Lettuces to Harvest

I returned to Helmut's special farm -- Coast Organics just off Hwy. 101, south of Buellton. He was so generous and invited me back to paint in the fields. The rows of lettuces, broccoli, carrots, dill and onions stretched across the distance towards the golden fields and mountains. The soil was warm and soft, the texture of talcum powder, it shifted underfoot and made puffy little clouds of dust.
The cows shuffled along the hillsides, the grasses and underbrush crunching as they made their way to the water trough. The steady breeze from the coast moved through the valley and hawks drafted in the air current overhead. The sun was intense and there was no shade to be found... I set up in the lane between the two large sections and began to paint. A tractor worked in the fields behind me as I painted and some of the workers stopped by to look at the painting.
I love this very aspect of plein air... being immersed in sounds, sight, color, smells... it it hard to describe but time stands still for that moment. I think of nothing but the painting and the emotion of the experience.
As I packed up to leave, Helmut asked if I was done. I replied yes, thinking he needed to close up the fence gate. No, he remarked... it is time to harvest all the lettuce and he was waiting for me to finish. Oh, I felt so bad that I had delayed his task for the afternoon! He told me no, the lettuces needed to be painted.
He was so very right. They did.
The next day I drove in to buy some produce and the fields were brown and barren. I am so grateful to Helmut and humbled that he allowed me to capture this moment at his farm.

Meadows & Meandering

"Refuge. A safe place."
That is the Spanish translation for Refugio and also the name of a fairly major road through the Santa Ynez Valley. As Refugio Road leaves the valley and begins it's ascent up the coastal mountains, the road changes from a two lane road to a narrow unmarked paved road to a dirt/gravel road where only four wheel drive vehicles travel.
A local resident encouraged me to go past the signs marked "roadway ends" and continue on to find wonderful painting venues. Wow. Spectacular vistas appear as the roadway winds through vineyards, ranches and open spaces.
Just before the road enters the woods and steep foothills there is a sweeping meadow. The wind is blowing and the tops of the grasses move as soft waves. Red tailed hawks soar above and swoop down into the grasses for their meal. Eagles soar high above, their shadows travel across the land with arching movement. Horses nicker in the distance. It is dusk and feeding time.

As the sun dips lower in the sky the meadow is infused with light and color. The foothills in the distance begin to soften and fall into shadow. It is quiet and serene with only the sounds of the wind and birds... A trailing fenceline moved along the meadow and disappears into the grasses.
"Day's End on Refugio Road"... a fitting name for a special road in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Sunsets & Shadows

It's that golden hour, when the sun is just about to sink behind the hills and the contrast of light and shadow is so dramatic. I love painting in that time slot but time is of the essence so I keep my paintings small and work quickly. I often use the open trunk of my car to block the intense low light from my eyes (a makeshift umbrella!).

This is a little stretch of road leaving Los Olivos and heading up Ballard Canyon Road. By day, it is ordinary. At dusk, extraordinary with the tops of grasses illuminated and the rolling hills and oaks in the distance take on a soft glow. I loved the lyrical movement of the barbed wire fence as it trails through the grasses in its disheveled state.

I painted this one last night. It is a scene I have seen several times heading out of Buellton on Hwy. 246 where the road crests at the top of a big hill. There is a vineyard to the right with a farm road. Every time I have seen this view at dusk there are birds perched on every fence rail and the tops of the vines as if they are watching the sunset. They sit quietly for at least twenty minutes rimmed in light. The light becomes so intense as it slips behind the hills and the shadows are just luscious with color.
Flocks of birds fly by and, after the sun has disappeared behind the horizon, the birds in the vineyard all rise up and join them. It's magical.
These are the aspects I love about plein air. The observation of nature and the wonderful harmonies found within.
I titled this one "Evening Takes Flight," packed up my gear and headed back into the valley, now blanketed in the cool shades of night.

No More Chicken Dinners

Peggy, a local gallery owner and artist, told me about an old diner in Buellton that I needed to check out... so I ventured down the road to look for it. A couple of miles from the busy intersection of Hwy 101 and Rt. 246, there it stood. It sits along the old highway 101 (now just a simple two lane road) facing out to the new freeway. It's weathered facade all wrapped in plywood and fencing -- the owner is looking for a buyer to move it to a new destination.

I loved it's quirky proportions and great vintage signage with peeling paint and broken neon tubing.

The cheery red roofs of the dining cars with curved glass window fronts were covered in various pieces of lace and sheets to obscure the interior. They are actual dining rail cars with a roof overhead and a center structure joining them. What a great re-use for old rail cars. This must have been one happening place!

As I sketched and painted I thought about all the motorists who had pulled off the road from their travels to sit and dine. How welcoming this place must have looked to them. All the people who went through those doors and found chicken dinners and breakfast being served. No munching on fast food on your lap behind the wheel!

I went back the next day and did another painting of it with morning sunlight washing over the front of the diner.

Now, forgotten and boarded up, it sits facing the new freeway (that was its demise) with no opportunity for motorists to pull off and have a bite to eat. I hope it finds a new home... and can, once again, serve chicken dinners.

Highways & Byways

Driving back from Santa Barbara through the mountains I spotted the rooftops of old barns off in the distance. I was just entering the Santa Ynez Valley and wasn't very far from the exit to Buellton.  I noticed a sign for Classic Organic Farms and figured I would find my way off Highway 101 and see where it took me. I saw the sign and went from 65 to 30 in a flash... amazing that right off this major highways was this old road that led me right to the barns I had spotted from the distance. I love taking chances and seeing where roads take me!

I pulled up to the roadside stand... it was an old barn with an awning out front protecting mounds of strawberries from the hot sun. Inside there were shelves overflowing with the most amazing produce. Heads of lettuce that were as large as basketballs. Carrots, onions, garlic and stalks of celery with the most abundant display of leaves that were tender and fragrant. Artful arrangements of antiques mingled with fruit and delicate bouquets of herbs for sale. It was really a visual feast.

A friendly border collie turned the corner and came to greet me. I deposited my money into the big oak barrel and put my selections in the car. Returning to paint was top of my list for the next day. I did a couple of sketches in my sketchbook and scoped out the perfect painting spot.

I returned the next day mid morning and set up in the shade of a tree to paint. People stopped to make purchases and it was fun watching them sample and savor their purchases before they had even reached their cars. Behind me were the self-pick strawberry fields where people were filling their baskets with berries galore.

This little farm was surrounded by mountains. I looked it up on Google maps when I got back and It is amazing how it is this little land mass tucked into the mountains.

 

I worked on my painting for few hours... I loved the rich texture of the barn and the variations in colors. You could see remnants of old stains and paints of varied colors - red, brown, mustardy yellow. The clouds were amazing and they were moving quickly coming in off the ocean. I loved the bend in the road and wondered where that would lead to.

To the left was an old covered area for cattle. The owner, Helmut, stopped by to talk and look at my painting and we chatted about the history. It had once been an old dairy farm and the road I was painting alongside was the old Coast Highway, and before that a wagon path. The farm used to make cheese that was carried by horse and wagon down to Gaviota (11 miles away through the mountain pass) and then put on boats to San Francisco. 

Now this farm, an organic vegetable and fruit farm, continues the tradition of working the land and preserving the heritage of this valley. I will go back and do some more painting before I leave... I loved this little spot of green paradise ... just off Highway 101.

To read more about Helmut and his farm Classic Organics check out...
http://www.insidesyv.com/content/classic-organic/

Stop & Sketch

This morning I finished a painting and decided to spend the rest of the day doing small watercolor sketches/studies. I grabbed my sketchbook, mini travel palette and camera... packing light!

This was my view this morning as I finished breakfast on the patio... grabbed a quick sketch to capture the light. I love how the morning sun illuminates slopes of the canyon's hillside and the deep caverns are still immersed in shadow. As the sun comes up higher, the darkness is swallowed up with light.

I finished up my painting that I had started earlier the day before. While I was putting the last touches on the painting, some cows moved down to graze under the tree. I pulled out my sketchbook and did several quick studies of them as they were moving about and when the mother and baby cow decided to nap, I worked on a color watercolor sketch.

The next stop was to pull over to do a sketch of the hillsides, but when I got out of the car I looked across the road and saw an open gate leading up to a massive oak tree in a vineyard. The tree offered shade and I decided to go up and check out the view. The spot offered a wonderful vista of vineyards and hills in the background. The hawks were sweeping the skies looking for breakfast. I will definitely go back and paint here this week!

Two more stops and several sketches later, I decided to go further down the road. There was a view I had remembered from our last visit -- just before Ballard Canyon Road ends at the highway. I decided to go back and find it and hoped for a place to pull over... I  was in luck! There was a shady spot with just enough room for my car. The afternoon light was delicious... and I loved this sloping landscape with the cluster of trees casting wonderful shadows and offering peek-a-boo views between the trunks.

I love taking a break from completing "finished" paintings and instead set my focus on capturing simple color studies where I can explore new painting spots, work out compositions and collect pages of ideas in my sketchbook.