Spring Idyll

From a study painted a few weeks ago on Table Mountain near the end of the day. Carpets of miniature lupine and other wildflowers were growing in the open areas between the oaks. Oil on Linen, 16x12".

Wildflowers Near Sunset

This was near the end of the day as the sun was getting very low in the sky. The wind was becoming quite chilly, but the light was really beautiful. Study 8x6", oil on linen.

Wildflowers Among The Oaks

The study above was painted about noon; it was a gorgeous day for a picnic among the wildflowers. The study below was my warmup painting -- not wild about my composition choices, but I liked seeing the still-snowy Sierra in the distance. Studies 8x6 & 8x4", oil on linen.

Wildflowers & Pines

I ventured a little higher in elevation this morning and spotted this area with abundant wildflowers, red-violet lupine and a yellow daisy-type flower that I don't know the name of, in a pine meadow. The sunlight was very soft, filtered by heavy haze. A pair of whitetail posed in the middle of my view that I resisted the temptation to add since they would probably look too precious. An elk would have been more tempting. This is the first study I've done in a while that I am really looking forward to working up into a real painting. This is one I'd love to get lost in the abstract shapes and two dimensional surface plane of the image. I think that the time I spent with Maria Entis last week is having an influence. She has a new website, check out her work: www.mariaentis.com. Another influence from visiting Vancouver, was the art glass work of Robert Held. His studio produces a wide variety of styles, all of which are gorgeous, but here I was thinking about some of his wildflower series that seem to shimmer and glow and are very Klimt-like: www.robertheld.com.