And... Voila! Presenting: The Cabin in the Snow . The newest watercolor/pen and ink painting from the Cabin Series, by Charlene Celio. Enjoy!
I painted this last night and will continue today. I love the way the trees cast the long shadows across the snow. I also like the happy surprise of how the trunk on the right came out. Makes me want to go back to the cabin.
Today I started a new addition to the Cabin Collection. I'm calling it, Cabin in the Snow, and eventually it'll become a Christmas Card. I'll take you step by step and then show you the finished card after it comes back from the printer. Hang on tight since it's going to be a whirlwind creation!
A new art form for me! Here is my first Art Journal. I have 2 new jobs now and for one I'll be team teaching art with my friend Christine (from www.ChristinesArts.blogspot.com) at the Saratoga Senior Center. Our first 4 week class is going to be on how to make Art Journals. Christine came over for a few days this week and we each made one (I'm sure Christine will show you hers if you ask nicely.) You can make these for telling stories, dreaming about what you'd love to do, writing poetry, scrap booking, you name it. I decided to make my first one as an instructional tool for showing some color theory and watercolor techniques (for example, you can see I sprinkled some salt on the bottom right corner of the cover to get the paint to push away.) I haven't finished the last 3 page pull out yet. I'm thinking of painting an actual landscape painting applying all the techniques and demonstrating which brushes I use. (I'll add that when I finish). I'll take photos as I teach the class too and I'll let you see what they've created. So more to come! Special thanks and recognition to Teesha Moore for instruction on her blog on how to create Art Journals.
Charlene and Christine selling art at Villa Montalvo
Montalvo Summer Gift Shop
Ladies at the Montalvo Summer Luncheons 
After I finished taking photos, I walked to the middle of the grass, sat down, and drew out this picture. I had my paints all set out and ready to go, but I only had time to draw that day. Later I drew over my pencil lines with pen and ink and added more details to the picture. I decided to keep most of what I did Au plein air and not to correct it too much. I liked the spontaneous feel it gave to the painting. Oh, the pink tree in the front was painted using my artistic license...Today, Villa Montalvo is a private non-profit arts center called Montalvo Arts Center. The 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails are maintained through a partnership with Santa Clara County. The park and arts center are open to the public. Funding support is provided by the Friends of Montalvo memberships, as well as foundation grants, other private donations, and earned income via ticket sales and rental fees. More than 600 volunteers donate thousands of hours annually to support the arts programs and maintenance of the villa and grounds.
Since 1939, the estate has hosted "artists-in-residence" who live and work on the property. Artists range from musicians, painters, actors, writers and architects. While in residence, the participants produce works and give performances. Since Montalvo started its artist-in-residence program, more than 600 artists from 20 countries have participated. In the fall of 2004, Montalvo opened Sally and Don Lucas Artists Programs which offers facilities and staff supportive of the creative process as well as state-of-the-art technology.
A small gallery, called the Project Space, as well as the box office, are located in the building between the mansion and the Carriage House Theater. Montalvo and its arts programs serve nearly 200,000 visitors each year.
In the courtyard behind the Villa I found this beautiful fountain. I loved the way the sculptor created these three ladies. One can only imagine the story behind their emotions. I'm going on a fact finding mission to find out, but for now I'll post the painting my imagination came up with. The fountain itself had layers of dried minerals of all colors running down the forms of the ladies.
When we arrived at the Villa on that lovely day, we discovered there was a very fancy luncheon going on where all the guests were dressed in their finest. The grand piano was playing favorite songs in the background while the diners were eating both inside the Villa and on the veranda. My eye was captured by these ladies who were all wearing Red Hats. They were from the Red Hat Society, a group of women who celebrate their age (being over 50) and the particular wisdom that only comes from living long and learning from the many experiences life has to offer.
In my previous post I showed you my artist friends at Villa Montalvo. If you turn to see what they're sketching, you'll see this lovely pillared walkway. I particularly liked the way the shadows created the same beautiful patterns on the pillars.In 1911, James D. Phelan, a three-term mayor of San Francisco, California who would go on to be California's first popularly elected US Senator, purchased 160 acres (65 ha) in the Saratoga countryside and foothills.
Phelan began construction of the mansion in 1912. The initial supervising architect was William Curlett. When he died in 1914, his son, Alex Curlett, took over supervision along with partner Charles E. Gottschalk. The construction of the building was completed that same year.
Upon his death, Phelan bequeathed Montalvo thus:
My friends settled in to sketch and paint Villa Montalvo from the side and I thought they made a beautiful picture. A gazebo behind them added to the beauty of the scene. While they were painting, I decided to walk around and take photos of the grounds. Thanks to my friends for the inspiration!
After so many months I'm back to update the blog. I missed you all and I missed doing the blog! I'm going to start by showing you some paintings I'm currently working on called the Villa Montalvo Series. I've painted 6 and I have 4 small ones drawn out and ready to paint. Three are hanging in the Gallery Saratoga this month. Villa Montalvo is a beautiful set of buildings that use to be owned by a prominent Senator in the area. Here's what Wikipedia says:
This weekend we had a great time with family and friends. One of my friends, Beth, painted with me for a day while we sat on the deck at the family log cabin in Nevada City, California. Since we recently had many of the trees cleared, we now have a wonderful vista view, and I have a renewed inspiration to paint, paint, paint. Looking at the beauty of the woods reminded of the bible verses in Isaiah 55:12-13. They say," You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands...This will be for the Lord's renown..." And I say, "Let it be Lord! Let it be!"
Here's a different kind of painting for me. I saw this tree in a beautiful little garden house at Filoli in Woodside, CA. It captured my imagination and I just had to paint it. In front of the other window in this house was a very large birdcage with two doves in it (a subject for a matching painting to come.) Last year I thought I'd enter them both into a juried art show at Filoli. I planned early and started it well ahead of time. However, it turned out that they changed the subject of the art show to botanical flower paintings! Mine is more fanciful and not as realistic as they may want for a botanical painting, but I may just enter it anyway. What do you think?
Have you ever been to Yosemite Valley in California? No matter where you are from, you must plan to visit it at least once in your lifetime. We use to camp here often when my children were small. I must make a point to visit it again soon.
This is the midsection only of a long painting I did for the gift shop at Seascape Beach Resort in Aptos, California. I sell my products there and you can see this on cards and cups. This is a beautiful place to get married. I've stayed at the Resort and have eaten there many times. The views are fantastic. The food is gourmet and at a reasonable price! Another destination to put on your must go to list.
China Cove in Carmel was one of our favorite places to visit when the kids were younger. If you look closely you'll see us all on the beach.
