completed most of the painting "en plein aire." I further refined it, Thursday, in Victoria Templeton's Painters' Connection class. Today, Friday, my wife and I had a very pleasant and easy hike down the trail.
Thanks Alice!
9 comments:
This is very beautiful - lovely work!
It's nice to see a familiar California landscape here. The hills have been lovely this year. You did a beautiful job of capturing the colors and the beckoning trail.
I was wondering what you were going to cook up for this challenge knowing your past. I did miss knowing what happened to that Bad Food that you were preparing, but that's alright. It is after all, a challenge. This piece has lots of beautiful color happening.
I'd like to see you do more in the future using variations with your brush stroke/pattern. Stay inspired!
this is beautiful! Thanks for your nice comments on my work.. I see you are in landscape architectural design. As a landscape designer i understand your transition! Love your work,
carrington
Anne and Barbara,
Thank you both so much for your comments.
Even the Mojave Desert is in full bloom this year...driving through it last week on the way back from Sedona and the Grand Canyon was a feast for the eyes.
-Bernard
Alice,
The "Bad Food" painting should be wrapped up this week. I'll try to post it next week.
My wife and I ate the painting's inspiration...it was so goood! Thankfully, I took pictures first from which to finish the piece.
Carrington,
Thank you.
Once upon a time, I had the pleasure of designing parks for Prince Wm. County. Virginia is a beautiful state.
Bernard I love the Mary's Trail!! I just hiked through this area at the Nix Nature center 2 weeks ago along the ridge. I think you have captured it perfectly!!
Anonymous,
Thank you for the very nice comments and also for visiting my blog.
We are fortunate to have this kind of natural inspiration close by.
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