Painting Jackson Ranch

Today I was reminded of why I am still in California. In spite of the high taxes, traffic, and other problems, it is still a great place to be, and a painter’s paradise. I had not been out with the Los Gatos Plein Air group for some time, as it seemed there were always other priorities, but today was a good day to join them.

The painting location was close to Morgan Hill, about 20 miles south from San Jose, and then a few miles into the Eastern foothills. After arriving, I looked around and realized I could spend a week painting within 100 yards of this spot. Between the valley below, the old barns, the foothill oaks, it was a great place to be. A storm front was on it’s way, which helped dramatize the landscape.

After walking around and visiting with some familiar painting buddies, I decided to paint the same scene many of the others were doing. Below are some photos–

After looking at the above photos, no matter how much I brighten up my greens, I still have not matched the emerald quality of the California hills during the winter rainy season!!