Ballet - Yoga without music - Boy Runs to Ocean

Boy Running to the Water • 18" x 24" • oil on canvas

Boy Running to the Water • 18" x 24" • oil on canvas

While I was finishing this painting of a boy running on the beach to the ocean, my dogs disappeared and I couldn't stop painting!

These photographs were both taken in my studio on different walls. The top image is on the wall where I painted it with a light on. The bottom image is on the opposite wall with only the skylight.

After Yoga Monday I took my first ballet class. It is much harder than I thought. Listening for the beat of the music, keeping your legs straight, lunges, balancing, movement, grace etc... Ballet really was more difficult than yoga in many ways.

Tuesday morning I took the dogs running on a mountain that I avoided all summer due to ticks. They had a blast. After that I went to a figure drawing group with some fabulous local artists. It was wonderful and I really immersed myself back into it. We did a lot of quick sketches.

This morning my yoga teacher forgot the music and I had a much more intense workout. I think it really had us all focused. Ran with the dogs in Sausalito this afternoon where I pulled out my iphone to take more heron photos in the water along the houseboats. Quite colorful with some amazingly clear reflections, then brought the dogs to my studio and tied the big one to a chair he dragged the chair into the hallway and all the way to the front door of the building while I was emersed in a painting. I of course took photos.

Last Day of Summer Vacation... So Blue

So Blue Sunset • 16" x 20" • oil on canvas

It is Sunday and school starts tomorrow. So blue to see the sun going down on this beautuful Sunday. Time to pack up the blue beach chair and striped umbrella for the next sunny trip to the shore.

Today is also my sisters birthday and all she wanted was to spend it in this chair, relaxing at the beach and watching the kids play. She still loves to romp in the cold California ocean too.

Santa Cruz Fire and Fiery Sunset

Sunset Through Grass • 8" x 8" • oil on board

I woke up yesterday to hear Santa Cruz was on fire and being evacuated. Many of our California sunsets are a rainbow with a vivid orange. I painted the oil above after an ocean hike.

My daughter and I packed up our dog and headed to Rio Del Mar beach where I took the following photos of the clouds reflecting the fire.

Many homes burned and families and animals were evacuated, but the beach was happy, gorgeous and full of life. The birds were going crazy feeding around 5 pm. The smell of fire was in the air. There were helicopters carrying big buckets of water to the fire. On our way back home we passed at least 20 fire trucks making their way over the hill to the fire. Very scary. Then something wonderful happened; my cousins had a healthy baby girl. Her grandma in Santa Cruz had some exciting news to balance out the stress of the fire. Coincidentally the baby was born a few minutes after her grandpas August 13 birthday.