Aloes Blooming with a View of Santa Cruz Island

"Aloes Blooming with a View of Santa Cruz Island", 8 1/2" x 11", Watercolor. Copyright 2014.

These orange and red colored aloes are found blooming along sunny slopes along the California coast.  You will see patches of this firecracker red scattered along the Santa Barbara bluffs. I spent a few weeks observing these aloe. I wanted to paint this piece required waiting for the aloe flowers to get to he right height and vibrancy before the painting was ready to start. If I were to wait to long the pollinators would have turned these flowers into seeds and then the colors would be lost.  The painting was started plein air but finished in my studio.  Enjoy!

"Love is the flower you've got to let grow."--- John Lennon

Sunset on Inspiration Point

"Sunset on Inspiration Point" 8 1/2" x 11". Watercolor. 2014.

"I dream of painting then I paint my dream."---Vincent Van Gogh

This painting was inspired by a hiking trip to the top of Inspiration Point in Santa Barbara. The sky turned a magnificent purple and pink as the sun sank into the ocean. I hope you are inspired as much as I was by this wonderful collection of colors.  

Sunrise in the Mesa

"Sunrise in the Mesa"8 1/2" x 11". Watercolor. 2014.

This is my first sunrise painting. I keep thinking about how many people (including myself) miss out on the west coast sunrise, only really admiring the sunset over the water. Here is a first of a series of landscapes I plan on doing in honor of this beauty of the golden light over the water.