Reflections of an Artist

Painting in Ventura

      I received an invitation to paint in Ventura with a group of artists. Marian Fortunati and I carpooled to Terry Supple's lovely duplex which is right near the ocean. It was a fantastic day, warm, sunny and loaded with great painting spots. I set up to paint a perfectly shapedMonterey pine tree that was on a point of land jutting out into the harbor.

      The twisted trunk and dark shadows were a stark contrast to the bright sunlit edges of the foliage. Because the tree was the focal point, I softened the colors of the harbor in the background. I used dark purples, browns, blues and greens throughout the tree for the shadows. Painting aMonterey Pine reminded me of my participation in the Carmel plein air Art Festival this past May.


      The group met back at Terry's condo to show our mornings efforts and have a little critique. Thank you Terry for including me in the group and allowing me to explore theVentura area. It was great fun.

Topics: Plein Air Painting