Zintopia

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All but one of the paintings I’ve done of grapes to date have been the Zinfandel grapes that my brother Mike grew in his sweet little backyard vineyard in San Anselmo.  But Mike and Julie sold their house and moved to the City a few years ago.  There are plenty of grapes I could paint – we live a short drive away from one of the biggest wine centers on the planet here in Northern California.  But I love veraison, the uneven ripening that Zinfandel grapes undergo – perfect painting subjects for this Life in Full Color girl.  I wondered where I was going to find then when I could no longer pop by to see my brother and sister-in-law.  But in that wondering I forgot that we live in an abundant universe!

Sue Rink is a talented artist and with one of the brightest spirits I’ve ever encountered in a person.  She and her husband Paul live up on a hillside above Cloverdale, in the Alexander Valley – northern Sonoma County.  They are surrounded by something like 15 acres of cabernet they grow for a Napa winery.  But right near the house is a single acre of Zin that they make a delicious wine with for their own use.  Sue has been coming down from Cloverdale for our Special Saturday classes for a couple of years.  In the process, our student/teacher relationship has evolved into a deep friendship.  August of 2016 Sue invited a half-dozen of us to come spend a weekend at their ranch.  I had just the best time taking photos of grapes, apples, plums, flowers – even the horses.  We spent the rest of the weekend painting – and eating!   It thankfully was not scorching hot as it can be up there in the summer – we felt charmed.  It was a weekend filled with pure pleasure: warm sunshine, inspiring sights, rich color, sweet friendship, delicious food and wine.

This image was the one amongst all I captured that begged to be painted.  I had taken another on Friday evening that I’d begun on Saturday, but when this one appeared in my camera on Sunday morning, I had to set it aside to jump into this one.  I love the complex background and the full-spectrum of color.  I see what a difference it makes to be so taken by an image that I’m painting.  It amplifies the pull to work on it and the suspense in awaiting its completion.  I see that colors are becoming more intense in my work.  It’s not intentional; it’s just happening.  It’s fascinating to watch work evolve through each of us as artists.

It is still compelling to me to attempt to find a single word to name these paintings with and I wanted to bring “Zin” in to the name.  I started with “Zinful” – fun but maybe a little cheeky.  Somehow Zintopia came to me – a whole world of Zin.  Seems like that very well could be what this one has to share with us.

November 2016 – 30″x22″ – Watercolor on paper