The Art of Rain: Salmon Spawning, Umbrellas, Puddles and more...

The rains have come to Marin and California!
I told you they would... (see my last post about the drought).

Dog Walk in the Rain | Fairfax, CA | 2/8/14 (Aidan + Mesa)

I have been enjoying the rain so much, my Instagram stream of photos is full of rainy day images of raindrops, buckets, wet flowers and streets. I even was one of the 4 finalists in "Colors of the Week" on Instagram last Sunday for my B&W photo of a puddle in the rain.  Today, I took my middle schoolers to view the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area in West Marin. After 18 years in Marin County, and driving past Shafter Bridge hundreds of times, I realized I had never seen the salmon spawning and decided to take my sons. There were many others out to view these native fish, returning to their birthplace to spawn.  Click the thumbnails below to view our Salmon Spawing images from today:

Salmon Spawning 2014, a set on Flickr.

We bumped into the local Founder of Stapleton Ballet out for a walk with her husband. We also were lucky to be there when Candice, a volunteer with SPAWN, was alongside the creek, pointing out the unique fish and telling us what she knew about each one. One female's tail was completely white and she was very spotted. This apparently means she is an older fish, having been around the creek for a couple weeks now.  After the females release their eggs, they protect "the Redd"(the spot where their eggs are) from other females using it for up to 18 days before they die.  The newer females are darker with no torn up fins. The Males with white on their backs get this way when other males bite them to compete for females.  There is also a fungus that grows on the fish after they are bitten that appears white. It was absolutely incredible to see 2 foot long fish in the creek.  I wished I'd had my good camera with 300m lens!
Many years ago, I worked for a very brief stint with MMWD and the Fisheries Biologist, assisting with drawings of woody debris structures and computer work for a report on the fingerlings in the creek. This was a summer job and I enjoyed wearing waders, working alongside a Humboldt University Fisheries Student and learning how to find fish in the creek. ( Click here to see Gregory Andrew's report that many of us Seasonal helpers participated in via MMWD.)  What a thrill it was to share this with my sons today. If you'd like to go out and see the fish, you may find the directions to several viewing areas in Marin County, here. Stay dry and have fun!

Capturing the Late Summer Light at Stemple Creek

October 17, 2013

In Progress:  Late Summer Light at Stemple Creek 2013

This is day three, working on a 12" x 24" commission for Lisa and Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales, California.  Lisa Poncia found me on Twitter with Marin friends, Peggy Butler @iPeggy and "Sally Around the Bay" @Sally_K .  I had a wonderful day touring the Poncia's properties with them more than a month ago and saw a baby cow born in these honey colored grasses.

Loren is a 4th generation rancher and winner of the 2013 J.W. Jamison Perpetual Trophy at the Sonoma County Fair.  His sustainable practices were more than apparent in the landscape the day I spent with them.  As we drove up into these rolling hills, Loren pointed down to Stemple Creek.  All along his property, he has let the trees and vegetation grow in and around the creek and it is lush and green, even in this dry, late summer weather.  Next door, at a nearby farm, cows were down in the creek and the vegetation had all been cut down.  Removing the vegetation around a creek causes run-off to polute the creeks and letting cattle in the creek too frequently can also cause problems with waste pollution.  It was night and day to see the difference Loren's practices had made in just my one short trip.  His efforts in sustainable ranching are a big reason for his awards this year, and you can tell his entire family really loves what they do.

Lisa is a poetic writer and photographer, and does most of the communications work for Stemple Creek (stemplecreek.com).  She is an avid Twitter and Instagram poster and I love seeing what's happening on the ranch in real time.

The image for this painting of the Burbank Family Ranch, at the end of Burbank Road in Tomales, was captured about 3 minutes before the sun dipped below the hills to the right side of the painting (aka "the west side").  A herd of cattle, about 40 in total, were grazing in the orange light on the rolling hills behind the barns.  I was very happy to capture that moment of peace and special lighting, as I knew it would translate well into a colorful painting.  Stay tuned for the final piece.  Please visit Stemple Creek Ranch online to learn more!

"Ranches + Rolling Hills" Painting in Progress

October 2013

Commission started of a ranch in west marin

What a busy September!  I thought I was going to have time to paint, and ended up working for 3 weeks, assisting local friends with contract production art.  I absolutely loved getting to visit and work with Nutiva (organic superfoods) in Pt. Richmond, California.  They have a great office where they have Yoga and healthy drinks and foods several times a week.  They have a succulent garden and a full veggie garden where many in-house workers harvest their salads for lunch each day.  I really enjoyed meeting their marketing team and assisting with some label mechanicals and fun projects too.  I can't give away company secrets, but it was a nice place to work.

So, I started this first commission of a West Marin Farm.  This is the first day's work.  I am planning to finish it this weekend, however, kids, homework, Halloween and all kinds of excuses seem to be getting in the way.

cproppe.squarespace.com  (new web and mobile shop for my art work)

I even started a new website for myself that will work well on mobile devices, and added an e-commerce "SHOP" feature to the site.  The below page is the EXHIBITS page of the site, where I realized I have shown at more than 21 places around the Bay Area, many of them not even listed... I was thinking I forgot the Civic Center and the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium, and a few more...
All this marketing effort for my own business takes a lot of time.  I can't even imagine what it would be like if I could really "just paint".  That never seems to happen... not yet, at least!

cproppe.squarespace.com  (This is the EXHIBITS page on my new site)

In the Studio Today... Stemple Creek Ranch

September 1, 2013

 

I am very excited to be starting a painting for the Poncia family of Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales.  Lisa Poncia found me on Twitter, and the Marin group of Twitter folks I chat with have been enjoying Lisa's wonderful photos and blog posts about West Marin and their sustainable farms and animals.

I saw a baby cow bundle in the grass, which Loren went out to inspect and then the mommy headed off with the little guy.  Amazingly, a little cow can walk on it's own almost immediately.  This one was only 10 hours old old, Loren said, and part of the afterbirth was still visible on the mommy cow's hind quarters.

Another young calf also had a white face.  I love the character they each have; it's remarkable.

 

My son, Blake, loved the lamb with the black spot and the brown legs.  We were calling him "Brownie Chip".

The new guard-dog really loves Loren.

It was super foggy yesterday, but I will go back as many times as I need to to capture the right composition for my painting.  I will probably paint plein air part of the time, and from photos to complete the work.  Stay tuned...

In the Studio Today... Open-faced, Late Summer Zucchini meets Cow Girl & Brickmaiden

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Late Summer Zucchini Sandwich, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Here is my spontanteous, sandwich contest entry story. (Mezzetta Foods annual "Make that Sandwich" Contest is underway, and entries are due on September 1, 2013 "Labor Day").

Back from Connecticut with the twins, and a day after their orientation to 6th grade, I remembered I'd purchased a Groupon for surfing lessons at Stinson Beach Surf Camps and we raced out there to join Tommy and his band of merry, banana wielding monkeys, ages 6 to 16, in the balmy waters of late summer Pacific Ocean surf.  What a beautiful day it was... but for the fact that Blake, my 50 lb. eleven year old ballet dancer, arrived at the beach with a pounding headache and stomach ache.  I have to give the kid huge credit, as he managed to make it through an afternoon of surfing and stood up on his own several times before he had to let loose the rage within his tummy in a sand bucket.   He was fine afterwards, another amazing miracle of youth; surfing one minute, sick the next, and then singing songs with his brother all the way home on winding roads.  Impressive, right?

Well, this little day trip lead me to create something of a small miracle of my own, although I am not as youthful and bouncy.  Well, maybe bouncy, but not necessarily in a good way.

The open-faced sandwich was a spontaneous, Stinson Beach gourmet and refrigerator concoction that will be repeated soon.  I had picked up a large artisan round loaf of Brickmaiden Breads (Pt. Reyes)whole grain, sourdough bread at the Stinson Grocery, and another round of Cow Girl Creamery's Mt. Tam, soft cheese.  The previous night, I had sauteed several dark green and heirloom zucchini from the garden, with fresh garlic, olive oil, and sea salt.  These were great cold, having been refrigerated overnight.  I had fresh tomato from the garden, and specialty olives on hand.  A 3/4" slice of the fresh, whole grain sourdough with the creamy cheese spread on top, then layered with tomato slices, zucchini coins, and salty olives was really an amazing and quick dinner after a long day at the beach.  Add a glass of red wine, and "Mangia, mangia!"  My Italian Grandmother used to say this at our feast-like, family meals.  An appropriate salute, given that Mezzetta Foods is a 4th Generation, Italian family run company and this sandwich reminded me of the Mezzetta "Make that Sandwich" contest that I have seen on Twitter.  This sandwich could easily be made using several of their products.



Sauté
1/4" fresh Zucchini coins until lightly browned on each side in:
• 2-3 TBS of Mezzetta Olive Oil
• with 1 TBS Mezzetta Crushed Garlic
Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, drain liquid, and refrigerate over night in covered glass pyrex.


Slice
• several 3/4" slices of Brickmaiden Whole Grain Sourdough Bread

Spread
• bread with Cow Girl Creamery, Mt. Tam Cheese

Layer
• thinly sliced, fresh tomato and cold zucchini coins

Top with
• halved, seasoned olives (You may wish to use Mezzetta Pitted Kalamata Olives or Mezzatta Greek Olives, or others of your choice.)


I'm sure it would have been even more yummy with the addition of roasted bell peppers sauteed with the zucchini, but I did not try this yet.  Mezzetta also makes jarred, Roasted Bell Peppers, that would be perfect for my next attempt.

Note***   Sandwich photos coming soon... all ingredients were eaten during the brainstorming and creative process, plus, the kids ate 3/4 of the bread in the car on the way home, leaving me very little materials left for creative photography after I ate the two slices left over!

The Art & Colors of Nutmeg (in Nicasio)

Joanne of the Nutmeg Shop, Nicasio, CA, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Nutmeg shop, Nicasio (click to view the full photo set on Flickr)

I had the pleasure of meeting both Joanne Sollecito and Ruby Hackney today in their new "Vintage Farmhouse Chic" shop on the Square in Nicasio, California. Ruby is a mother of two with an amazing design sense and flair for merchandising. The color spots she had created in the shop were so enjoyable, and the found mason jar flower displays were unique and fun. I loved being there, and didn't want to leave!

I was sent to the shop by Liz Daniels, proprietor of Cow Track Ranch, where I had been with the group "Art on the Farm" today for plein air painting.  Liz was raving about Ruby and Joanne's place and telling me I should bring my paintings there for them to sell... that would be great!  Local art would do very well there, as it is located right next to Druid's Hall where the annual MALT art show and exhibit is held each year.  Rancho Nicasio has a series of summer concerts on the lawn that are lots of fun.  Joanne and I started talking about coffee on the Square, and how that would be the next shop needed for all the passing summer cyclists.  Having just taken a brief nap with the cows myself at Cow Track, as the fog rolled in and it got windy and unpredictably cold, I was definitely ready for my afternoon caffeine assist before driving the winding roads home.

Just down the road from Nutmeg is Nicasio Valley Cheese Company and the LaFranchi Ranch, home of the west Marin pumpkin patch.  Lucky for me, they were having a special today, 2 for 1 on Foggy Morning and Foggy Morning with Basil... yum!

I'm sure it won't be long before the MarinIJ and Marin Magazine snap up the story of this new opening... I suggest they do a "Mother and Daughter" businesses of Nicasio story, since Liz Daniels and daughter, Melissa are now operating a B&B and "Real Weddings" venue at Cow Track. The new website by Melissa is terrific, with lots of photos.

Get out and enjoy Nicasio!

In the Studio Today... The Art of a Surfing Lesson

Bolinas Surfing Lesson, a set on Flickr.

My son had his first surfing lesson this weekend with one of his school teachers, who also happens to run a special surfing camp for kids out in Bolinas, California. Natalie runs the Resource Room at Wade Thomas School, is a mom and an amazingly talented surfer. Blake had the best weekend in a long time, and slept really well. I am so happy for him, and we love Natalie. We highly recommend her for anyone that wants a one-on-one surfing lesson for their child in the Bay Area.  Visit her website at spectrumsurfcamps.org for more info.  She teaches kids both on and off the spectrum, so don't let that deter you!  Here is a great video that shares Natalie's dream for her camp and special needs kids.