Leaving the Ranch

Leaving town here doesn't take long.... it's minutes in any direction. Have to admit, though, it's a few more minutes than it used to be and that ain't cause I'm an ol geezer. It has grown around here. More and more people have discovered the beauty and natural wonders of living in this valley.Bound to happen with 8 billion people on the planet.

This is the picture we painted in the class the other day under the ol' apple tree.

Headed eastward it seems as if the hills go on forever. There is never a bad view.

Oil on canvas board 11x14

Painting outside in the Mountains

Being in the High Sierras is a treat all in itself. We pulled into a spot on the road to Blue Lake in the USNF wilderness area ... found a spot in the shade to park the car and I was out there in a flash. Generally I take acrylic paints and a small canvas board for sketches. This was a scene not far from where we landed. One thing about sketching.... everytime I look at the sketch (doesn't matter whether it is good or not) it brings back vivid memories of the day...the spot.. the feelings absorbed while there.

Can't wait till we go out for another plein air painting adventure.

Plan an adventure for yourself .... make it soon.

6x8 mixed media on canvas board

Wild Salmon

The other night we had for dinner a wild-caught salmon. Unfortunately we did not go out and catch it ourselves but second best we bought it at Raley's. The trip to the coast... the adventure of camping; fishing on the river or going out in a boat; the challenge of catching the fish and getting him back would all have added to the meal. So... in this instance... maybe it was wild man eating store-bought salmon.

We added to the meal fresh lemon.... just sliced it up and hand squeezed right over the plate..... then there was this one little slice left over. He was just sitting there as a fond memory of a delectable treat the evening before.

Lemons are good....... lemonade; dressing for salad; garnishment; lemon on fish; lemon and honey for sore throat; eat it straight; lemon and tea ... lots of good uses.

Have you had your lemon today?

Wild Salmon

The other night we had for dinner a wild-caught salmon. Unfortunately we did not go out and catch it ourselves

I'd go to the River again today

This is a 18 x 24 oil painting in progress..... and this is only part of the painting.... you'll see the rest later. Maybe you remember an 8 x 10 acryic sketch I posted a while ago that seemed similar. That was a preliminary planning sketch for this one.

Maybe Carol, John, Heidi an I will be back up to the river this Fall for some great shots including portraits of John and Heidi.

John does some great work with his camera ... go visit him at:

http://renaissance-j.blogspot.com/

As you will see on John's blog all a person has to do is stick his head out the back door to find something wonderful to see.

Do it today. Go outside and see something magnificent..... it's right there.

I'd go to the River again today

This is a 16 x20 oil painting

Tahoe Art League Meeting was Wed Evening

Once a month the Tahoe Art League has a meeting at South Lake Tahoe Senior center ... that does not mean it is just for old foggies ... that simply is the most convenient place. It is on the second Wednesday each month. Drop on by. :-)

The TAL is a very active group ... many shows and event and puts out a beautiful Artists Registry each year listing many of the members and an example of their work. Each month members bring in a piece of their work and their peers vote for the one the like the best. We never know what is going to impress our fellow members the most . This month my water color "Hybiscus and Lace" was selected for the first prise winner. Thank you my friends. I appreciate your kindness, friendship and support. There are 3 awards each month.. The piece will hang in the Local College library for the next month.

Today you see one of my impressions of a part of Carson Valley we enjoy each time we head up towards Kingsbury grade (SR 207) which is the only way up the mountain from this valley. There are others routes up but not from here. The scenery here is outstanding no matter what time of year. It is always a great sight. Don't just fly down the highway ... slow down a little and enjoy the view from where you are.

Oil on canvas board 8 x 10

Ocean Dreams

These are the good days of Summer..... days when I thoroughly enjoy having a leasurely breakfast in the backyard by the flowers and the apple tree. There are always birds that come by for a visit and maybe a Shmetterling (or farfalla or butterfly) will come fluttering past the table (they never say anything so I really don't know if they are Swiss, Italian or American) :-)

Just dreaming of the ocean again. A lady in the clinic yesterday was from Naples FL so we talked about the gulf and the ocean waters for a while.

This is oil on canvas board 6x8.

You have a good day ..... and plan to eat outside once in a while.

T'was on a Warm Summer Eve

T'was on a warm Summer Eve we took a little bike ride to the next town... Minden ... and to the edge of town where it was country again and the long evening shadows carved different shapes on Jobe's peak and the High Sierras. We like to bike ride... try to get in a little every day.

I hope your summer is going well for you. make it happen. Get out there and do something a little different ... you don't have to spend an arm and a leg ... walk...hike... look around a little. I love the summertime.

6x8 oil on canvas board

Orange and some Bings

Hope you all had a great 4th! We stayed home. Took a short ride around town on the bike. Did all the other normal and routine things ... and painted. I'm glad we can still remember our independence day and our freedoms. The freedom to be able to paint is awesome. The freedom for you to chose what you want to do is awesome too.

It's great to paint things we love. I love oranges and bing cheeries so this was a fun project. Yes, the cheeries are gone ... I ate them as soon as the painting passed the necessity of the still life setup.

Check out all the things you can do that you love.

6x8 oil on canvas board

Across the field

A block over to the West from here we get this view. How can we help but being inspired. Awesome. Today is another one of the great summer days. Probably in the high 80's or low 90's. My kind of day.

I'm headed out to the store on the bike to return some defective merchandise and buy some storage containers.... little ones in which to store artist's oil colors.

Be kind to everyone today. "I've learned...that being kind is more important than being right" . This is an anonymous quote sometimes attributed to Andy Rooney, however, he did not say or write it. ... but I've learned it from experience.

Be kind to everyone today... make their day a lot better and yours will be too.

6x8 oil

The Irrigation ditches are full

Who would think something as plain as an irrigation ditch would even be interesting at all ... but they are. they bring the water to the fields... they provide drinks for the animals and birds .... many times there are nests along the edges .. and they add some sparkle to the scenery.

This is a 6x8 oil from the bike ride.

Today we are off to Lake Tahoe for the day. There is never a visit to Lake Tahoe that is not a great day. It is a short trip ... about 13 miles to the top of the grade. The view is always exciting. Maybe I'll get some interesting shots and a sketch or 2.

You have a good day

Some roads go no where

Ever think you are going down the road to nowhere?
During our lives we have many choices of which "road" to take. The choice is ours.... right or wrong... we make those choices ourselves. ... and then sometimes the road simply heads off into the unknown ... a foggy haze ... a mist sliding off the mountian side...which may take us years to figure out. ...... but then there is the road that is clearly headed in exactly the direction we wanted to go and it is taking us there quickly and surely. What a relief!
That does not necessarily mean there are no ruts, bumps, rocks and hairpin turns. Nope. Life is much more fun when there are challenges.
If you find yourself on the freeway of frustration slow down, pull off at the next ramp and check out a local nature park.

This evening while out on a bike ride, I came across a local park which was also a wetlands preserve. Fantastic. The many times I rode past there in the Winter it was not much of anything. Not even much water. What if I had never gone back to take another look?
Today the water table was high; the flowers were in bloom; the cattails were getting tall; there were many full bushes and the grass was plentiful. Ducks were swimming and the Geese, surrounded by goslings, were pecking for their dinners. I saw a whole new world there. I will return and take pictures, sit on the bench and sketch... and just enjoy the peaceful view .... surrounded with refreshing smells of flowers, a cool breeze off the High Sierras while beimg uplifted by the cheerful songs of a variety of birds.
Go out there and let some cheerful birds perk up your life.
6x8 acrylic sketch

Unocchio's 6 Mile Bike Ride fotos

The 6x8 oil sketch was inspired by the ride out into the countryside.

Maybe the next one will be a knife painting.

This area has certainly grown and expanded over the past 30 some years. There was a time when "out in the coutry " was just over the back fence by the irragation ditch. Now there are sub-divisions everywhere and we need to look a little to get out into the country ..... NEVERTHE LESS .... there is still some rural area here and some of the developed lots are 20 acres +/- ..... that makes it a little more enjoyable. Since you were not here and could not go on the ride I took the time and space to give you a foto tour taken on that trip.... some even while ridng .... next best thing to having been here. Take a deep breath from your diaphram ... breath in that fresh air ... imagine the birds singing and chirping ..... hear the water bubbling and flowing in the river and irrigation ditches and let's go ......

This time of year the river is usually still high from the rains and the snow melt run-off ... but this year we had much more rain in May than in the past 30+ years ... so there is plenty of water. The hay and alfalfa is growing well. You can see that as we take our bike tour. Everywhere the ditches are filled and several fields were flooded. Notice that the grass crops were cut in many fields and even bailed already in some. Perhaps this year they will be getting 4 cuttings.

I didn't shoot every barn in sight ... just a few of the older ones and those of some interest. The newer "ranches have large luxury homes and brand-new classy barns. I'll shoot those some other day. the old farm houses and barns are disappearing quicker than we'd like.

Down here in the central valley there are hills on all sides. I tried to get that feel for you by shooting in all directions. You can see there are hills in the background no matter where you look. This is not the scene one would expect for that desert place called Nevada...... this is a fertile valley with horses, cattle and crops. The air is clean and it is peaceful.

Yesterday it was about 79 and today it was low 80's. Still good biking weather. Who knows, I may be able to get out there again tomorrow to smell the freshly mown alfalfa and listen to the red-winged blackbirds warning me away from their nests.

It's good to get out ... at least go for a walk in the cool of the morning or the cool of the evening

Maybe

Maybe the sky could be red ... who knows what they will dump up there. Well, today it was bright blue most of the day but as we rode our bikes in the afternoon a few darker clouds come over the High Sierras ... didn't rain on us but we rode a little faster for the rest of the trip. Temp was about 79 ... so nice.

Yesterday's ride was 6-8 miles around the central valley. Got some very fine fotos. I'll share some of them with you tomorrow.

This is another 6x8 acrylic on canvas board. If you haven't done a few 6x8's give it a try. Sometimes out there on a plein air trip these little guys are just the trick. .....quick and capture the mood and feeling of the moment.

For those of us still learning it is far better to paint 30 pictures at 1 hour each than spend 30 hours on one painting.

You have a good day ..... break up your routine today .... go do something you've been wanting to do .... smile and be happy while you're doing it.

Biking Today

Today is another fine day in Carson Valley ... sunshine and blue skies. Friday when we went into Reno I picked up the supplies I needed to repair the flat tire on my bike. I suppose I could have plastered on a tube repair patch but I have not had much luck with those ... it seems that more sooner than later I have another flat tire. Here on the desert there are a few green plants ... and many bugs and animals to eat them so in self defense the plants grow horrendous horns and thorns. If you need any I am an expert on finding them. :-)

I repaired the tire by replacing the tube with a self-sealing tube containing "slime" ... for you who are unfamiliar that is a bright green goop that looks and feels like slime.... comes in a plastic bottle. It is squeezed into the inner tube, then the tube is inflated and you go for a ride so that it spins and slides all around the inside of the tube. After that you are supposed to be immune from flats. yeh. Somehow for me it does not always work that way. This time around I placed a protective layer of slime-brand plastic between the tire and the inner tube then used the inner tube that had slime in it already. Think that should do the trick? Let's hope. After the repair I went on a quick ride to Minden and back. Repairing the tube is not all that bad but somehow I sure do enjoy riding the bike a whole lot more. While it was down I cleaned, shined and lubed the bike and the moving parts. Ahhhh ... it is now shiny and very quiet. The bike says, "Thanks, I sure did need that."

Not far from here... a very short bike ride ... the Carson River meanders thru the valley. We stop often just to enjoy the sights, smells and sounds by the river. The river is always a favorite sketching spot. Go out and visit a river!

Oil on 6x8 canvas board

Springtime in Carson Valley

How can we not love Springtime? Well, maybe Summer will be here in a few days according to the calendar but either way ... Spring or Summer .. they are both grand!

I enjoy eating outside during the good weather. It feels so good sitting in the sun.

There is my setup ... next to the garden ... where I can watch the plants grow and the birds fluttering back and forth.

So here is my breakfast .... well at least the end of it. You do not see the 2 eggs and sprouted multi-grain bread that disappeared prior to the arrival of the fruit. So I only eat a half banana ... Carol eats the other half. You did not get to see the suppliments either..... hey.... who wants to see suppliments..... ya seen one ya'v seen em all ... but fresh fruit ... now that always looks good ... each piece is different. Maybe these will end up on a sketch on the blog someday.

Eat lots of fresh vegies and fruit every day.... they taste good.

6x8 acrylic

Carson River at Hope Valley

Just finished the aerobics for this morning. Always feels good ... and if ever there is a chance of not feeling like I want to do it ... at the end I am always feeling much better and glad I did it. Now I can't run next to the Carson River .... but could run up the dirt road that winds in and out close to the river. that is always a kick. How great it is to be able to get out of the city and walk, run or hike where the air is clean and the sounds are birds and a gentle breeze shaking the leaves. give it a try .... leave town a few miles and do it .... run, walk or take a hike. It makes life a lot better. This picture is 8x10 acrylic.

Carson River at Hope Valley

Just finished the aerobics for this morning. Always feels good