OOOh so wanted to upload last night but couldn't get there/here from my laptop.  I"m home, waiting for Vera to get off the phone with her hubby John so we can go to dinner.  I made a photo album so I'll try to upload it here and add comments....

ok.  here they are.  The Mendocino Keyhold was FRIDAY afternoon after lunch.  It was wAAAAY too cold to go back to the Druid Grove, so I took my own car out to Heeser and painted this in about 1.5 hours.

 Then I returned to the Druid Grove and finished this tree and it's more an exercise in foliage than anything else.  It was definitely "an exercise" and it was a "pan in" piece, and not something I would normally want to paint.  Albert Handell has the amazing eye and he can be in front of the most incredible view on the planet and he'll look at riprap or a few rocks at his feet or a tree in a copse, and say, "now THAT turns me on!" and he'll paint that and it'll be a masterpiece! 

 These rocks with driftwood were from Tuesday at Caspar Beach  when I was trying so hard to "pan in" on something.  It's a 9x12 pastel.

And on Wednesday, we went to Noyo Harbor.  Windy and cold where it was suggested we go paint because Albert was going to be painting the last building on the row and I wanted to watch him, but I guess my nature has a restless issue and I couldn't just sit there in the cold wind watching someone else paint.  I tried to get out my watercolor/pen/ink kit but it was too cold even for that, so I got my pastels and walked a little inland to this tree.  This effort is after AH suggested I work up the water on the right (and left) and make the tree dive off the board on the left (there had been a rock there) and it works.  

 This is possibly the best piece all week.  Up close and personal; at the Druid Grove on Thursday.  I spotted this rotting log and caught the light with my camera because the sun moved before I finished and changed all the lighting patterns.  It was interesting that I was able to use artistic license to complete this painting.  Ask me about it if you care.

So Thursday when I finished the log, I painted this view of the headlands and AH commented that maybe that larger rock on the left margin didn't need to be there; otherwise it's a pretty good piece.  I can make that rock disappear in the prints!!!  and please tell me how many faces you can see in the silhouette of the cliffs!------------------


I'm tired.  We're going to the hotel.  Tomorrow morning (Saturday) is the final critique and I'm back in the gallery by 11.