Home of the Water Ouzel, watercolor by Lucinda Wood
Scouting a good view to paint a major waterfall of the North Fork Yuba River last month, I climbed a rock out-crop and came face to face with another waterfall, dancing down the canyon wall opposite me! Such a heavenly surprise, it took my breath away! The roar of the waterfall at flood stage below me had covered the voice of this side stream, falling gracefully about 100 feet down the cliff! The sun only lit the top of the falls, the rest fell into shadow and deep green moss, then into the wildly churning North Yuba River. Smitten, I returned the following week during the Lost Sierra Plein Air Festival to paint. After a bit of rock climbing, I found a ledge big enough to set up and paint from. This was probably the most inspiring, exhilarating location I have ever painted in! But my perch was precarious! My ledge sloped slightly towered the roiling river far below, so I had to tuck my paintbrushes into a pocket of my pack, or they would roll off my tray and probably land in the river. The branch of a fallen tree kept my pallet from sliding off. I was a cliff dweller in training!
Wednesday, I sketched and painted the waterfall, from 10-2. Thursday, I painted from 8:30-5:30. The competition was Friday noon, so I had to finish on Thursday. Rain and snow had kept me away Monday and Tuesday. Here is the work in progress:
Thursday morning
Water ouzels, or dippers, as they are now called, came and went from the falls all day! As I painted the log near the bottom of the falls, I saw a dipper fly into a gap behind the log, out of the flow. A nest! There were many returns. Dippers also frequented a place in the moss higher up on the right, another nest? I have never seen so many dippers before, and when they sang their lilting, beautiful songs in that deep, stone canyon, it resonated like a cathedral! They are great improvisors, and their songs rang high and clear over the roar of the many falls! Ethereal! These are some of the blessings of painting on location!
Once a small, blue butterfly danced around me and landed on my magenta coat sleeve! Nearby, on “my ledge”, mountain pride penstemons were beginning to bloom, the same color as my coat. Perhaps butterflies can see color!
Home of the Water Ouzel took third place in the competition the following day, against wonderful submissions from artists who came to paint from all over the country!
Gift of the Rain, watercolor by Lucinda Wood
The first day of the Lost Sierra Plein Air Festival was rainy, cold and sometimes windy. Thankfully, my friend, Barbara, has an umbrella over the table on her deck, and a beautiful view! But, when the rain got heavy, it misted through the shade umbrella. This created an interesting pattern on the wet paint of the forest! The deck had a section with a roof, which I retreated to when the mist got too heavy. I could see part of the view from there. When the rain let up a bit, I returned to the table with the umbrella and painted the left bit of forest. While it was wet the rain got harder again, misting that bit of forest, too! A perfect match! Thanks, God!
The meadow below me was a wetland, and red-winged blackbirds filled the air with their music-box-like songs! Once, I saw motion beyond the edge of my painting and I saw a sandhill crane leaping and dancing for his lady, wings spread! Two other times, horses cantered about through the pasture, chasing each other in the rain! Such a delight!
Once, I thought the umbrella might lift off, so I hung onto it while I painted. Then, when I took a lunch break inside Barbara’s warm house, she watched as the umbrella took flight! It survived the trip. And I survived the day, thanks to Barbara’s hot drinks and visits to her warm kitchen! Thank you, Barbara!
Fog Taking Flight, watercolor by Lucinda Wood
Rain begets fog in our neck of the woods, so the next morning I set up to paint the fog playing hide and seek with Claremont Peak. While painting, I saw motion over the edge of my paint mixing tray. A pocket gopher kept popping his head up out of his hole, just three feet from my boot! They’re kind of cute when they’re not in my garden!
Pocket Gopher
Home on Oddie Way, waterc0lor by Lucinda Wood
Saturday was the Quick Draw Competition, part of the Lost Sierra Plein air Festival, where we complete a painting in two hours on a location of our choice down town. I painted this darling home on Oddie Way, and my watercolor won first prize!
The Essence of Quincy, watercolor by Lucinda Wood
I began this painting the second day of the festival in the afternoon, which was sunny with big, cumulous clouds. The next day, I returned to paint there again, but the sky was cloudy, which changed the scene. Finally, about 7pm, the sun made it below the clouds and I could paint the light and shadow. Suddenly, about sunset, jubilant cries from sandhill cranes broke the calm, some from the sky, some from the meadow. They called to each other and gathered on the ground at day’s end. Such music! It echoed, swirling around in that narrow west end of the valley! Then two more sandhill cranes flew in, trumpeting like long lost friends reunited at last, the others calling back! We humans could learn something from them!
This painting I finished on location the Monday following the festival, when the sunny weather returned.
Cliff Dwellers, Bush Monkeyflower, Feather River Canyon, watercolor by Lucinda Wood
In May, the cliffs of Feather River Canyon are bursting with bush monkeyflowers in bloom! All the way down the canyon I looked for a safe place to pull off and paint them (I am done with hazardous painting locations!), but where the cliffs are sheer and tall, there is usually very little shoulder. Finally, on my return trip from Chico, I found a reasonable place to pull off and paint! There was even a little hidden stream there, with water music, shade and wild foxgloves blooming along it! I am so grateful to have been able to paint a subject that has inspired me for so long!
All of these plein air paintings are on display for the month of June at Main Street Artists Gallery in Quincy, CA. Opening Reception is Friday, June 6th, 5-7pm. Home on Oddie Way and The Essence of Quincy have sold, but the rest are available through Main Street Artists Gallery.
Thanks for traipsing through my adventures with me!
Works by many member artists are on sale. Be sure to stop by to view (and take home) a special piece.
“The Challenge” by James Johnson, watercolor“Balancing Act,” watercolor by Lucinda Wood“Agave” by John Sheehan, oilChristmas watercolors by Carla Deboer
Friday, July 7th, 5-7:00 pm, Main Street Artists Gallery is hosting a champagne opening for local artist Sally Yost and Fremont plein air artist Najeeb Abdulrahiman. Come and see the results of the fun these artists have while painting out of doors.
Taylorsville artist Sally has been drawing and painting western landscapes for 40 years.
Sally’s “Painting on the Edge,” experience shows her setup on a windy day in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
“Canyonlands setup”, by Sally Yost, goauche
Then, the final painting in Gouache. “Painting on the Edge.”
“Painting on the edge” by Sally Yost, gouache
Other Yost paintings from Taylorsville and Bucks Lake will also be featured.
“Bucks Lake Camp”, by Sally Yost“Poppies In the Shade” by Sally Yost, oil on canvas from
“100 Views of Taylorsville” series
More of Sally’s work and history: www.sallyyost.com
Also, showing in the Tiny Room will be plein air watercolor paintings by Najeeb Abdulrahiman from Fremont, California.
“Quiet water” by Najeeb Abdulrahiman, watercolor
Najeeb is also offering a Plein Air Workshop on Saturday July 8th. The workshop filled up right away with local artists eager to pick up pointers and methods from him. You can see them painting somewhere in Downtown Quincy from 1-5 pm.
In addition, Najeeb will also be offering a Plein Air Workshop on Sunday July 9. Space is available – if you wish to join, contact Najeeb through his website:
Having driven up from San Francisco on a cold, dreary day, it was an absolute pleasure to come into the warmth and color inside Main Street Artists gallery last Saturday. This was the second day of Sally Yost’s November show, titled “Garden Party”, that will run through November. Sally is joined by Carr Clifton, a well-known nature photographer, who is showing new, abstract work in the small room in the gallery.
Sally Yost opens her show for November with new works
Sally’s subjects range from logging trucks, to mountain scenes, to flowers, gardens and fields. All are full of expression, with dramatic colors, and sometimes-quirky details. I particularly like “Lakes Basin”, as it reminds me of so many High Sierra lakes that I have visited. The piece called “Garden Party” is very sly, with great masses of colorful flowers fronting a group of three ?stuffed animals? ?imaginary friends? You have to see it to appreciate the humor.
New works by Sally Yost including “Garden Party”Several new works by Sally Yost
The gallery was filled with lively people, including a family with two young children, already interested in art. Sally was having a great time chatting with friends and interested art lovers.
In addition to Sally’s show, a renowned nature photographer, Carr Clifton, is exhibiting some of his new work in the small room in the gallery.
Sally Yost and Carr Clifton at the opening of their November show
Learn more about Carr at his website, www.carrclifton.com. You will be amazed at the photographs therein. Carr has won many awards, and all are well deserved. The works that Carr is exhibiting this month are very different. They are highly abstract, with fluid lines against white space. Well worth spending some time looking them over.
Driving back home to San Francisco, I passed over Donner Pass in whiteout conditions. But I had plenty to think about and remember from my visit to Sally and Carr’s November show at the gallery.
After a difficult month-and-a-half, the Main Street Gallery of Artists in Quincy is today, September 2, filled with light and clear air. The new show features tables, treasure boxes and other artworks in wood by Bruce Powell, and many new works by the artists in the Gallery. Enjoy these views of the Gallery. Please come and enjoy fine art in a peaceful setting.
September 2 – entering the gallery featuring a group show and woodworking by Bruce PowellSeptember 2 – poster announcing B Powell woodworking and group showSeptember 2 – recent work on displaySeptember 2 – more recent work on display in the gallerySeptember 2 – another light-filled view of the gallery front