Painting Our Golden Hills
Nola’s View | oil on masonite, 2020. 10 x 7.5”
Last year, a few of us from East Valley Artists’ plein air group ventured out to do some socially-distanced painting. We met at Nola’s Iris Garden located up Sierra Road in San Jose. The owners, Nola and Gary Prevost, have always been welcoming to artists; I’m told East Valley Artists has had art shows there in the past, before I was a member of the club.
We were at Nola’s a bit too late in the season to see many flowers in bloom, but we did have an amazing view of the hills from the deck where we set up. I think this was only my second attempt at painting en plein air, so just like an antsy cat trying to find the perfect place to nap, it took me quite a few passes walking back and forth along the deck before settling down at my chosen spot. The much more experienced painters around me were already halfway through their paintings by the time I started, but that was okay. I was planning on finishing my piece at home anyway, so I made sure to take some good reference photos for later and then painted what I could. I didn’t put pressure on myself to finish anything; I was there to enjoy the day and the company of my friends. We chatted about art and cats and whatever else. We shared long moments of completely comfortable silence, totally absorbed in our work.
Here’s a sequence from my instagram stories that day.
As the painting progressed, I fumbled and painted over some areas multiple times. Oil is a new medium for me, and I’m still getting used to it. I love it though. As someone whose painting experience has mostly been with watercolor, I find working with oil to be such a satisfying contrast. The rich color and viscosity is so fun to work with. For me, the biggest challenges with oil right now seem to be making the right color choices at the right times and getting comfortable with layering.
When I finally finished the painting, I chose to title it “Nola’s View.” Then, last month, when EVA’s Artist of the Month competition rolled around, I realized I hadn’t entered it previously, so I decided to submit it. To my surprise, it won second place!
I’m looking forward to doing more painting outside in the near future, especially while the weather is good. I have my sights set on Alum Rock Park next – it’s an East San Jose gem that is practically in my backyard. As California’s oldest municipal park, it also has a very interesting history, which I’ll explore in an upcoming blog post.
Nola’s View is available for purchase here, and prints are coming soon! Join my mailing list for updates.
