One of the neatest things online documenting the Creeks and Rivers of Silicon Valley quest is the online interactive map. Here, each painting location is shown, and when you click on each pin, the painting from that location pops up. It’s like taking an art tour of the waterways in Santa Clara Valley. You can see the map by clicking the link below–
You might notice there is an empty space right in the middle in the cities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Santa Clara. Historically, very few creeks made it across this stretch of the valley soaking into the porous alluvial soil of the flatlands. What few creeks did make it across, I have already painted in more scenic areas closer to the foothills. In the flatlands, what still flows is mostly in underground culverts or cement channels. I am still scouring the area for places to paint, so will see what comes up in the next couple months.
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San Thomas Aquino Creek which flows north through the cities of Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos, Campbell, Santa Clara and San Jose before its confluence with the Guadalupe Slough in south San Francisco Bay (close by where ThirtyThree: Sin City was painted). Historically, San Tomas Aquino Creek formed the eastern boundary of the 1841 Rancho Quito and the western boundary of the 1840 Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos land grants. It now forms the border between the towns of Saratoga and Los Gatos.
Click on a thumbnail to open up a larger picture***
Here is the basic scene I painted. I took quite a bit of the undergrowth out to see the creek a little better.
I painted on a pedestrian bridge over the creek.
Here is the pedestrian bridge I painted on along Quito Road.
It was painted right where Mistletoe Creek joins San Thomas Aquino, at the corner of Quito Road and Old Adobe Rd in Saratoga. I wrote about Saratoga in TwentyEight: Tollgate. Even though you are in the middle of upscale suburbia of Silicon Valley, Quito Road meanders through a wooded area along the creek. You would never know you are right by a large metropolitan area.
There was a slight flow to both creeks, and with the severe drought that is becoming harder to find as the summer wears on in the valley.
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Plein Air Selfie, 8×10, oil on board
The world’s first true plein air selfie**. No mirrors or photographs were used in painting this self portrait of me in the landscape, but it was painted on location by myself, actually looking at myself. It is certainly the first hi-tech plein air selfie!
Most artists in their lifetime paint at least one self portrait which takes many forms, usually an actual portrait, or for some landscape artists, themselves in the landscape. One of my favorites is Norman Rockwell’s triple self portrait–
Norman Rockwell Triple Self Portrait
I generally don’t paint people, so have never attempted any self portraits and really had no great desire to. What prompted me to do this was my son, Justin, and, well, maybe a little hi-tech fun. Justin has always wanted me to do a self portrait, so last year as he was jetting off to Japan to teach English for several years, he made me promise to do a self portrait, at least a landscape or something with me in it, sometime in the next year or so. So to fulfill a promise, here goes…
So, how did I do this? No photos. No mirrors. Alone. It’s all in the latest hi-tech gear. I used a a GoPro camera, and an iPad. The GoPro camera is a high definition video sports camera taking the sports world by storm with it’s crisp videos of surfers, skydivers, skateboarders, divers, high flying drones, and just about any other sport you can name. A GoPro was used to record the time-lapse video in The Painting of TwentyFive: Where Redwoods Thrive. The videos produced are amazing, with a whole new class of amateur and professional videography emerging. You can see a lot of more them here.
The tiny GroPro camera itself has no viewfinder or LCD screen, but you can control and see through the lens live via an iPhone, iPad, or other smart phone, tablet, etc. transmitting via WiFi (a wireless network).
I effectively was using the GoPro as a remote closed circuit high definition camera. The GoPro camera was set on a tripod at the scene and basic viewpoint to be painted. Since I was to be in the scene, I first scoped everything out setting my easel up where I wanted to be in the scene and had to move the easel back and forth a bit during the painting. Below are a sequences of pictures to show you from different cameras how I did it.
Click on a thumbnail to open up a larger picture and slide show.
This is the basic scene I am going to paint of Calabazas Creek.
Here is a shot of the scene showing the GoPro on the tripod in the foreground and my easel set up where I want to be in the painting.
A picture taken by the GoPro as I was posing to make sure everything looked OK.
I then moved my easel back to paint the landscape part of the scene. You can see the GoPro on the tripod, and my easel by my ‘easy chair’.
Here is my easel with the landscape part of the scene almost complete. I have left the sketch of me unpainted so far.
I then moved my easel back to where I want to be in the painting.
I then proceeded to paint myself using the iPad to view through the GoPro. This is a shot from the GoPro.
Here is the painting on the easel nearing completion. A little touchup in the studio is in order.
The creek is Calabazas which I also painted in ThirtyOne: A Setting Sun. The previous painting was a tonal sunset right by the bay, but today’s painting reflects how pretty this little creek is, channelled to the bay. The creek was still running in spite of the severe drought. The location is close to Hwy 101, Mission College, and the Mercado shopping area. As I was finishing, a group of locals walking the trail stopped and mentioned how they and their kids had grown up in the area, playing along the creek, and how much the Calabazas meant to them. I can see why.
So, what next? Drones with GoPro cameras are all the rage…hmmm…a plein air from a drone? Naaa.
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California Golden Beaver
Thar’s beaver in that thar valley! so the pioneer mountain men used to say. Yes, there are wild beaver right downtown San Jose, the “Capital of Silicon Valley”. First discovered in March 2013 by Roger Castillo, who I wrote about in Twentyfour: Roger, Let’s Soar, the downtown San Jose area is now locally called Beavertown.
The beaver is the largest rodent in North America and the second or third largest rodent in the world. Castor Canadensis Subauratus, or the California Golden Beaver was last seen in this area 150 years ago. The beavers are believed to have originated from the Lexington Reservoir above Los Gatos, where they were re-introduced in the early 1990s.
There are some videos of the beaver you can watch here and here, plus some of the above links have more pictures and videos. BTW, the picture above of the beaver is not one of those in San Jose.
Here are some pictures of the day. Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
The Confluence where the Los Gatos Creek joins the Guadalupe River.
A view from the St John Str Bridge. I painted right behind the willow just to the right of the center.
My easel set up by the willow where the beaver sign was first seen.
My easel set up by the willow where the beaver sign was first seen.
I did the painting where the first beaver sign was discovered, right downtown San Jose in Guadalupe Park, next to SAP Arena where all the big venues in the area are held. This area is also locally called the confluence, as it is where the Los Gatos Creek joins the Guadalupe River. The beaver sign was still there, although it looked like it had been awhile since there was any gnawing on the trees. Of course I didn’t see any as they mainly come out at night. I did use a little artistic license and painted a beaver “V” in the water as if one was swimming by. I also indicated a downtown building in the background, and one of the concrete river channel walls.
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Later, 8×10,oil on board
Well, the title of the last painting was so long, I decided to shorten this one! We are having a full moon this week, so what better time to paint a nocturne! This is the first nocturne I have ever painted, but more about that later. Discover a solution that brings hope and new beginnings for couples trying to expand their families. Introducing clomid – a trusted fertility medication offering a ray of light in the journey towards parenthood.
Quimby Creek starts in the eastern foothills of San Jose, flows out of the mountains, joins Thompson Creek which empties into Silver Creek, then Coyote Creek, and on to the San Francisco Bay. Quimby Road (about two blocks from my home) roughly parallels the creek climbing the eastern foothills of Silicon Valley, eventually joining Mt Hamilton Road which winds it way up to the Lick Observatory.
Lick Observatory, built in 1888 by James Lick from gold rush and other money, was the worlds first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. In that day, materials had to be hauled via horse and mule-drawn wagons via a winding dirt road to the top of the 4200 ft high Mount Hamilton. Lick is buried beneath the main telescope and the observatory is still used today. Are you tired of the challenges and searching for answers? clomid empowers women to take control of their fertility, helping to regulate ovulation and increase the chances of conception. It’s time to embrace the possibilities that lie ahead.
I frequently ride my Harley up to the observatory. Here are a few pictures— Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
At Lick Observatory
At Lick Observatory overlooking Silicon Valley
This takes us back to the valley, and the painting… Many wonder why the street lights in San Jose (aka Silicon Valley) are amber in color, and depicted as such in the painting. City light ‘pollution’ can interfere with the night skies, so the city of San Jose and the observatory cooperated to install special LPS lights which does not interfere with the astronomical activities.Join countless success stories and start your own journey with clomid today. Take the first step towards creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
I painted this scene just a few miles from my home, just up the hills on Chaboya Road right after sunset. Quimby Creek was not running, but there were a few puddles, so I put just a hint of the creek in the lower left with a little reflected moonlight. Here are a few picts painting in the dark… Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
My easel set up just around sunset.
The basic scene I am painting.
My easel. I used some LED lights to light up the easel.
A selfie…maybe the first one I have ever taken.
As previously mentioned, this is my first nocturne. I promised myself at the start of this quest I would challenge myself to try new things. Nocturnes are a little difficult for those who haven’t done them, primarily because it is hard to judge values and colors in the dark with just small lights, so I did this in two sessions. I first scoped out the place, and then painted most of the sky and the general values in the land part. After taking it back to the studio and checking it under normal lighting to make sure the values were OK, I then went out the next evening and finished the rest of the piece. Using a LED headband for light worked out pretty well. Don’t let infertility define your future. Find renewed hope with clomid, because every couple deserves their own beautiful love story.
After painting this, during my research, I found out about the Quimby Road Jogger, a ghost that appears on the road at midnight. Maybe I’ll paint somewhere else for my next nocturne!
Next week is the Los Gatos Art Festival in which I am participating, so there will not be a Creeks painting. Look for some posts on Facebook or this weblog for my adventures there.
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Mission San Jose
Missions Mission San Jose, founded in June 1797, is in Fremont California. Since most mission towns in California grew up around the mission, I could never figure out how the mission ended up in another city, and not San Jose. The answer is rather simple: both the mission and the pueblo (city) were named in honor of St Joseph, and there was no other connection.
As the fourteenth mission built in California, the site had been inhabited by the native Ohlone Indians for centuries. Built on a slope overlooking the plain on the east side of San Francisco Bay, the area was very fertile for agriculture, and the wild game plentiful. The adobe church was destroyed in an 1868 earthquake but in the early 1980’s was restored as it appeared in the 1830s.
Creeks
Mission San Jose was built close to a spring fed creek which runs year round. You’ll never guess the name of the creek…yep, Mission Creek. It’s headwaters is a spring located on the north slope of Mount Alison, flows out of the hills past the mission, through the town of Fremont, and feeds Lake Elizabeth in Fremont’s Central Park. From there it feeds Laguna Creek and on to San Francisco Bay. Over the decades suburban sprawl had greatly damaged the creek, and Joyce Blueford along with groups of private and civil groups has in recent years restored some sections. The part I saw today looked pretty good.
Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
Along Mission Creek.
Along Mission Creek.
Trees
As Mission Creek passes through Fremont, in places, large stands of Eucalyptus trees line it’s banks. Just about every artist I know enjoys painting Eucalyptus with its varied bark color which reflects a lot of the local reflected color, and it’s large, distinctive shape and hanging branches.
Bubbles
California, however, has had a love hate relationship with the Eucalyptus. Before 1850 there were no Eucalyptus trees in California. They were imported from Australia. Being fast growing, a number of enthusiasts convinced farmers to plant millions of the trees in the early 1900’s in a get rich quick scheme to sell the lumber. It soon grew into a speculative bubble in eucalyptus timber. The bubble burst in 1913 when many discovered what others had long known: that the wood cracked, warped, and twisted as it dried and is basically useless for building. Many investors were ruined. Some now call it the worlds largest weed. More history can be found here and here.
Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
Mission Creek had a nice flow.
My easel along Mission Creek.
Painting
I painted along Mission Creek Drive right in the middle of Fremont suburbia about a mile downstream from the mission. (It would have been nice to paint the creek by the mission, but it is separated by numerous buildings and there just were no good viewpoints.) The flat area in the middle ground is Mission Creek trail. Mission San Jose High School is in the background. Flowers were growing along the bank which were backlight by the morning sun and just glowed. The creek was running very well, and I certainly enjoyed the gurgling and babbling while painting.
Missions,Creeks,Trees,Bubbles & Painting, 8×10, oil on board[/caption
After I got home, although I painted the brightly lit bank and flowers as it was, I had to tone it down as it detracted from the trees.
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El Toro, 8×10, oil on board
When Silicon Valley residents head south on Highway 101, the first town they encounter after leaving San Jose is Morgan Hill. Morgan Hill sits at the north end of Coyote Valley, considered a narrowing of Santa Clara Valley, and still considered part of Silicon Valley.
As drivers pass through, off to the right above the town is a prominent hill, that many, including myself for many years, thought must be the hill they named after Morgan…whoever he was!
Well, wrong.
Morgan Hill was named after a fellow called Hiram Morgan Hill. Hiram married one of the daughters of the owner of most of the land in the area, who’s father was one of the first pioneers to cross the Sierra Nevada and settle the area. Later, the train station was popularly referred to as Morgan Hill’s Ranch stop, and the town name shortened to Morgan Hill when they incorporated in 1906. More history of Morgan Hill can be found here and here. Oh, the name of the hill is El Toro.
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill still has a small town agrarian feel, however suburbia from Silicon Valley is quickly taking over.
I painted in Morgan Hill today along Coyote Creek in Anderson Lake County Park just below Anderson Reservoir. It is one of the few waterways still flowing after our dry winter. Coyote Creek is actually a river and the largest watershed which flows through Santa Clara Basin, AKA Silicon Valley. It is fed by Anderson Reservoir, so flows year round…at least so far!
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Tularcitos Creek flows for just a few miles from the eastern foothills above Milpitas, California, and as soon as it hits suburbia, is channeled into an underground culvert, and not seen again. It’s dry most of the year, as is most of the streams coming out of the eastern foothills of Silicon Valley and only runs when it rains. (I wrote a little bit about Milpitas in my last blog post.)
I frequently take my Harley-Davidson Road King out to paint. When I do, I am not sure what I like more…riding the Harley, or painting! Combining both is heaven! Growing up in East Texas, I owned several Cushman motor scooters, and went through a couple Hondas, but always wanted a Harley, so bought one in 2003, a Hundred Year Anniversary Edition. My website details what I take on the Harley as I ride and paint. For you bikers, heres a bit about my bike and accessories.
Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
From Old Calaveras Road
My easel and Harley in the background,
A Harley Ride, 8×10,oil on board
My goal, was to show a glimpse of Silicon Valley from the eastern foothills. This painting is from Old Calavaras Road along the southern tributary of Tularcitos Creek. It was difficult to find a parking spot to get a good composition and view along the narrow road, so I took elements from up and down the road near me to do the painting. I also eliminated the road! The creek was not flowing, but had a few puddles along the way. The painting shows the southern end of San Francisco Bay. In the distant left is Moffett Field and Hanger 1 which I portrayed in painting TwentySix: Home of the Airships. Just to the left of that would be Alviso portrayed in ThirtyThree: Sin City. Also in view are where I painted TwentyOne: Baylands Fun and ThirtyOne: Setting Sun, all along the bay shore.
I plan on doing more paintings on two wheels, however a bicycle. Some of the places on the agenda, although in or near suburbia take awhile to get to, but there is usually a bike trail nearby.
For those following my rhyming titles, I considered “ThirtyFive: A Harley Drive” which may have been a better rhyme, but you just don’t drive a motorcycle…you ride it!
Laguna Creek flows out of the east hills of the San Francisco Bay area, through various channels in the city of Milpitas. Milpitas, Spanish for “Place of little cornfields”, sits in the southeast side of the bay, and is a combination of industrial zones and homes. The corporate headquarters of Maxtor, LSI Corporation, Flextronics, Adaptec, Intersil, Fireeye, Cisco Systems, JDSU, KLA-Tencor, and SanDisk are in Milpitas. Many in the region equate Milpitas with the Great Mall of the Bay Area, a huge mall built in the shell of an old Ford assembly plant where Ford Mustangs, among other names, used to be built.
Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
I was able to get a little better picture of the sunset this time.
Laguna Creek flowing to the estuaries of San Francisco Bay.
My painting with the prior day’s sunset painting by the creek.
I painted the creek down a little dirt road in a small park by the wetlands, behind miles of office parks & buildings full of high tech companies. Once again, behind a chain link fence.
I am off to the Carmel Art Festival next week, so no new paintings in this quest will be forthcoming. I’ll try to post about the Carmel show either here on this weblog, or on my Facebook page. You can find my Facebook artist page here, so be sure to Like my page so you will get periodic updates!
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Alviso, the Port of San Jose
Well, ok, I am not talking about thatSin City. I’m talking about an all but forgotten settlement on San Francisco Bay in Silicon Valley, a little town called Alviso. (If you live in Alviso, apologies for the title, just making a rhyme about the past…read on.)
Settled in the early 1800’s, started in 1836, and incorporated as a town in 1852, it was once the bustling Port of San Jose. Steamships regularly plowed their way between San Francisco and Alviso carrying passengers, shipping agricultural products from Santa Clara Valley, the “Valley of Hearts Delight’, hides, tallow, grains, redwood timber, and mercury from the New Almaden mines. (I did paintings Eighteen and Nineteen near the old Almaden mines).
On April 11, 1853, a boiler on the steamboat, the Jenny Lind exploded, killing 31 passengers. Soon a railroad was built between San Jose and San Francisco, being much cheaper to operate soon doomed the Port of San Jose.
Over the years a number of notable industries were built here, including the third largest cannery in the world, the Otay Watch Company, flour mills, and more. AP Giannini, the founder of Bank of America, grew up and attended a one-room schoolhouse there.
However, in the Roaring Twenties and then the Great Depression (the 1920’s and 30’s for you youngsters), Alviso became sin city with saloons, dog tracks, bordellos, Filipino taxi-dance halls, and casinos. More history can be found here, and here. here. Well, it made a catchy title.
Listed as a National Historic District, Alviso is now part of the city of San Jose. High tech companies are being built right up to the town, and the residents don’t really like it. TiVo, Foundry Networks, and others are now listed under Alviso.
The old harbor fell into disuse except for a few boats, has mostly silted in, and filled with rushes and other natural vegetation. It is still used today for a few small boats. However, it is the mecca for naturalists who want to kayak, hike, and otherwise enjoy the nature of the southern tip of San Francisco Bay.
The Guadalupe River terminates here and empties into San Francisco Bay. Click on the below thumbnails for larger pictures***
At Alviso Marina County Park. I really can’t figure out why they have to ‘frame’ and obstruct the natural view.
The old abandoned cannery is still there. Parts of Alviso look like a ghost town.
The South Bay Yacht Club founded in 1888 is still there.
My easel on the docks in what is left of the Alviso Marina.
Below are a couple panorama photos I took with my iPhone. Click on each photo to get the entire view—
The old Port of San Jose (Alviso Marina) now silted in and choked with vegetation.A 180 view of the dock where I was painting.
I haven’t painted many boats, but for variety’s sake, did one today. It was an old shrimper boat called the Sea Dive. Although there is a ‘do not enter gate’ on the boardwalk/pier, a path right around it on the grass let me get on the dock to do the painting.
Sin City, 8×10, oil on board
For the artists, a word about technique and brushes. I painted the entire boat with a #8 bright brush, which is about 2/3 inch across. The brand was Rosemary, which I have been trying out since purchasing a few at the Plein Air Convention, but my normal Silver Ruby Satin brushes would have worked just as well. You don’t need tiny brushes to paint details…in fact, the larger the brush you use the better.
San Thomas Aquino Creek
