Country Elegance

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Back in the saddle so to speak an had a hankering for some red. So, I chose the elegant and grand Victorian landmark that graces highway 128 out in the Anderson Valley. This is the route we most often take to get to 'civilization' and love passing by this fabulous sight in all its pastoral and colorful glory. One day I hope to find out the square footage of this place as in this painting I have only included about half of it! It's near the close of a lovely summer day and now that it's November, sweet memories of summer are lingering just beneath the surface.

Gazing North

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There is the most amazing and haphazard stand of coastal pines on the property next door to us. I am intrigued by them daily as they reflect the various colors of sunlight throughout each day. Even in the fog, they are magnificent and I'm so happy that I get to look at them without having to tend them! Standing out on my deck as I did once before, I attempted to tame a few of them into a rectangular format with the lovely and lyrical blue ocean beyond, all set off by the golden fields of late summer. Thanks for touching base with me and for looking at my new website too! I've heard back from you that it's easy to navigate and has so much fun stuff to look at. Pass the word. It's easy to find at erindertner.com

Coastal Beauties

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For 11 years we lived in Englenook which is 6 miles north of Fort Bragg and I drove by these trees every single day. My favorite time of course was the end of the day when they were all lit up with that yummy golden light and if I was lucky enough to be the passenger, was able to snap a shot as we whizzed by. I love the grace and strength of these tall cypress trees, so tall and gorgeous but also sturdy enough to handle winter's fury. They deserve some recognition, right?!

Evening at Emerald Bay

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 We had the supreme fortune to take an evening boat ride a while back with Jack Meiring, the father of my late high school friend Sherri. Vikingsholm is tucked into the west shore of Emerald Bay was always just like a storybook destination to me. My darling grandpa took us kids out and about to all the great places around the lake and this is a place we hiked to a few times. It was fun to discover it on this special summer evening, all buttoned up and quiet with that glowing shimmer in the windows just before the close of day.

Peaceful and Content

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At home and sick today, but feeling peaceful myself if not actually content. However, these sunlit cows are certainly happy in the receding light of a long summer day. Painting a bit of history here as the cows and 'their' tree are no longer in this Caspar field and the Community Center has been remodeled, but thankfully it's still pastoral and a delight to drive by each day on my way home from the studio. 

Sandy Toes

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My darling young friend Tami, introduced me to a new beach that has been under my nose for 27 years but I never knew about it! It's quite a little trek to get there and my shoulder was aching under the weight of my art bag AND purse, but it was well worth the effort. 'Another miserable day in Paradise' as the ridiculous saying goes and boy was I miserably happy about it.

Til the Cows Come Home

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I simply had the hankering to do something out of the ordinary, that is for me. Cows are ordinary I suppose, but I don't necessarily tune in to them. My husband gravitate towards animals of all types and was the one that discovered this group of cows all clumped together. I have to say that I adore the red one peeking out from behind the other large black one's behind and that is what pulled my trigger. Hope it makes you smile.

Daydream Garden

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Sometimes a girl gets lucky and is invited to visit secret places that delight and amaze. This Napa location was one such place, and in an earlier post I shared the view from the patio so it is 360 degrees of fabulous. Long evening shadows only add to the inherent drama and dreamy quality, sigh.

Somewhere Over the Vineyard

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While I was gallivanting in Napa last week, I came upon a property with a gazillion dollar view. Flowers, olive & cypress trees, vineyards, ponds and mountains all screaming for attention. I held my hand over the sun with my camera up to my nose and shot away the evening hour, all in hopes of capturing the essence. One day I hope to do some larger pieces from what I gathered, but for now here is a snippet of paradise for some happy daydreaming.

Fanciful Fields

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I kind of seem to jump around from deep and dazzling color to subtle and serene don't I? To tell you the truth, I get bored doing too much of the same thing so it's fun to shake things up with subject matter and color. AND locations I might add. When you can't get your tushie to France or Greece, what's wrong with Colusa or Yuba City pray tell??!! This humble little lane can be found someplace out near Sutter and is surrounded by reflective rice fields, poplar and eucalyptus trees and the smallest mountain range in the world, the Sutter Buttes. I gave you a peek of those the other day along the river and you just might see them pop up again soon. Hope you feel like taking a little stroll on a lazy summer evening down this road to no place in particular, just for the fun of it.

Poppies a"Plenty

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I had the supreme fortune to spend two glorious painting sessions at Pacific Star Winery this week. The weather was sublime and the poppies icing on the cake, making for a most delectable painting experience. I stuck around for hours and hours, so stay tuned for more on this theme. I was pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream, but here is the hard cold evidence that was for real. Wowzers people, the only thing missing was your company!

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Just had an idyllic time with my buddy Jennifer over in the Ukiah Valley before the new rains set in, painting the billowing yellow mustard blossoms. The carpeted vineyards seem to shout far and wide that Spring is upon us and boast the craziest, loudest color in my paint box, Y.E.L.L.O.W. , glorious yellow. It was actually hot enough to bare my arms and it felt great to be in the elements after a long winter. The bees were buzzing and it made me feel like VanGogh all over again. Boy am I blessed to have this job or what?

South end of the North Coast

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This spot on God's green earth has to be one of the most photographed and gasped over views ever. It just happens to be in my neck of the woods and gives me goosebumps each time I'm blessed to see it up close and personal. I've taken my own quote of photos and can find one in just about every one of my albums, boxes or digital files, so it's always at my disposal when I have the hankering to paint it. The scrufty fences that grace our coastline only add to the drama and delight of the haystack rocks and receding bluffs. We love the silver grays of these weathered beauties and feel sad whenever we see them falling down or giving way to rebar and wire. All in all, I live a life of visual ecstasy over here on the western edge.

Ode to Van Gogh

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Several years ago I had the supreme privilege of painting in this sunflower field in the south of France. Bees were buzzing and the sun was beating down as I crouched down amongst the faces of these magnificent blooms. I so admire Van Gogh's work and felt close to him at that moment since I was struggling against the elements, fumbling with my equipment whilst being captivated by my surroundings. I wasn't so frustrated that I wanted to cut my ear off, only supremely blessed to be there.

Coastal Ranch revisited

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I posted this painting in another version a while back, when I was just emerging from the sickest segment of my sickness. Originally, the foreground was bleached out and you wondered how on earth those cows could care less about those dried up grasses. Now that I've lived with it in my studio, I realized that it needed grounding because that light color also gave it an illusion of floating. Not so good. I like the addition of green grasses with deeper values and hope that you and the cows connect better with it too.

  

Up from the Headlands

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We've just been tromping around the headlands, gazing at the sparkling sea and meandering amidst the miles of narrow pathways. It is exhilarating, this environment of mine and I cherish each and every day. Yep, even the funky foggy days if they don't stack up to 7 in a row. Those days are cozy and encourage me to get a bunch of indoor work done like cleaning the desk and finding out what color it actually is underneath all the piles. However, when the sun shows up in full force, I'm outa there and ready to pounce on any and every scene that I encounter. And there are too many to count as I'm encountering them, so I count myself blessed to the enth degree.

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