"Riviera Morning View" 9 x 12 oil on canvas by Terry d. Chacon


Mark Schooley of the Riverside Community Art Association organized a group of artist from the Riverside area to go to Ensenada to paint the Ensenada Cultural Center. An exhibit from the works created there and from photos taken there will be on exhibit in Ensenada and in Riverside this coming year. The program is through the Sister Cities program and Mark is in charge of the Arts program.

We left early Saturday morning on a tour bus from Maxi Foods in Riverside. Eight of us boarded the bus to travel to the boarder where we would be picked up by van from our hotel The El Cid BEST WESTERN EL CID ENSENADA BAJA CALIFORNIA in Ensenada. Seven other people from Riverside (artist and photographers) would join us in Ensenada. Ensenada - So Much to do! Baja California Mexico, The Official Website of the Ensenada Toursm Board


After arriving in Ensenada Mark first took us to eat at the Fish Market. We set at a little cantina and enjoyed fish tacos and beer. The cantina was filled with people enjoying the mariachi music and the cook was delightful. She reminded me of Eddies grandmother who just wanted to keep cooking and serving us. She was great.






After touring the fish market

we headed to the Riviera Cultural Center where we were treated to a tour of the grounds by the director. Riviera del Pacifico. Ensenada, Baja California.
The center is one of Ensenada’s most beautiful buildings first opened as a gambling casino and hotel during the 1930s gathering movie and sports celebrities from that era. It has had it trials and tribulations over the years and was remodeled in the late 1980's and then opened as a social and cultural events center. Complete with beautiful gardens and decorated walls by infamous artist Alfredo Martinez this cultural center is now being used for the arts, weddings and gatherings for special events. Riviera Cultural Center hosts interest sites such as Ensenada Historical Museum, City Gallery and Bar Andaluz. Speaking of Bar Andaluz! After our tour we finished up in the bar.

Our bartender who had worked here for many years shared stories about the center and that it is known for being the birth place of the Margarita. Let me tell you this was indeed the best Margarita I have ever had and I brought home the Tequila and recipe so we can share with our friends.

We then headed back to the motel to get ready for dinner at Marisco's where we were serenaded by a Mariachi band and had some of the best fish imaginable. Some of the artist got together later for a night stroll and to hit up the liquor store, but I was exhausted and went to bed.

The next day after a wonderful Mexican breakfast we headed to the cultural center for a day of painting. The mayor of Ensenada met us at the center and greeted us with open arms. We all went our separate ways to start painting. I chose the very front of the property as far off as I could get as I wanted to paint the beautiful gardens leading up into the center.

Later in the afternoon I set up in the garden in the rear and painted the painting below. When I started it was getting chilly and before long the fog was rolling in. At one point when I looked from my canvas to the building it was hard to differentiate between the white building and the sky. The gardens were still beautiful.



9 x 12 Oil on canvas "Riviera Garden" by Terry d. Chacon


Roy Dietrich and Mark Schooley on the balcony in the court yard. This court yard is used for local artisans to set up their wares during special events and to be there when the cruise ships port for the day.

Jill Jones creating her art.

Adeola-Davies Aiyeloja painting in the garden.

Can you imagine how excited I was to see this Afghan Hound strolling down the street. I spoke a little to the gentlemen about his dog but he didn't speak any English and my Spanish is not great. I gave him my card and hopefully he will contact me so I will know more.

We finished the day with a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant. The next day after breakfast and a little shopping we boarded the van back to the border. One this to remember on our next trip is to be sure and have a potty break before reaching to border. Our wait was 2 1/2 hours to get to the American side and we were all panicked to use the restroom.

Until next time, PLEASE ENJOY THE ART! Terry d. Chacon

On a very sad note, 17 Afghan Hounds were rescued in the Midwest last week. 2 were found dead and 1 has died since. They were horribly mistreated and left to starve to death by their breeder. I am donating a painting to help raise funds for the dogs. Please donate and your name will be put in for the drawing. All you have to do is donate money for the dogs. Here is the info for donating.

Everyone who donates to the situation their name would be put into a drawing for a chance to win a painting. Terry d. Chacon is donating a painting to help generate funds for the midwest afghans. It is a 11 x 14 portrait head study of your dog. ...Can be any breed.

Value of painting is $800

Donations can be mailed or thru paypal PayPal account - helpafs @ verizon.net (no spaces)

Please state that the donation is for the Midwest Dogs, use the personal tab & click on gift.

To mail donations - AHCA Rescuec/o Russ & Barb Hastings 4071 Gurnee Rd Westfield, PA 16950

Checks Payable to AHCACRT and mark for "Midwest Dogs"Drawing to be announced.

Please forward to all your pet loving friends who would love a chance to have a portrait of their pet!!!

Lavender Fields

"Lavender" 9 x 12 oil on canvas by Terry d. Chacon

We headed out to paint more Jacaranda's but when we arrived they were definitely past their beauty. My friend Pat and I decided to go paint the Lavender fields in Cherry Valley. PAAR (plein air artists of riverside)Plein Air Artists of Riverside - Members Gallery had been painting there the last couple weekends for their annual Lavender Festival. Lavender Festival draws thousands to Cherry Valley Family InlandSoCal.com I was unable to attend because of prior commitments so was very happy that we were able to paint there yesterday. I hope to go back more times before the lavender is gone for the season. Stay Tuned.

Until next time, ENJOY THE ART! Terry d. Chacon

US Open 2010

"Untitled" 9 x 12 by Terry d. Chacon You can join in the fun, just send me an email to name this painting or leave a comment on my blog. You can also go to my fan page on facebook and leave your suggestion there. Winner will receive a set of notecards and the winning title will be chose June 29, 2010. Many titles have been submitted already and they are great, it is going to be very difficult to choose, but I want something to express my feelings on the day I painted this painting. I dropped the guys off at the golf course and proceeded to find a place to paint. When I arrived I had forgotten my canvas box at the motel. Back in the car and to the motel. I started this painting around 5:30 and finished by 7:30. The sun glistening on the rocks and the water was magical. I loved the magenta ground cover and the little bench. How lucky am I that halfway through my painting a lady in a hat came and sat at on the bench. She set there for quite some time. I kept wondering what she was thinking.

Now onto our vacation at the US Open 2010.


We arrived Monday evening after a very long drive to the Monterey Penisula. My brother and sister -n- law came along too. We were in for a vacation of a lifetime. My son Matthew is the Program Director for the First Tee Foundation in Monterey and also a full time golf coach. He had dreamed of the day when he would be able to attend a US Open and when we found out it was in Pebble Beach we decided to put our names in the lottery and hope to be chosen to be one of the attendees. Well we won. I guess winning really isn't the word as we paid an arm and a leg for the tickets, the motel, eating and transportation to and from the event. But what's money right, we have memories that will last a lifetime.

On Tuesday we got up and my traveling group went to play golf at Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Golf Ranch and I went out to Pacific Grove to paint. It was overcast and very cold at the motel, but when I arrived at my destination it was nice and sunny. Unfortunately the golfers were stuck in the fog that did not lift all during their game.

"View of Lovers Point" 9 x 12 Oil on Canvas by Terry d. Chacon
Lovers Point Inn Pacific Grove


I chose this particular view because of the beautiful flowers in the foreground. When I set up on the bluff it was calm. After there a while the ocean became furious and the swells were huge. The waves were hitting the rocks and the spray was hitting me. I thought I might should move, but I didn't want to ruin the experience to get a nice painting. The following photo was taken by a man from New Jersey. His wife wanted to take a photo with me so I said yes as long as he would take a photo of me with my camera. He almost didn't get me, but you can see the scene I was painting.



Eddie, Matthew, Betty and Bobby at the entrance to the 2010 US Open. On Wed. we headed out to the tournament. It was a practice day so we were allowed to take camera's but no cell phones. I took 155 photos of the day.


This was one of my favorites. Tiger Woods on the 18th hole. He was magnificent to watch. Good thing we saw him on practice day as the next 4 days it was difficult to see him because of the people that surrounded him. One day we counted 35 photographers that followed him from hole to hole. He is surrounded by security and the media. He is the most popular player, even after his transgressions. :-)

This photo was taken at Fisherman's Wharf. We celebrated Father's Day at one of the restaurants. "My Family" I am so proud of them.

Be sure to send in your names for the above painting. Winner will be chosen June 29. Also my 10% off on all bronze sculptures ends June 30. www.terrydchacon.com

Until next time, ENJOY THE ART! Terry d. Chacon

Idyllwild Plein Air Paint Out 2010

"Morning Light" 9 x 12 by Terry d. Chacon

Idyllwild 2010 Plein Air Paint Out. Idyllwild CA My artist friend Louise Smith and I drove up very early Sat. morning to check in to the paint out at 8 am. As we waited in line we ran into other PAAR artist Joan Coffey and Geeta Paatanaik. It's always fun to see friends when you arrive at an event.

We checked in, refreshed our coffee, went to the little girls room and headed down to the creek. This is my 3rd time attending this event. The first one was in 2004. We have always had such a good time and this place is a wonderful place to paint. Paintings in all directions. This year I wanted to paint something different than the downtown area.

We hiked down to the creek carrying our gear and headed under the bridge. The light was fabulous as it came down the creek with one side in full shadow and sunlight on the water in the foreground and back up part of the left side. I also loved the beautiful colors in the pond that was nearest to me before the rock formation. We quickly set up and started painting. It did not seem that cold at first but then the clouds moved in. Luckily I had my first couple of layers on so I set the mood for the painting. As the clouds moved in it became like a freezer under the bridge. We would paint a little then walk out into the sun when it would come out. We later heard that it was 38 degrees that morning, so we felt lucky it was a lot warmer.

Terry painting under the bridge. We were hoping that there would not be a flash flood, look at the water flowing by.

We finished our paintings, framed them and stopped for a nice lunch at one of the many cute downtown restaurants. What a treat. Thank you Louise for a very nice birthday lunch. We then headed out to Quiet Creek Inn where the paintings would be hung in their gallery and ready for judging and a reception the following day. http://www.quietcreekinn.com/

Day 2. My brother and sister n law are here and my brother has a new car. A Chevy Camaro. Quite a beautiful little sporty car. It would have it that they were going golfing and needed a larger vehicle so we got to use the sporty car for our trip to Idyllwild for the Artist Reception and Awards ceremony. How great was this. Joan Coffey, Louise and I set out around 10 am and arrived at the reception just in time for Mimosa's and some goodies to nibble on. I left the gallery to go outside and upon my return I saw a red dot on my title card of my painting.

Terry with sold painting.

How wonderful my painting had sold. I then was introduced to the buyers Dr. and Mrs. Kern of Idyllwild. They were so pleased to have purchased the piece and so was it to know it was very much appreciated and they would be giving it a good home.

Terry, new collector Dr. Kern with winning ribbon.

Later the awards started and first name called for an honorable mention was my traveling companion and good friend Louise Smith. I told her she has a wonderful painting and now she believed it! A few more names were called and then my name was called for 3rd place. I was so excited to have won an award in this fabulous event. Artist came from San Diego, Palm Springs, Riverside, Los Angeles to name a few spots. To place amongst such great works was really a treat. I am sorry I did not get a good photo of the painting. By the time I realized it was sold, I quickly tried to get the photo above. I don't think it came out to the true colors of the painting. It had more magenta in it than the blues that are showing.

We went out to lunch to celebrate the wins and to celebrate my birthday, thank you Joan for treating that was really great.

Joan Coffey, Terry d. Chacon and Louise Smith

We then traveled home and now I am getting ready for our trip to the US OPEN at Pebble Beach. Painting gear is in the car and I hope to paint the Monterey Peninsula while there.

What a great weekend with great artist friends and new acquaintances that I hope to see again and real soon.

Until Next Time, PLEASE ENJOY THE ART! Terry d. Chacon

It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To!

"Back Lit, Back Bay" 6 x 9 oil on canvas by Terry d. Chacon

On June 9, 2010 my friend and pastel artist Patricia Rose Ford treated me to a day at the beach for my birthday. We left out early so we could stop by King of Frame to get some framing done and then headed to Crystal Cove one of our favorite spots. We painted in the morning and had a wonderful lunch on the beach at the Beachcomber Cafe. After this we headed to Newport Back Bay, I will be exhibiting my artwork there July 24 and 25, 2010 and want to have some new paintings. We drove around trying to figure out the best way to capture the late afternoon sun and chose this spot overlooking the bay.

I had painted this spot before but it was late morning so the painting is completely different plus it was in Jan. which the light is very different as well. I loved the way the light was coming through the fast moving clouds and made this brilliant light on the water as it passed over the grasses and the back lit formations of plants in the foreground. Happy we were as we packed up and headed back home for the day.

Now the rest of the story I will try to get through without a tear and hope that you will enjoy this experience as well. A few weeks back my cousin sent me some photos of my family from when we were growing up. I lost all contact to my mom's photo album after she passed away unexpectedly 23 years ago. So I don't have much from my childhood to share with my son Matthew. I so appreciated my cousin sending these photos to me of which I will cherish forever. I set the photos down and headed out. Somehow these photos were placed under a pile of books and I had thought I had lost them. When my housekeeper Patsy arrived I was going to ask her to be sure and look for the photos as I hurried to tidy up the house so she could do her cleaning. Might I add Patsy is the best and has cleaned for me around 10 years. So she knows me pretty well. I went to pick up a pile of books and there were the photos. I shouted out to Patsy that I had found them and proceeded to tell her about them as one photo in particularly fell out. OMG, Patsy picked up the photo and said is this your mom, I said yes. She said she is standing at the place where you painted yesterday. I could not believe my eyes, there she was standing in front of the bluff at Newport Back Bay. This photo I believe was taken in the late 60's.

The presence of my mother has come and gone over the years from that awful day when she was taken away from us, but never like this. Patsy and I just cried and hugged each other as I realized she was there with me while I painted and this was a sign of her presence on my birthday. What a wonderful experience of which I will cherish the rest of my life.

So this painting "Back Lit at Back Bay" is for you mom. Now I know you know where my life has taken me and that you were my inspiration in becoming an artist.


"Party Day at Crystal Cove" 9 x 12 oil on Canvas by Terry d. Chacon

Terry painting at Crystal Cove.

Patricia Rose Ford painting at Crystal Cove. Thank you Pat for a fabulous day. I also want to thank all of my friends and family from around the world who sent Birthday Wishes and presents. You are all truly special. I will remember this outing and this birthday for the rest of my life.

Until next time, PLEASE ENJOY THE ART! Terry d. Chacon

PS: Congratulations to John Schoolcraft who won the drawing for a FREE Giclee print. Stay tuned for more drawings for free artwork from Terry d. Chacon. (What you didn't know about the drawing, sign up to receive my blog by email and be sure to sign up on my fan page on facebook, Artistic Impressions by Terry d. Chacon.)

Persistence at Fairmount Park

"The Yellow Tree" 8 x 10 Oil on Canvas by Terry d. Chacon

Last weekend Patricia Rose Ford and I set out to paint the beautiful Jacaranda's that were in bloom all around. Fairmount Park Riverside, California City of Arts & Innovation is especially beautiful this time of year and the reflections in the water are just fabulous. We both finished our paintings (image below) and really I was not happy with mine. I was so dumb founded because I had dreams about painting the Jacaranda's and was so excited to finally paint them for the first time this year. I tried and tried to make them look like what I was seeing (scraped off paint, started again etc.) and what I had visions of in my head and was so disappointed in the painting when I arrived home. I kept looking at the painting and trying to figure where I went wrong. Maybe I tried to put too much in, the mountain in the distance was grabbing my attention more than the Jacaranda's. The sunlit tree beside the Jacaranda was way to bright, maybe that was the problem. What I came to the conclusion was the Jacaranda's were not right, everything else in the painting was fine.

So this morning I got up and headed back out to Fairmount Park. When I arrived they had blocked off the area where I had parked before so I had to drive down around the lake and outside the park. I unloaded my gear and set out. All the while trying to figure out how I could capture those beautiful purple trees. I couldn't use purple because it was too cool. I couldn't use magenta because that was what I used last time and it was too cool. Aha! Permanent Rose and look what I got. I am so excited with the painting above, it is exactly what I had visioned and dreamed about. I finally have my Jacaranda painting.........I think that little yellow tree in the middle that the sun was hitting which ended up being my focal point really set off the Jacaranda's all around.


Until next time, ENJOY THE ART! A very happy camper, Terry d. Chacon

I get many comments on FaceBook, but this painting has had some really special one's. This is from Bear Rowell who used to live in S. Ca.

For many of us, the beautiful jacaranda trees are emblematic of California; of our childhood awakening to the beauty around us, to the power it has to beguile us. Their fleeting nature is part of the lesson; we accept it and we love them no less. But that deep density of color, that extraordinary play of the leaves... there is nothing like them. I have never seen them captured before. You have created such a beautiful painting.

Thank you Bear and everyone else who has commented, I really wanted to capture those Jacaranda's and to know that everyone is enjoying my painting makes me feel really great!

PS: SALE SALE SALE Just to let all of you know June is a special month and I am offering 10% off all my Lost Wax Bronze Sculptures. http://www.terrydchacon.com/ Contact me for details. shacone@aol.com