J Hicks Fine Art » available watercolor paintings

Bridlewood Vineyards in California

jhicks — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:41:00 +0000

On our way to Los Olivos we decided to stopped at the Bridlewood Vineyards before going on to Los Olivos, California and I am so happy we did. What a beautiful and magical place to spend an afternoon. I have many sketches and photos from that day that I am anxious to translate into paintings. Above is a small original watercolor painting I just finished that will be the first of many studies I will do of the vineyards at Bridlewood. Below is the photo of the scene that inspired the painting.

Oregon Cottage Close Up

jhicks — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Sold I happened upon an abandoned, but still charming cottage while visiting the small coastal town of Waldport, Oregon. The old shingled cottage was graced by slightly spent Blue Hydrangeas and from it’s back door was a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean. Just the kind of scene I love to paint, so I’m sure I’ll find myself painting it again and again. Below is one of the photos I took that day of the scene and the inspiriation for the original watercolor painting. Visit Blog to read more about my travels looking for beautiful places to paint.

Alsea Bay Charm in Oregon

jhicks — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:40:00 +0000

After a day of sight seeing we stopped in the small town of Waldport for a late lunch of fresh fish & chips at a restaurant on Alsea Bay in Oregon. After a great meal we decided to walk along the road to have a look at some of the old cottages that fronted the bay. Even though it cannot be seen in this photo the bay was only a few steps away from the back door of this quaint cottage. To read more about my travels down the Pacific Coast visit my Blog.

Painting again!

jhicks — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Moving is never fun, but all the boxes are unpacked at last and we are finally starting to feel settled in our new Tyler, Texas home. My home studio is organized and I can’t wait to begin painting again! East Texas is absolutely beautiful and green and will be an endless source of inspiration for new paintings. My husband and I have traveled extensively through the years which allowed me to accumulate a wonderful collection of resource photos, sketches and small paintings. We continue to travel often and I always carry a camera, sketch book and paints to record the beautiful scenes I see. I collect so many great memories from these travels and it’s very easy for me to bring my photos to life each time I look at them. I have my own creative process I go through to express what it is I wish to say about a subject or scene. It is never my intention to record a scene exactly as it is because the camera does that very well. More important to me is capturing the magic of a place. Coastal scenes, seascapes, landscapes, cottage gardens, vineyards, vineyard paintings and floral paintings from my travels to Nantucket, Cape Cod, California, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico and beyond are all familiar places for my sunny feel good paintings and Fine art Giclee Prints. Please join me and follow along as I create my original paintings of beautiful places in watercolor or oil.

Visit my Blog to read more about my work and travel in search of Beautiful Places to Paint.