A Ranch Near Alpine California

Exploration

Just outside of San Diego there is a small town called Alpine. Just outside of Alpine there is a small ranch that I explored recently. I walked around taking in the sights and sounds. The ranch is nestled in a valley, so it feels cozy and there is literally no wrong direction to look, all the views are good! Along the tops of some of the mountains the silhouettes of palm trees can be seen. The combination of mountains and a Mediterranean climate makes plants I’m accustomed to seeing only near the beach or in the desert show up in unexpected places!

After a look around I decided that I wanted to focus on some of the plant life. I love the relaxed shade of green that some of the cacti in the area wear.

My Traveler’s Company notebook and pencil with a craft paper dot grid insert by Baum-Kuchen

The structures on the ranch are a very easygoing shade of yellow that made me super happy and alongside there were purple flowers in bloom! All around it was a lovely exploration and I did get a few very fun shots. A terra cotta pot is visible in the foreground of one of the photos and I can’t wait to incorporate the combination of purple, terra cotta and pale yellow into a piece.

Painting

I sat down to paint on one of the coldest days I have experienced here in southern California since I have been here. In fact the forecast for the surrounding mountains is being predicted in feet not inches. Despite the cool grey skies I looked at my pictures of the ranch that were taken on a sunny beautiful day and felt warm.

My Superior Labor bag from Baum-Kuchen acts as a prop to get my watercolors at the proper angle. I currently use Arches Cold Press watercolor block paper for all of my finished pieces.

I am looking forward to seeing the final results tomorrow when the paper is completely dry and flat. This will be the first in my series of five new watercolors inspired by my travels in California. It will be entitled A Ranch Near Alpine California.

Coming Soon!