Colorado thunderstorms are a magnificent display of nature’s power and beauty. The state experiences an impressive array of thunderstorms throughout the year. These storms are characterized by dark, billowing clouds that roll across the sky, often accompanied by intense lightning strikes and deep rumbling thunder. These wonders of nature rarely occur in coastal California, where I live.
I was recently visiting family and friends in Colorado, and during a morning walk witnessed a squall coming in directly over Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak, dominating the skyline around Colorado Springs, and one of the most famous peaks in the Rocky Mountains, stands tall at an elevation of 14,115 feet (4,302 meters). It was a scene begging to be painted, so I did a piece back in the home studio.
Squall Over Pikes Peak, 24×18, oil on canvas
I have done a number of cloud paintings over the years, and never quite satisfied with them. This one, I think, is a step in the right direction, but as usual might touch it up in the future.
For those who didn’t want to watch the entire 19 minutes “Hohenschwangau in Time Lapse” (posted earlier), here is the ultra fast version, which lasts about a minute. About 3 seconds of video time-lapse equals one hour of actual painting time. (Be sure to turn the sound up)
Hohenschwangau Castle, nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Bavaria, Germany, stands as a captivating testament to history and architectural brilliance. This majestic castle, with its fairy-tale-like towers and elegant facade, exudes an enchanting aura that transports visitors back in time. Built in the 19th century, Hohenschwangau Castle boasts a rich heritage, having served as the childhood residence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Impeccably restored and adorned with ornate interiors, the castle offers a captivating glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of royalty. Perched on a hill overlooking the serene Alpsee Lake, Hohenschwangau Castle seamlessly blends natural beauty with architectural grandeur, leaving visitors spellbound by its timeless allure.
September 2022 we visited the castles Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein in Bavaria Germany. I have been wanting to do a painting of the area ever since. The setting of both castles perched above magnificent Lake Alpsee nestled beneath the soaring Bavarian Alps is a sight to see. I chose to paint Hohenschwangau Castle from a viewpoint from Neuschwanstein. In other words, Neuschwanstein is right behind the viewer of the scene. Neuschwanstein is probably a prettier and well known castle as it is the one which inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle, however, I wanted to include the entire setting, be true to originality, and Hohenschwangau was the castle in view.
For this work, I did a video time-lapse of the entire painting process. I have done a number of time-lapse videos of my plein air painting, but not a larger studio work. You can see some of the videos here on my website. Although most the time-lapse videos of plein air pieces are short, as they are painted usually in a few hours, this video runs about 19 minutes. Each minute equals about an hour of painting time, and I explain a little about the painting process as it goes along.
As mentioned in the video, I kept adjusting the distant mountains, maybe 4-5 times, never quite satisfied. I usually don’t repaint a section this much, and I am still not sure I am satisfied with it. However, will let it sit for awhile, and determine that later, so as usual, I might tinker with the painting a little more.
In the meantime, enjoy this time-lapse video of the entire painting process…so far…
If a 19 minute video is too long to watch, stay tuned for the ultra, ultra fast version!
Before 1994, the only people who could see this viewpoint were US soldiers. Overlooking the Salinas Valley from Fort Ord, in the distance is the old community of Spreckels.
Spreckels, 22×28, oil on canvas
Most Americans have used or heard of Spreckels Sugar. I remember it a staple in our pantry growing up. The town of Spreckels was established by Claus Spreckels in 1898 as a company town to provide a complete community (including store, school, hotel, church, theater, etc.) for employees of the Spreckels Sugar Company. When built, the Spreckels Factory #1 was the largest and most innovative sugar beet factory in the world. It operated here from 1898 to 1982, and was demolished in 1992.
After decommissioning Ft Ord in 1994, it was gradually turned into a national monument with over 86 miles of paved roads, dirt roads, and trails. Viewpoints of the monument abound of Monterey Bay, the surrounding communities, along with Salinas and the Salinas Valley. Promoters call the Salinas Valley “the Salad Bowl of the World” for the production of lettuce, broccoli, peppers and numerous other crops.
Since last May, I have been riding my RAD Rover 6+ electric bike all over Ft Ord National Monument, usually with several friends. This painting is from one of those rides along Sandstone Ridge Road overlooking the Salinas Valley with Spreckels in the background. The farming area below the ridge is Merrill Home Ranch, started in 1916, and grows a wide variety of produce.
I post a few biking pictures on Facebook from time to time, but for those who missed it, here are a couple…
My last weblog entry introduced a new studio painting from a recent trip to Pt Lobos. You can read about it here. It was a good piece as-is, but after looking at it for awhile, decided it need a little more dramatic early morning light. The study I used was a photo taken about mid day and the scene was fully lit, which is kind of the way I painted it. Here is the original photo which I used as a study for the painting.
So, I spent today touching it up a bit to add more shadows, putting a little more color in the large wave, and other minor touchups. You can see the before and after by moving the sliding bar back and forth. The newer version is on the right.
My last weblog, “Stupendous!!” was about painting at Pt Lobos State Natural Reserve in January with the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters. It was a great day and the painting turned out pretty well. Recent storms had been battering the California Coast for much of January, and I have never experienced surf that high while at the preserve. Waves were pounding and crashing the rocky coast, sometimes splashing, as a guess, over 30 feet high. You could feel the thundering surf on your chest!!
It’s been awhile since I have completed a studio painting, so did a painting of one of the crashing waves from that day. The scene is from near the China Cove parking lot looking back towards Hidden Beach. The lower cliffs behind the wave are 10-15 feet high, so I am guessing this splash was at least 30 feet high!
I might touch it up a bit more, but doesn’t need much!
Looking for a totally unique custom gift for the holiday season which will last a lifetime? These little paintings make great holiday gifts. This year I am also including notecards and books on sale. This is the biggest discount I ever sell my paintings, up to 70% off. Most prices are for unframed originals, however if the frame is shown, it is included. Shipping is free in the continental US. If you are interested, just email me at donald@donaldneff.com.
In days past, I often drove by this wondrous area of the south eastern dunes of Monterey Bay, but now find the area enchanting. Recently working on a new painting, I chronicled my efforts on Facebook as it progressed.
My weblog readers might be interested in the development and processes as things went along. Below are my posts from Facebook…
June 20, 2022. So, I have had this 12×48 inch canvas sitting in my studio for 10-15 years. It’s a bit of an odd size, and over the years contemplated on a good composition to fit it. So, this week, let’s try something…
June 21, 2022. An old adage is “paint what you know”. It is a good point, but artists should occasionally push themselves out of their comfort level. In the case of the odd size 12×48 inch canvas mentioned yesterday, I am going to paint what I know. We walk by this view at least several times a week near Marina, CA. Here is just a rough block in of the scene.
June 22 2022. Seems to be interest in the development of this odd sized 12×48 inch canvas, so here is today’s progress …
May not have a lot of time the rest this week to work on it, but stay tuned…
July 6, 2022. Back to the odd size painting (12×48 in) which has been on hiatus for a bit. Working all over the canvas now. Still working on the shape of the trees on the left. I actually scraped part of it off as it was overpowering the painting. Still a ways to go…
July 12, 2022. I did a little revamp on the 12×48 inch painting the last several days. I painted the large trees on the left several times, scraping and painting over. I still didn’t like it as they overpowered the rest of the painting, and didn’t give it the expansive view I wanted. So, I revamped for several days, painting them entirely out, repainting the background, and then a smaller tree. Here is the progression…the original trees, repainting the background, and then the result. I hope everyone agrees the effort was worth it!
July 18, 2022.The 12×48 painting still continues. Normally, I would have a painting like this done in about a week or two, if not sooner, however I have had a lot of distractions with houseguests and other things. You may not notice a lot of difference, but I put in a ‘separation layer’ of liquin, and then glazed some sunshine and atmosphere over the background areas. Also, similar to redoing the large trees on the left, I reduced the bushes on the right middle ground as they were too big and overpowering the view. Hopefully I’ll get this finished by the end of the week!
July 6, 2022. Coming down the home stretch on this one. Just a little touchup here and there, and will consider it done…for now…
It helps living close to things you paint. You can see things frequently, and then adjust your work accordingly. We did a walk in the area a few days ago by the scene, and I noticed the prominent green plants have a bit of dead underbrush. The green really contrasts with the reds and oranges of the ice plant, and a little underbrush modifies the effect.
In this painting, although true to the scene, I have moved a few elements around such as trees, bushes, etc. for a more pleasing composition. Cardinal rule of any good landscape painting moves your eye around the piece without going off the edge. Hopefully I accomplished that.
For those familiar with the area, the general view is in Ft Ord Dunes State Park from the hillside near the Divarty underpass. Monterey Bay is shown, and the distant shore is the Santa Cruz area.
For many years, going to my gallery representation in Carmel, participating in the Carmel Art Festival, etc., I drove right by this area to paint the rocky coastlines of Big Sur, the ice plant of Pacific Grove, and other more familiar attractions. Now that I live in the area, the dunes of Marina and the south eastern shoreline of Monterey Bay beg to be painted.
I’ll consider this done for now. Final painting is shown here and above.
One of the spectacular coastlines in the world, the Big Sur coastline runs for 90 miles on the west central coast of California. California Highway One winds along its length and is flanked on one side by the majestic Santa Lucia Mountains and on the other by the rocky Pacific Coast. Garrapata State Park extends along the coast on the northern part of the coastline and I am fortunate to live just half an hour away from this spectacular area.
Out painting with the California Art Club last January, I flew my drone for a quick flight. You can read about that excursion here, plus a short video I made, shown below.
This painting is a frame from the drone video I took that day, and can actually be seen around the midpoint of the video below. I have occasionally been doing paintings from a drone’s eye perspective, the first being “The World’s First Plein Air Drone Selfie” here.
We frequently walk by this scene along the trails of Ft Ord Dunes State Park near our home in Marina, CA, and I have talked about it numerous times. I have painted this immediate area several times, but from an entirely different viewpoint several yards away. You can see those here and here. The other day as we embarked on our walk, the sun was hitting the dunes at just the right angle to illuminate the scene, and I determined it just had to be painted. Fresh off the easel, here is Monterey Dunes.
