You know it’s summer when your yellow, gold and green paints run out before your Payne’s grey ( goodbye winter and spring!)
Summer is lots of outdoor sketching, hikes and art shows. Sometimes I paint in the warm sunlight. And sometimes the light is so bright, I leave it out and paint in the cool shadows for contrast.
Geraniums in bloom, downtown Saratoga.
Orange plastic webbing contrasts with the greens and browns of foliage at the end of a trail. Stanford, Palo Alto.
A hike up the hills at Stanford to see the huge radiotelescope that’s referred to as just ‘The Dish’.
Downtown Los gatos on a sunny but windy day.
You can see more of my summer sketches on my flickr streamĀ here.
These are beautiful. I love people who can paint like this, it’s quite a talent you have.
I really like the strong, pure colours. I’m working hard to ‘amp up’ my palette and looking at your work is really helpful.
Beautiful geraniums. Is that BLUE ROCK SHOOT coffee in Saratoga?
Not sure what it was, lee, I think it was a store in a series of beautiful stores that looked to East Coast to me…
I love your vibrant colours… mine look so faded compared. You inspire me
Could you let me know what type of watercolours that you buy? Are they Winsor & Newton? Or another brand? I find that your colours are so vibrant, and that mine are so faded ;-(
Jane, I use Windsor and Newton, but only the artist brand, not the Cotman colors: they artist brand have MUCH more pigment than the Cotman. And I’m not a stickler for how I use them: so if I want a really vibrant shade right out of the box, I’ll use a color straight out of the tube; something that’s a big no-no with most watercolor purists
Thank you Suhita :: I love your paintings
I am curious–in the Los Gatos picture, for instance, did you do the ink first and then the watercolor? or did you watercolor first and then add the ink details after? Usually I can tell, but not on this. Thanks!
melissa, I always ink first.
Fabulous sketches. You have really captured summer in these.
Fabulous sketches. I’m so lucky to found your blogā¤