Beginning of Summer

Beginning of Summer, 6"x6", oil on archival panel, auction here,
©2013 Cindy Greene

It's late May and the jacarandas are exploding all over Southern California. They are so gorgeous and I am enamored of them. (And please don't tell me they are messy; that's obvious and I don't care. I'm actually very appreciative of the people who clean up after them so that the rest of us can enjoy their beauty.)

I see these two trees most mornings on my bike ride through our neighborhood. My husband and I have a seven-mile loop that we've found (the fewest stop signs possible!), and I really enjoy watching the seasons change. At the end of this block, we turn and sprint to the next intersection, seeing how fast we can go each time. Four loops and then we head home. Anyway, I look forward to the jacarandas each morning. 

PS: Liz, is this a good Isle of Skye tartan painting?

The Sentinel

The Sentinel, 7x5", oil on canvas panel©2013 Cindy Greene

I've always been fascinated by the eucalyptus, or gum, trees that are everywhere in my part of California. The ones that really get me though, are the ones that line the freeways. I used to snap photos of them at dusk against the sky (only when my husband was driving).

This huge old tree stands at a freeway on-ramp not far from my house. It is just over a bridge that is being rebuilt, and I am so thankful CalTrans did not cut it down. We have a major freeway/overpass/carpool lane connector project going on around here (which is making the population of at least two cities very cranky), and there are a few of these old trees still standing and guarding the ramps.

I took the reference photo for this while stopped at the light, waiting to turn left onto the freeway on-ramp behind the tree.

Evergreen Pear Blossoms

Pear Blossoms, 6"x6", oil on panel, SOLD
©2013 Cindy Greene

This week Southern California is dotted with gorgeous Evergreen Pear trees, Pyrus kawakamii, covered with white blossoms. The blooming period is short, because we get either a winter Pacific storm or a warm Santa Ana wind that blows all the blossoms away. When our girls were small, they loved to pretend it was snowing while they danced around under our trees.

I brought a sprig of blossoms in the other day to paint. They last better inside than out!

30 in 30, #21 – Canyon Sycamore

Canyon Sycamore, 6"x6", oil on panel, $100

Last October, my husband and I went for a walk in Laguna Canyon. We came around a corner and saw this sycamore. It was really the only one that was golden (the others had either lost their leaves or were more of a tacky beige). I brought back several photos, but this is my first attempt to capture the beauty of that tree. It was a glorious spot.

So good to be back to painting today! I so appreciate all the wonderful comments and encouragement.