Solvang

I had my doubts about Solvang as a destination for a painting trip--I have always thought the town was, frankly, kinda cheesy, a shameless tourist destination that is fun once and then you're done. But I really enjoyed my trip there, and especially the place where we stayed--the Solvang Gardens Boutique Country Inn. Every room was different--some were basic hotel rooms (but with posh bathrooms!), some had kitchenettes, and some were full-blown accomodations, with a sitting room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. There were gardens front and back, with fountains, roses and herbs--a feast for the eyes, nose and ears.

We spent a lovely sunny morning painting in the front garden; our instructor Cindy made a picture of this dormer window above the entryway, and I took a photo of the same view so I could do one of my own later. She did hers without the roof, just as a vignette, and I think I preferred it; I also got into trouble with the rose, below, but another thing I discovered on my trip that is if you make a mess of a painting, you can always come in with an inkpen to pull out some details and make it look more quirky than messy, so that's what I did here. Not the best painting ever, but a sketchy reminder of a lovely trip.