Went for a walk in downtown Saratoga and saw this fantastic saltbox house at the end of the street. I vintaged up the photo, like I like to do, and called it The Empty Swing:

Green Shutters:

A historic house with green shutters. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph, in tones of sepia and green. The original photo was taken in Santa Clara. I cannot say why it appealed to me so much. The sunlight glinted a certain way and I liked the way it peaked through the pine branches. The border hearkens back to TTV (Through the Viewfinder) vintage photography. The scratches and imperfections give the piece a Victorian Gothic feel. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

New dark art photo, Welcome Home:

A lighted mausoleum beckons, beneath a luminous full moon. This cemetery photograph is in gothic shades of purple. The original photo was taken in the historic Santa Clara Mission Catholic Cemetery. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically-enhanced photograph. The border hearkens back to TTV (Through the Viewfinder) vintage photography. The scratches and imperfections give the piece a Victorian Gothic feel.

Stone Ghost and Cypress Trees fine art photograph:

Mysterious stone drapery covering this urn looked, to me, like a figure standing among the cypress trees. The original photo was taken in the historic Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

We thought it was about time to visit historic San Juan Bautista, a California Mission town. Many of the buildings remain as they were, taking you back in time.

The first thing you notice is the chickens & roosters. They run free all over the town:

I had carefully made a list of all the haunted sites in town for my Haunted California paintings, then forgot it, but, as I recall, most of the buildings claimed some ghost story. Here's the Plaza Hall:

And the Plaza Hotel:

And a shot of the bell tower of the mission church:

We finished up with a trip to the cemetery on the hill, as inspiration both for the Ghost Paintings and the Eternal Wanderings cemetery photos:

This is one of my favorite areas in the Santa Clara Mission cemetery, The Town Square:

Amazing architecture abounds in the historic Santa Clara Mission cemetery with its mausoleums like small cathedrals. A statue of Jesus watches over the city of the dead. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

New photo from Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Crow Among the Stones:

A crow lights on a tombstone, nearly lost among the many graves and mausoleums. The original photo was taken at the historic Santa Clara Mission Cemetery and was artistically enhanced to resemble an old sepia print. This gothic California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish). The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

New cemetery photo, Monuments under a Blood Red Sky:

Three monuments, grouped together as if in conversation, standing against a red sky. The original photo was taken at the historic Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. This gothic California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

A new cemetery photo, Lonely Angel:

A lone angel statue, standing against a purple sunset sky. The original photo was taken at the historic Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

A new one in the Eternal Wanderings series, Grave Redwoods:

Three stately redwood trees stand among the tombstones and monuments, watching over the graves. The original photo was taken at the Madronia Cemetery in Saratoga. This California landscape, from the Eternal Wanderings series, is offered as a print on fine art paper (soft, matte finish) from an artistically enhanced photograph. The copyright watermarks on the image do not appear on the actual print.

After spending so much time visiting cemeteries for my ghost paintings, I decided to try out offering the photos for sale as well, figuring there were people out there who love these places as much as I do. I call the series, Eternal Wanderings.

Today, I finally got a chance to get to these historic cemeteries in Half Moon Bay and take pictures. There are two adjoining, Pilarcitos Cemetery and Odd Fellows. You can't go into Pilarcitos Cemetery, but the white picket fence was low, and it's small, so it was easy to take photos. I hope to use these for future paintings in the ghost series.




Both cemeteries are overgrown and no longer used. Pilarcitos said it quit taking new "residents" in 1923. This was my first experience actually in a graveyard. It was quite peaceful.