Laguna Sycamore in Febuary

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This plein air painting was done in the Laguna Wilderness Park on Laguna Canyon.  This painting measures 19.5"X25".  This painting took about an hour and a half to two hours.  This subject was way too complicated for the amount of time I took to paint it.  I think it will serve well for a studio painting.  As an excercise to prepare for quick draw events, there are some obvious short comings for this subject.  The execution  of all the sharp edges would require more time than was available.  The foreground needs to be warmer.  The background should demonstrate the atmospheric perspective better.  There is not enough value difference between the branches and the background.  I should have selected the shape of the tree branches more carefully.

Santa Ana River Wash

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This pastel painting was done en plein air.  The painting was done in the middle of the day along the bike path next to the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda.  This painting measures 18"x25" and is done on pastel mat with soft pastels.  This painting took about an hour and a half.  I really like the light that I captured in this painting.  The paper was a salmon color which you can see throughout the painting.  I will use this painting to do a more detailed studio effort.

Brilliant Afternoon Rocks at Divers Cove

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This plein air painting was done in Laguna Beach at Divers Cove.  This painting was done on pastel mat with soft pastels.  The painting measures 18"x25".  This painting took about an hour and a half.  The quicker I paint the less second guessing there is.  I am also able to capture the light better.  The goal is to get a complete painting within the quickest time without sacrificing the quality of it.

Sycamore Shadows at Irvine Park

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This pastel painting was done en plein air.  It was done in Irvine Park.  This park has a long history of plein air painting.  The park has been around since 1909.  William Wendt painted the sycamore trees here.  The trees in the park have been there before the park was there.  The sycamore trees are huge.  This plein air painting (sketch) was done in December as the trees were hanging onto the last of their leaves.  The scale of the trees were hard to depict in this hour and a half painting.  The painting was done on pastel mat and measures 18"X25".

Laguna Canyon Atmosphere

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This pastel painting is done on Wallis sanded paper with a water color underpainting.  This painting is from a hike I took in October.  I was in the Laguna Beach Wilderness Park. This painting measures 18"X25".