field trip part two

Photos from last week's field trip -

This is looking back at the twenty students Peggy & I took out. Walking through the greenbelt with their journals - most also kept the camera around their neck -

At the river end of the greenbelt we stopped near a playground, drinking fountain, tables and several large black walnut trees. The students were given an observational assignment - after a while one student came back and announced, "I have become one with nature." I was completely tickled - I just love it when teens are relaxed enough to let their inner child out to play.

A huge clump of California native black walnut - pretty much melded into one tree - students counted between six and nine individual trunks. I was busy keeping track of them and trying to stay on schedule, so I'm not really sure what count is most accurate.

On the river side of the levee there was a small footpath that broke off the bike trail and gave more of us a chance to really get into nature. The banks of the levee were too steep here to comfortably allow twenty students any closer to the water - to the disappointment of a least a couple.


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Troy journaling off trail -

Trees growing on the levee - mostly cottonwood and some oak - There's been alot of debate the past couple years about trees growing on levees here in California. The US Corps of Engineers claim trees need to be cut for easy maintainance and levee stability; new studies provide evidence to the contrary.

Heading back to the greenbelt - sunlight and shadow play on foxtails.

second saturday reception

Yes, this was last week and it is the digital age, so I should have posted this at least six days ago but I can be old school slow sometimes.

I took some shots at the "For the Love of Trees" opening reception at the Artisan Gallery last week. Unfortunately, looking at these photos now, I realize I missed shots of some great art by people I love dearly, so please forgive me...

Great sculptural works in metal by Angela Ridgway.

One of my "Open Oak Woods" handpainted photos and metal sculpture by Wayne Kern.

A great centerpiece for the show: metal sculpture by Robin Wellwood.

Joseph Finkleman's hand colored black & white photographs. I've known Joe for over twenty years now; we've worked together on occasion (I was his assistant once upon a time) and have influenced each other's work just a bit.


My favorite fire tree sculpture by my close friend, Kristen Hoard; the two of us coordinated this show - she says it's all my "fault" so I guess I'll take the credit!

I took a little walk down the street - it is called an art walk - and couldn't help but catch this plein air painter at work.

Joe with "Portrait of a Tree on Her Day Off" which was also at one point known as "Tree All Dressed Up for Saturday Night," so there they are together on a Saturday night.

Another one of my closest friends, Michelle MacKenzie, painted these great acrylic works. And if you look real close, you can see work by Jared Konopitski back through the doorway - sorry I didn't do better by you, Jared!

On the left a photograph by my soon to be studio mate, Wendell Minshew, and on the right a metal tree sculpture by Wayne Kern.

Another Minshew and Kern pairing; I really like how the tree sculptures echo the two dimensional pieces. And as a photographer, I love the shadows on the wall, too.

In another photo/sculpture pairing, my photo based work on the left and a fire tree on the right by Kristen Hoard.

Here are the Oakleaf sisters - no lie! - Susan and Sarah, (not sure who is who.) They have other siblings, too, who weren't at the reception, but I was tickled to meet them and they were tickled by my oak themed work.

Full view of my "Quercus Woodland" panels flanking "Spring Oak #6".

walking field trip from JFK

April 17, 08
after lunch
out with Peggy's classes - actually about half of her 5th & 6th periods -
clear blue skies, warm, light breeze
Greenhaven greenbelt - near Bear Flag Elementary School
Relaxed feeling with the kids
An airplane buzzes overhead - a power tool in the distance, a bird flies noisily into a tree.

Farther down the greenbelt a couple big black walnut trees stand guard near a playground

empty half of black walnut found on the ground

(Robert becomes one with nature.)

Took kids up on levee, film & digital shots later -

On the walk back, I get a shot of little daisies in the lawn of the greenbelt.

Back at our lunch spot I show the students the Crown Graphic 4x5 and take them through the shooting process step by step, including figuring out the exposure in my head & zone focusing - then the T55 processing. I didn't figure the exposure perfect but they got the idea.

evening, after dinner

April 16, 2008
evening, after dinner at home making sure my bag is packed for tomorrow's field trip with JFK students

It's going to be a fairly small group and I want to give them a taste of some different aspects of photography.

They'll each use a simple plastic lens 35mm loaded with twelve exposures of film. Limited shots helps students focus, as they don't usually want to waste their film.

I also found some old Polaroid Izone film that isn't too funky. I might give them cameras to share and have a few tiny sticker photos to put in their journal on the spot -

for the love of trees

Been working on a couple of different tree projects lately -

First a gallery showing titled "For the Love of Trees" at the Artisan Gallery here in Sac. It's a group show with about a dozen artists all together, including some of my closest & dearest friends. If you're in the area, join us this Saturday night from 6 to 10 p.m. for our reception - always a good time at the Artisan.

Today I got everything ready to deliver tomorrow morning, including my multi-panel work, "Quercus Woodland."


(click on image to enlarge)

I'm taking thirty-six of the panels to the Artisan for this show. you can see them on my studio table. The spare two on the left are going to be with another artist friend in support of another tree project I'm working on.

The Legacy Trees Project acquires large old trees that have to be taken down and puts the wood into willing artists' hands to create an artistic legacy for these gentle giants. Being a tree lover, my artwork is a natural for helping to promote this project, so I've been working on a limited edition giclee portfolio available through SEEART to benefit the Legacy Trees Project.

This image, "Reaching" is one of the images included in the "Tree Lovers" portfolio of giclees and will be available for sale and to order on May 3rd, at another event coincidentally titled "For the Love of Trees."

The originals of "Reaching" and all of the other images in the "Tree Lovers" portfolio will also be available for sale at the May 3rd event to benefit the Legacy Trees Project - more details on that event later.

winter vineyards

The other two images from my current mini series of vineyards - also printed in the black & white darkroom last week, finished coloring last night...


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I call this one "Winter Vineyard," taken on a late winter morning at Sogno Winery last year - it really does take time for some of my work to come to fruition - this is about 6x7" on 8x10" paper, the first of twenty prints this size, painted with watercolors, then finished with colored pencils for details and oil pastels because I felt like it. It will retail for $195 matted to 11x14" or $250 framed.


(click on image to enlarge)

This is "Winter Vineyard with Tree" taken the evening of the same late winter day, after I had spent that day at a winery art show. Again, about 6x7" on 8x10" paper, the first of twenty prints this size, painted with watercolors, then finished with colored pencils for details and oil pastels in the sky. It will also retail for $195 matted to 11x14" or $250 framed.

Interested? Email me for details: judith@judithmonroe.com.

vineyard fruits

One of the things I've been working on lately is a small series of vineyard images. I printed these from black & white negatives in the darkroom last week and finished hand coloring them yesterday.

These are from a day I spent in a private vineyard in the foothills with some of my plein air painting friends last fall... Sometimes it can take a while for me to get through the whole artistic process. ;)


(click on image for enlargment)

This one is called "Starling Arbor," it's about 6x7" on an 8x10" sheet of photo paper, and the first of only twenty prints made this size. It's painted with watercolors & colored pencil and retails for $195 matted to 11x14", or $250 matted and framed.


(click on image for enlargment)

This one is simply "Vineyard," also about 6x7" on an 8x10" sheet of photo paper, and the first of only twenty prints made this size. This one has watercolors, pencils and a touch of oil pastels to get just the right feeling in the sky. I aim to be consistent, so it retails for $195 matted to 11x14", or $250 matted and framed. Just contact me if you're interested in these or any other pieces you see on my blog or website.

working in the studio

Haven't made it outside much - my allergies have tormented me since that walk on Easter Sunday - but I've been working on several things in the studio.

These are a couple of vineyard images, printed in the darkroom last week, painted, waiting for pencil and maybe a little pastel. I've got a couple more vineyard shots to paint this morning, too, before I head out to a meeting about a tree print portfolio... more on that another time.

And of course, the Quercus Woodland is growing, with the tree show coming up at the Artisan. Second Saturday reception will be April 12th, I've got to get everything to the gallery early next week!

My new canvas series peeks in at the bottom corner of this studio shot, too: Flower Garden will have several different flowers against turquoise blue skies and charming garden weeds in the collage. Funny how charming the weeds can be after I've pulled them...

easter walk

Walking with the family on Easter afternoon...

first day of spring

March 20, 08 - First Day of Spring
morning 10 a.m.
Hwy 99 south of Yuba City
on an orchard hunt with Wendell
cool - low clouds, like a high fog, patches of blue break through now & again, creating a constantly changing light

Wendell sees a gate to nowhere - I spy El Mexicano and it's guardian oak across the highway.

Farther along the road, a guardian oak by a pear orchard - I accidentally tear the neg as I release it from it's paper case, but it doesn't hurt any vital components of the image so I call it providence and go along with it.

Pears or almonds? Neither Wendell nor I really know - both of us have some second-hand familial knowledge but the actual identifying is pretty much guess work - (final verdict: pears.)


Early afternoon - picked up lunch in Chico, headed south out of town -

At Dayton & Durham Roads

Walnut orchard - clouds have cleared now, mostly sunny & warming up.

(across the road from the walnuts, one dead tree on the corner.)

Tightly planted almonds create a myriad of geomentric alignments - mown weeds cover the dry cool ground - cars and trucks fly by along the road - the rancher comes by on his tractor to see what we're up to, wishes us well, takes a diagonal path away through the orchard - a bee buzzes near, then away, no more blossoms to attract her here -

Just north of Durham on Durham-Dayton Road - at a sharp turn in the road -

Rio Bonito Road at Hwy 99, Bayles Ranch - Town of Biggs, just north of Yuba City

(across Rio Bonito from the orchard)