Where There's Smoke in California...
All complaining about the rainy year we're having aside, I do have to be grateful that it's not the alternative: 10% humidity and miles of dry brush just waiting for a spark... "Fire at Pala" 12 x 18 Chalk and oil pastel on Canson watercolor paper Click here to buy print: http://www.redbubble.com/people/nikihilsabeck/art/6555182-2-fire-at-pala-pastel We have a pretty good vantage point at our house and can see the approximate location of just about any fire in our area. They usually stem from our local military base to the west, or from the Indian Reservation to the east. I took a photo of this one, a typical fire out at the Pala Indian Reservation. Thankfully it was quickly extinguished-- unlike the big fire in 2007. I didn't get a photo of that one, since I was too busy packing and getting the heck out once I saw it coming our way. For this painting I began with bright oil pastels and sketched in the layout of the hills and trees. I left the paper free of oil pa...