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Tag Archives: Los Gatos
Petals to Snowflakes
There’s something so magical about living in California. It was only a matter of hours between basking in the sun of my Los Gatos back yard, watching the plum blossom petals drift off the tree like lazy flurries and being caught in a two and a half hour (real) snow induced traffic jam in the road to Truckee! These flakes were not delicate little flower petals either – they were massive fluffy feathers (swan down I’d say) that transformed each tree into a marshmallow cartoon of itself. I wish I had snapped some photos but it was near midnight and the mood in the car was tense and tired. At least I had all that surreal beauty to distract me from my phobia of winter roads.
So why mention this in an art blog? It’s about drawing playful parallels. Clearly, by seeing the falling petals as snowflakes I brought on the real thing – that’s what makes me an artist and not a scientist!
It’s great to visit the snow for a day or two, especially when you know spring is only a short ride down the mountain.
Bluebirds (black on white)
Nothing blue about these bluebirds… silhouetted against a winter white you have to imagine their blue feathers and rust colored breast. Imagine the rose pepperberries, the green palm fronds, the brown acacia pods. Imagine they’ll be sun soon and a bright blue sky! Meanwhile there is a poetry in form that is revealed when color is removed from the equation.
Bluebirds (black on lavender)
Imagine my delight discovering the flock of birds overhead were actually bluebirds! It may be hard to tell silhouetted against the sky like this but I swear that’s what they were and I’ll prove it in upcoming posts (I plan to stalk this pepper berry tree in better light)! In fifteen years of living in California I’ve only had two previous sightings, so this was a real surprise and a wonderful chance to take some reference shots for my paintings (especially helpful if my palette is only black and lavender)!
Between the Rains
Nothing like a good walk to clear your mind and give you a fresh perspective …especially after some much needed rain.
I love how the parched world feels whole again, even though that’s far from being true.
All the colors are a little richer, even in the subdued light. Moss and lichen sping back to life.
I was puzzled by a murmuring sound which turned out to be the stream running through the ravine … it’s been too long.
Mushrooms are popping up all over the place! They were just waiting for the right, wet invitation.
I found more of these reclusive varied thrush on my country walk, I won’t forget to visit them soon when I can use some reclusive time of my own.
Art Walk
A little wine, a little walk, a lot of art…once a month downtown Los Gatos has been holding an art walk where merchants hosting local artists sport orange and while balloons. I caught it last night, (as a guest, not a participant) it was a lot of fun and a great success!
Julia Watson was featured at Cover Story exhibiting her floral oil paintings.
Jeanne Tillman was at Harvest with her paper cast bows and leaves.
Carol Bower was showing acrylic and Pastel paintings at Harvest.
Tom Yacoe‘s serene landscapes were featured at Jco’s Place.
Will Maller did a beautiful oil painting demo at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery.
I even came away with a lovely painting of Carol Bower’s that I could’t resist!
Potted Plant 4 by Carol Bower
There were lots of other artists and shops that I didn’t get to but there’s always next month!
Studio visit with Veronica Gross
I love visiting artists in their working and living spaces! You can learn so much about what shapes their art from their environment. What’s in their personal collections? What inspirational objects and materials do they have lying about? What are their hobbies, and passions – it’s all revealed!
Artist Veronica Gross and Olive enjoying the winter sun on my recent studio visit. You can visit her website: veronicagrossart.com
Sentinel Snow watercolor 20″ x 14″
Los Gatos artist Veronica Gross is known for her beautiful watercolor florals and landscapes. I know Veronica from the Los Gatos Museums Gallery and the Los Gatos Art Association, but she also belongs to the Viewpoints Gallery where her show, Westlands is currently on exhibit through January 5, 2014.
Mt. Carmel Evening watercolor 20″ x 28″
Palo Alto Baylands #3 watercolor 14 x 20″
Just Picked watercolor 20″ x 28″
Above is a watercolor that Veronica is applying the final touches to. It’s a plein air painting of our friend Sam Pearson painting the Shoreline Bridge. I’m intrigued to see how his piece turned out too!
Magic…. here it is, Sam Pearson’s gorgeous pastel, Water Under the Bridge – Thanks Sam! It’s currently on exhibit at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery.
You can see in her studio how all those big windows not only let the light come in but nature too!
I love how you can see lots of different projects Veronica has on the go, and see all those lesson plans from years of teaching high school hiding under the table? They’ve come in handy as weights! Veronica’s sister, Jill Rowney is glazing some of Veronica’s tiles for her own kitchen – oh the perks of being a sister!
One can usually find lots of treasure in studio clutter. In this case, it’s a ceramic figure done as a demonstration for Veronica’s high school students by Randy Shiroma who was doing some student teaching in her classroom many years ago.
Upon visiting her home and her studio I find, as with so many artists, that she’s no one trick watercolor pony!
For instance, she has this great kiln and I was taken with the series of tiles she was making which are based on her love of California natives (as is her landscaping).
Here are some of the tiles glazed and ready for the kiln. If you haven’t glazed before, the heat of the firing brings out the color in the glaze and sets the desired finish. I’m partial to the lupines!
Here you can see the color after firing.
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Here are some samples of finished tiles set into Veronica’s backsplash. So lovely, they remind me of the arts crafts movement of the 20’s Don’t go looking for these in galleries or Etsy though! Veronica has no plans of mass production. When I ‘d asked her about it she confessed, “I can’t stand the feel of clay on my hands!” – too funny! I mean, you won’t cathc me warking with charcoal or pastels for the same reason! What about licensing deals? Well, we’ll have to twist her arm!
Balloon Girl, Mr Bonz, Mid-Century Bambi – they all speak to a love of color, form and careful observation.
With a fence like that you can tell that an artist lives here!
The garden is also filled with Veronica’s personality, A Karen Van Galder statue, a bent willow chair among the bamboo, her naturally weathered fence and wheelbarrow – it’a all her color palette, including her gorgeous calico!
Olive is a fan of California natives as well and all the little critters that dwell therein.
Disclosure: I’m sure Veronica doesn’t normally lug Olive all over the studio but I woke her up from under the Christmas tree where she was curled up for a nap because I wanted her to be in the photo shoot – what a sweet trooper!
Champagne Reception Today
Get your bubbles on with me at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery today from 1-3 at 24 N Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos where I’ll have Full Bloom and Marin Hills on exhibit. We’ve welcomed in a host of new artists too!
The Saratoga Rotary Art Show is also on todayhttp://www.saratogarotary.org/
which claims to be “the largest and finest one day art show in the west”. They have a wine tasting.
So much to see and drink in our corner of the valley!
Clouding Over
There was a magnificent display of clouds tonight, a rare enough event in Los Gatos and rarer still, some of these clouds resembled the newly classified Undulatus asperatus in their veil like undulating quality. I quickly found a hill top where I could have unobstructed views of the performance. It was heavenly!
Shlepping Art Around Town
The thing about showing your art is that you need to shlep it around a bit but I’m up for it!
Shell Grave is just too large for my Prius so instead of making other arrangements, I decided to walk it down to the Los Gatos Museums Gallery where it will hang for the next three months. We both got a little air and exercise and I’m sure we made a pretty picture too. Hey, where is a photographer when you need one! There will be a holiday reception for this show Thursday, November 29 from 6-8:30 pm.
Imprint and Last Stand were handed off to a gauntlet of very capable Los Gatos Art Association volunteers for installation in the LGAA Fall 2012 Juried Members Show which will run until December 1 at the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos. There will be a reception Sunday, November 4 from 1-3 pm.
Didn’t even break a sweat carrying my painting Shell Grave across town!
Last exhibitions’ works are signed out and new ones brought in.
Artists schedule volunteer days.
Artists fill out and apply hang tags for artworks.
Yao-pi Hsu brings in her captivating photograph of chairs, Celebration. See more of her work at yaopiphoto.com.
Here I am at the JCC with Imprint & Last Stand for the LGAA Fall 2012 Juried Members Show.
Paving Over Heart’s Delight
I keep an album of vintage postcards in my studio as evidence of what preceded the Silicon Valley. The mountain views of the Valley of Heart’s Delight are still recognizable of course but these fluffy blankets of blooms now lie like bits of lint intersected by highways and subdivisions. Our last remaining orchard in Los Gatos, the North 40, is now slated for development. It would be bulldozed already if there agreement on what combination of shops and restaurants and housing in required. Maybe a remnant of the past makes for a better future.
My album of old orchard postcards from the Valley of Heart’s Delight.
An orphaned fruit tree caught between the tracks and the Highway 85 in Los Gatos.
Slated for development, North 40 along Highway 17 is the last remaining orchard in Los Gatos.