Town of Glen Ellen, CA

(5"x7" gouache on watercolor board)

Took a drive out to Glen Ellen, CA......Where's that?! The town is located along Hwy 12, just between Sonoma and Santa Rosa. Made a stop at the Jack London Village shops and set up my easel. Turned out to be a nice, warm and sunny afternoon so I thought I'd try to capture folks enjoying lunch in the outdoor patio. Happy Easter weekend!

transportation helix

Last Saturday was Worldwide Sketchcrawl 31 and Seattle's Urban Sketchers met at the Helix Bridge on Elliott Avenue, a real wonderland of old and new industry and architecture. Naturally my eyes follow the railroad running underneath the bridge -- its own form of social and economic DNA. A great day for sketching in the open with congenial others!

I spent last week in Clinton, New Jersey. This is a painting of JJ Scoops, Ice Cream Parlor. A favorite stop for my Granddaughter.

the sun came out today

April Light

copyright BVF Betker 2011, watercolor on multimedia artboard, 8" x 10"

They told us this would be our only sunny day for awhile. It was my duty to make the most of it so I sat down behind the Bathhouse Theater on North Green Lake and enjoyed the light!

Pike Place Market

Three ladies sitting under the large wooden carved Sasquatch having lunch.  The lady in the middle looked so sad she made the Sasquatch sad.

Calistoga, Ca

(5"x7" gouche on watercolor board)

This was the first time ever painting in the RAIN. Although the rain was intermittent, it caused me to retreat to my SUV. I ended up using the trunk door as shelter. I usually carry an EasyL umbrella... mainly for the summer paintouts. But I think using my trunk door will be the best option during the rest of these April showers.