Bodega Bay at Dusk

 

oil on canvas, 12" x 24"

This is a scene of my new favorite beach that somehow escaped my notice until recently.  It is a wide stretch of beach with few, if any, beachgoers at any given time.  The golden hour is quite something there.

The Marsh at Doran Park

oil on cradled panel, 9" x 12"

This is a scene I've been wanting to paint for quite a while.  It lies just south of Bodega Bay, on a bluff overlooking the bay, and is home to lots of birdlife, especially egrets and herons.  The marsh itself is a riot of color and has a walkway that circles it.  I take my dog here often to walk the loop and contemplate nature.  I painted this scene alla prima (in one session) from a photo I had taken and decided to leave it in its sketchiness.  My favorite pieces are often the ones I've done alla prima, those that convey a visible sense of spontaneity.  A singer doesn't sing half a song one day, then finish it the next; a poet doesn't recite half a poem one day, then finish it the next.  A painting like this is of a moment as well, so why not paint it in one go?  

Bodega Bay View from Doran Bluff

iPad art, 10" x 14"

Another perspective on another day at Bodega Bay, this digital sketch was done from the opposite end of the bay.  I had to work faster than ever, as it appears my dog is losing her patience whenever I whip out my iPad and lose myself in it.  This one took about 5 minutes, a record for me!

Labor Day at Bodega Bay

oil on wood panel, 8" x 10"

I came upon this enchanting but rapidly changing scene at Bodega Bay, and was glad I snapped a few photos before I had to pack up and leave so that I could add those fleeting elements in the studio later.  I was frustrated with the gessoed surface, which had vertical grooves left by the brush, but decided to use those grooves to help me create some interesting textural effects.  I loved watching this photographer pursue her labor of love in an area of low tide to try and capture in closeup a very large white bird, probably a great egret.  The fishing boats were returning from their day's outing and various smaller white birds were dotting the shallow end of the bay, an altogether charming scene.