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

Finding New Inspiration

Welcome to my blog!  After years of working as a teacher/naturalist in some form, I am determined to put all my energy into pursuing art full time!  In order for this to happen I am putting together a blog of the process as I figure out what it means to be an illustrator.  I hope to share in my newest passion for landscapes paintings of the California coast including several from Santa Cruz Island where I am an assistant kayak guide in the summer.  I hope to use this blog to push myself to doing a new piece of work everyday. Enjoy

This is the view looking east on Santa Cruz Island toward Anacapa Island.  8 1/2" x 11".  Watercolor.  I painted this on August 2, 2011 after spending the previous day kayaking.  This was my first attempt at using paynes gray gouache for the dark shadow of the islands.  Next time I want to try the watercolor paynes gray to see how it looks.

Santa Cruz Island looking towards Anacapa Island. 8 1/2" x 11".  Watercolor.