Bath Street, Santa Barbara

In Santa Barbara, whatever direction you look, you see postcard views. It's a true paradise for artists:) This watercolor is sized 10 by 14 inches and painted on Lanaquarelle paper, about which I have only good words to say, although it wasn't mentioned in my previous post.

PS Recently, I had my interview published on the website of Kalacheva School - an art school located in Moscow. If you can read Russian, or don't mind using google translate, you are welcome to check it out here.

Mendocino

Here is the fifth painting from Mendocino series. I don't know about you, but I'm still living in the summer:) 9''x12'' on Arches watercolor paper

Mendocino

Another painting of California Coast from Mendocino series. 9''x12'' on Arches watercolor paper.


And the whole Mendocino set so far:

To be continued...

The Old Chapel

You might think this is an Italian scenery, but it's not:) Actually, I saw this cute chapel on the road leading to the winery in California. The place was surrounded by grape vineyard with blue hills on the background, and everything was bathing in the sunlight.





9''x12'' on Arches watercolor paper.

Mendocino

Here is another painting from Mendocino set. Cute and cozy white cottages like this one are very common in that region, as well as wooden water towers next to them. Imagine sitting on the ocean view porch, drink in hand, and enjoying the delicate scent of flowers... Wish I was there again:) BTW, did you know that Mendocino is the place where TV series "Murder, She Wrote" were being filmed?




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Mendocino

On the coast of Northern California, there is a small town called Mendocino, which is impossible not to fall in love with. It's all about the ocean breeze, the rhythmic roar of waves, and cute houses buried in flowers. Ever since I visited that wonderful place, with its secluded sandy beaches and spectacular blooming headlands, I new I would paint a series of watercolors about it. Well, my project is started, and here are the first two paintings. 12x9 on Arches watercolor paper

Mussel shells

I found these mussel shells a year ago at the coast of northern California. Now, the mini-installation on the pages of my journal brings back a lot of precious memories. I close my eyes and see the dark blue waves crashing into the rocks. I recall spectacular headlands covered with wildflowers in bloom, secluded sandy beaches and miles of trails winding along the cliffs. A beautiful, idyllic place that is good for your mind, body and soul.

Chenoa the owl

If you ever find yourself in the university town of Eugene, Oregon, I would highly recommend spending some time at Cascades Raptor Center. My husband and I were really excited about visiting that wildlife hospital specializing in raptor rehabilitation and release. A lot of birds of different species found their loving foster home there after being orphaned or injured. And each one of them has a personal story.
For me, the most surprising resident was a magpie named Miri, which had been illegally raised and imprinted on humans. Unable to survive in the wild, that cute little bird is totally socialized to people. Every time we happened to be around her big cage, she tried to get as close to us as she could. It was so touching and sad at the same time.
And of course, it's impossible not to mention about amazing owls, which are very plenty at CRC. As soon as I saw beautiful and mysterious Chenoa, a Northern Spotted owl, I decided to make her an object for my watercolor painting.
16''x12'' on Arches watercolor paper

Pinot Noir

Another watercolor influenced by the unforgettable journey to Napa Valley Wine Country.
12'' x 9''



This is the photo I was looking at while painting. We made it during our visit to the winery.

Autumn wine

A watercolor inspired by my trip to the wonderful Napa Valley Wine Country.
16'' x 12'' on Arches rough paper

Mono Lake

A watercolor inspired by my trip to the wonderful Mono Lake located in California's spectacular Eastern Sierra.
Beautiful blue sky reflects in the calm and smooth surface of the lake's waters. The lake is surrounded by silence, which only the gulls break occasionally
13'' x 10''

Sketches

A couple of sketches I recently added to my Arches travel book. Made during my last visit to Chicago.
Chicago is totally amazing. The skyscrapers are grand and gorgeous as they stand in front of the scenic Michigan lake, sail boats, green parks and beautiful fountains.

Lionfish

This amazing lionfish caught my eye in the "Shark reef" aquarium in Las Vegas. Lionfish embodies both the beauty and danger. It looks so cute with it's gracefully flowing fins and bright coloration, but it's venomous spines can produce very painful stings.
This painting is 12'' x 16'' in size on Arches rough paper.



And that's how it was looking at me from the aquarium:)

The Bird of Paradise

The first time I saw this beautiful tropical flower was on my vacation in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Back then I thought it would make a perfect object for watercolor picture. My decision became solid when I saw it for the second time, in the San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers.
16'' x 12''

Prague scene

Watercolor miniature - just to practice painting people in action

The Caribbean

A watercolor inspired by the amazing vacation in Dominican Republic