Artist of the Month - December 2015
by Judie Apablaza
Sara Griggs was our Artist of the Month winner for December. Her watercolor, plein air gem was titled “Green On Green.” Painting with Rob Sherrill’s Wednesday painting group, Sara found a bench in the park with a view of the Castle Green, also known over the years as the Hotel Green.
This historical landmark was built in 1893. The “Green” has a complex history of revival and decay, and rests on a full city block. It was originally designed to set back from the street and was surrounded by lush plantings, fountains, ponds and gardens. The style of the Green Hotel is Mediterranean Revival with interior rooms still containing its original Moorish Revival furnishings and architectural style.
Sara was considering purchasing one of the condominiums at one time, for the old hotel had a mysterious draw for artists, event planners and lovers of historic places. Needless to say, Sara has an emotional connection to this unique place, inspiring her to paint this snippet of Pasadena history. Sara caught the historic architecture and landscape with her impressionist style with an underlying sketch.
She paints quickly in the true, plein air style. She feels that the secret to painting outside is to not overburden yourself and to travel light. Her palette consists of cools and warms of watercolor shades and she enjoys the splash of turquoise and violets. Sara mixes her shades of green rather than using greens directly from the tube. She tries to capture the “moment” in her unique style and strives to not overwork her paintings.
This historical landmark was built in 1893. The “Green” has a complex history of revival and decay, and rests on a full city block. It was originally designed to set back from the street and was surrounded by lush plantings, fountains, ponds and gardens. The style of the Green Hotel is Mediterranean Revival with interior rooms still containing its original Moorish Revival furnishings and architectural style.
Sara was considering purchasing one of the condominiums at one time, for the old hotel had a mysterious draw for artists, event planners and lovers of historic places. Needless to say, Sara has an emotional connection to this unique place, inspiring her to paint this snippet of Pasadena history. Sara caught the historic architecture and landscape with her impressionist style with an underlying sketch.
She paints quickly in the true, plein air style. She feels that the secret to painting outside is to not overburden yourself and to travel light. Her palette consists of cools and warms of watercolor shades and she enjoys the splash of turquoise and violets. Sara mixes her shades of green rather than using greens directly from the tube. She tries to capture the “moment” in her unique style and strives to not overwork her paintings.