• About
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

accentBritain

Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Descanso Gardens

10 Sunday Mar 2019

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

camellias, Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles, Red Bridge

I decided to take a month off from the studio this January, and instead refreshed my visual senses with a trip to the west coast.  For months I had been feeling the creative tug of painting landscapes again.  A fresh breath, so to speak.  

I had seen a quote by Vincent Van Gogh attached to the new Hockney/Van Gogh exhibition coming to Amsterdam this spring (https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en).  In a letter from December 1882, the artist wrote “Sometimes I long so much to do landscape, just as one would go for a long walk to refresh oneself, and in all of nature, in trees for instance, I see expression and a soul.”

I couldn’t agree more, So in the beautiful Descanso Gardens in the hills on the outskirts of LA, I found my muse.

I had been to the gardens before, and one of my favorite spots is the Japanese Garden with its striking red bridge.

The camellias were blooming. In 1942, when people of Japanese ancestry were forced in to internment camps following the attack of Pearl Harbor, E. Manchester Boddy, who owned the working ranch, purchased 100,000 camellia plants from friends, two Japanese-owned nurseries.

Now a non-profit organization, the Descanso Gardens Guild manages the gardens in partnership with Los Angeles County.

This gorgeous place showcases the beauty of nature at its best and the desire to preserve it for future generations.

I’ve visited the gardens on many of my trips to LA, and I never get tired of it.

Descanso: The Red Bridge, 30 x 40″, oil

 

The Women

01 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Getty Museum, Henri Moore, Los Angeles, The Seated Woman

For several months now, I have been busy in my studio, painting three new works that focus on the art museum experience.

Image 2

I am intrigued by how people re-act to their surroundings, and how art museums, generally speaking, bring a wonderful sense of calm and reflection to the visitor.

Image 6

The Women came from a visit to the Getty Museum on a gloriously sunny day in Los Angeles.  One of my favorite viewpoints to paint is looking down from above, and after many intriguing photographs from the balcony/courtyard area of the museum, I found my subject. The progression came easily once I decided on the details.

Image

I wanted a monochromatic calm to permeate the scene.

Image 2

The branches are meant to entangle and include the two women strolling, Henry Moore’s statue The Seated Woman, and myself as the viewer.

Image

I wanted just enough color to weave the scene together and engage the viewer. The green shirt draws the eye upward to include all the participants in the tableau.

Image 6

The balance was complete.  The two women bound in a strolling conversation, the Seated Woman, and myself were equally included in the scene.

Image 4

♣ Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 27 other subscribers

♣ Archives

  • September 2022
  • May 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • May 2021
  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011

♣ Recent Posts

  • Autumn Stroll on the C&O Canal
  • A Winter’s Project
  • A Walk In The Park
  • An Adirondack Pond
  • Golden

♣ Categories

  • Art
  • Art Museums & Exhibitions
  • Bath
  • Books
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Burnham-on-Crouch
  • cars
  • Cornwall
  • Cornwall
  • England
  • entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Grasmere
  • Guana Island
  • History
  • Lake District
  • Lake District
  • London
  • movies
  • Music
  • National Trust
  • Olympics
  • paintings
  • Peak District
  • Sailing
  • Scotland
  • Shopping
  • sketching
  • The New Forest
  • The Royal Family
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • United Kingdom

♣ my button

accentbritain.com
<a href="http://accentbritain.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://accentbritain.com/accentBritainbutton.jpeg" alt="accentBritain.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>
Copyright 2011 accentBritain LLC. All rights reserved. All original photos, text and art is copyright protected.

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Chateau by Ignacio Ricci.

 

Loading Comments...