Rancho Bodega oil painting in process

I don't always know what I am going to paint, what the subject, if any, will be, or even the feeling . However, this painting, Rancho Bodega, is a place. My husband and I attended an epic birthday party in late June on the private property of our friend. We and many others camped over for 1 or 2 nights with all the expected party festivities. It was not disappointing. We were in the middle of redwood groves and native ferns, creeks, open fire cooking and fun, warm hearted people. I went for a walk the first morning and wandered along a typical California golden field, a soft, pale gold appreciated the way only a Californian can. The sun shone from a blue laden sky upon me, the field and the oaks and other wild growth. It was affirming. I was alive in a gracefully elegant place, and made a note to myself of how I wanted to paint that memory. Blues, golds and greens.

I missed the first couple days of capturing the progress with my phone, but here are 2 painting days with more to follow.