Triton Museum Of Art

I have been wanting to go check out the Triton Museum of Art near Santa Clara University for a while. A week ago I finally got to go there and spend some time. Right in front of the museum are these giant blue glass and metal pair of glasses. They are really fun and cool. I was immediately inspired to go inside and see more of this place. 

I was greeted by a very inviting and friendly staff. The museum is rather small but it has a nice sense of space and natural light. I wandered around the three different rooms and enjoyed looking at all of the different works of art. Many of the artists are local from the Bay Area. I was the most excited about the artist named Tim Craighead. He describes his work as "Abstract Impressionism". His meaning behind it is that his paintings are "pure" abstraction objective and nonobjective painting. I love Impressionism and abstract art so this was right up my alley. 

After spending a lot of time at the museum I went to a nearby place called the "Mission City Creamery" in Santa Clara for lunch. It is a tiny little spot that only serves ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches. You can build your own sandwiches by choosing any type of meat and cheese to go on it. What I picked was really good! Of course I had to try their ice cream so I got the chocolate brownie which was really delicious. All of their ingredients are local. The atmosphere if very cute inside. My favorite part is the sign they have hanging up with my favorite quote. "Life's Short Eat Dessert First". It was a great afternoon of art and eats! 

Villa Montalvo

This week was our second week of spring break. My son and I decided to spend the morning at one of the most beautiful places in Saratoga called Villa Montalvo. We have been coming here since he was pretty young. This is a great place to explore and it doesn't cost a thing. It is a very inspiring place for artists young and old. We started off down a sloped path to find a sculpture in a beautiful shade of turquoise by a small waterfall. My son seemed to have the right color Sharpie so he wanted to sit on a bench in the shade and sketch it with me. While we drew we wrote down the sounds that we could hear nearby: waterfalls, the breeze, birds, construction and cars.

After we did our sketching we walked around the serene grounds. My son ran around on the big grass field a bit and then we headed down to the rose garden area. When you walk into the gates of the garden you can immediately smell the fragrance of the roses. We explored a bit and found some new things such as a succulent garden with a neat sculpture that we both agreed looked like a guitar. We sat on some neat benches made from logs to relax a bit. 

After we checked out the gardens we went over to the art gallery where they had a neat exhibit of sketches and paintings from an artist named James Gouldthorpe. The exhibit is called "A Painting in Ten Chapters".  The museum website describes Goldthorpe's work: In his expansive new installation, Particles: A Painting in Ten Chapters, James Gouldthorpe explores the passage of time and the aggregation of the self over a lifetime. The artist projects forward into the future and reaches back into the past, mixing humor with melancholy as he explores birth, childhood, adolescence, middle and old age, and death, and reflects on both the poignant and absurd nature of existence. The neatest part of the exhibit was an old typewriter. My son enjoyed using one for the first time. It is hard to believe the last time I used one of these was in college, the electric kind. I had to refresh myself on how to use it. 

Following Villa Montalvo we went to one of my son's favorite places for lunch in downtown Los Gatos called Andalé. He loves to eat on their back patio. He says that "it is a nice and relaxing place". While you are back there you feel like you are on vacation with the beautiful tiles, palm trees and the trickling fountain. He always orders their burrito and I order their shrimp quesadilla. They also have really good traditional Margarita's. This has been come our go to place when we are in Los Gatos together. What a nice ending to such a magnificent day!

Hakone Gardens

While my son is on Spring Break we decided to go Hakone Gardens, which is one of our favorite spots in Saratoga to get inspired. When you are in this beautiful Japanese garden you feel like you have been transported to another land. We love how with every season the garden is transformed. Spring is our favorite with all the colorful blooms. The first thing that we always do when we arrive is feed the koi fish in the tranquil pond. They are always so happy to see us!

After feeding the fish we went over to study the gorgeous Wisteria. We both got our sketch books out since we were so inspired by the beautiful flowers. While we were sketching I could smell the fragrance, along with hearing the waterfall in the background and the buzzing of the bumble bees nearby. There is nothing like recreating nature while you are in nature. 

Continuing on from the Wisteria we headed over to the bamboo forest. This is one of our favorite spots in the gardens. We found a great little bench to sit and sketch. It was such a peaceful spot. I love sitting here in the breeze of the bamboo forest. I could hear the birds and bugs. I felt so relaxed it was hard to move from this wonderful spot. 

After our fun filled morning in the gardens we continued our Japanese themed day with a yummy sushi lunch at "Masu Japanese Bistro". This is a little gem tucked in the Saratoga Village with wonderful outdoor seating. Following our wonderful lunch we walked down the street to Saratoga Chocolates for something sweet. All of their chocolates are made freshly on site with local ingredients. My favorites are the vanilla caramel and chocolate caramel with sea salt. We love this little village tucked away in the South Bay.

The Rose Garden

This week I went to University Art Supply and purchased a multi medium sketch book. This was suggested in the book I am reading by Lisa Congdon called "Art Inc." The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist. She states to step away from the web and get inspiration elsewhere. I decided to get outdoors into nature. After purchasing my sketch book I made a plan to go to one of my favorite spots in San Jose this week "The Jose Municipal Rose Garden". This seemed like the perfect place to relax and sketch. I wandered around the rose garden and took photos of every type of rose. It is amazing how many different shapes, colors, and styles there are.

I started to feel really inspired and my wheels started to turn for a new project. This is a place I could come to every week and work. I love the fragrance of the roses and the constant sound of the water from the fountain in the center of the garden. Such a beautiful gem that we have here in San Jose. I want to get back to my art school roots and become more of an original artist and get away from the digital world a bit.

After the Rose Garden I went over to the "Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Gardens". I strolled around and took photos of beautiful elements there, such as the tiles. I love how all of the colors were combined, blue, teal, yellow, and orange. They all complement each other so well. It was a another wonderful cultural place in San Jose to feel creative.

Since it was such a beautiful day I treated myself to lunch at "Rosie's Pizza", our family favorite in the Rose Garden.  I topped off a great day with a coffee at "Crema Coffee Roasting Company", a cute coffee hang out that looks like it was a house at one time. I enjoyed sitting outside on their patio and drinking my latte white I sketched some more. I just love hanging out in the Rose Garden neighborhood.