american river – Tarjan Studio

Royal Gorge

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 28″h x 22″w, Watercolor, 1986.

I painted this beautiful waterfall on location in the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River in Northern California. My husband and I backpacked into the gorge and camped near these falls. This took two weeks to paint, so we enjoyed the solitude of being in this magnificent canyon during that time. These falls are just downstream of where Palisade Creek empties into the Royal Gorge. This section of river has gorgeous, deep pools; carved and sculpted granite; and numerous giant waterfalls.

This back-country trip inspired me to write a feature article for American Artist magazine, Painting in the Back Country – A Guide to Streamlining Your Art Gear, American Artist, October 1988.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

American River Study

Watercolor painting of the American River in Sacramento by Janet Tarjan Erl.

American River Study

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: ?, 1985.

This little study was done on location along the American River upstream from the Arden Bar Park in Sacramento.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

Beaver Latticework

Watercolor landscape painting American River at Arden Park Slough in Carmichael, California by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Beaver Latticework

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 26″h x 42″w, 1985.

I painted this watercolor on location along the American River at Arden Park Slough in Carmichael, California. This scene no longer exists because it was washed away in floods of 1986. This was an interesting place to paint. The rounded river rocks I stood upon had many wasp nests underneath them, so, during my painting sessions, many wasps darted beneath my feet to feed their young. Another interesting thing was that, since this was in Sacramento, the fighter jets from the local airbase would fly overhead and practice maneuvers nearby which would make such a loud noise that the coyotes would start screaming and howling around me. I never realized how many coyotes resided there until I did this painting. This took two months to complete since it was so large, and I could only paint a few hours each day to keep consistent lighting.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.

River Canopy

Watercolor landscape painting American River in Sacramento California by Janet Tarjan Erl.

River Canopy

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 15″h x 19″w, Watercolor, 1985.

This watercolor was painted on location along the American River Parkway in Sacramento, California. This was part of a series of plein-air pieces I did along the Parkway. It took a week to complete because I could only paint for a few hours each day before the lighting had changed too much. This was a peaceful backwater setting and I was treated to the coming and going of many diverse wildlife species. This series of paintings started my interest in painting wildlife because I enjoyed watching them so much and wanted to paint my impressions of them.

Original is sold.

Note: Image Watermark of Copyright and/or Website are NOT on the Original.