Project Tag: mt. shasta

The Recycled Dog

Illustration by Janet Tarjan Erl.

The Recycled Dog - Cover

Medium: Watercolor/Gouache, Image Size: 9”h x 12”w, 1998.

This is an illustration I did for my children’s book ‘The Recycled Dog’. It is a story about my dog Benji. Benji was an incredible dog and a great friend with whom I hiked thousands of miles with. My husband and I adopted him from the Mt. Shasta Animal Shelter in Mt. Shasta, California. He must have had some cruel memories because he had nightmares several times a week for the entire duration of his fifteen-year life.
I wrote the book about what I think happened to him before we adopted him. I drew drawings for the book, but this was the only artwork I fully illustrated in color. I had some book publishers interested in the book, but I never landed a contract. I intend to illustrate it someday. It is the least I can do for Benji and all the millions of animals abandoned each year.

Painted in watercolor. Scanned into the computer, floated. Painting, graphics, colors, effects, and text were done in Photoshop.

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

Shasta Valley Sandhill Cranes

Watercolor landscape and Sandhill Crane painting by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Shasta Valley Sandhill Cranes

Medium: Oil, Image Size: 18″h x 24″w, 2008.

This setting for this artwork is scenic Shasta Valley just off Louie Rd. which lies north of Mt. Shasta. The painting depicts a family of Sandhill Cranes ambling along in the Shasta Valley of Northern California with Mt. Shasta as the dominant background feature. What inspired me to do this painting was a combination of motives. One, I adore this view of Mt. Shasta especially with its reflection in the flood waters of this setting, and two, I’ve wanted to do a Sandhill Crane painting for years and felt this was a perfect match of these noble and beautiful subjects.

An added motive was that the cranes had just arrived in the Shasta Valley and there were reports of hundreds of them visiting some of the area ranches. The nearby Shasta Valley Wildlife Area has been managing their land to foster Sandhill Crane habitat for many years, and apparently it has been very successful. Shortly after hearing reports of the Shasta Valley Cranes, a pair of cranes arrived in the nearby meadow in Rocky Point, Oregon, where I lived. I had already started the painting, but when I heard the trumpeting calls of these elegant birds, I was motivated to finish this painting. Sandhill Cranes have so much grand presence about them. They are elegant, big, and beautiful, and their leaping dance and trumpeting call really excite me, and that was a good reason to do this painting.

This is a painting about the creative forces that combine in a unique way to inspire awe and rapture in others for the beauty of this planet and all its forces.

The challenge of doing this painting was working in oils. I’m a skilled watercolorist and I work intuitively in that medium, but oils are so different. The thickness of the medium meant I had to interpret things differently than I would have in watercolor.

Original is sold.

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

Shasta Valley Hummocks and Horses

Oil painting of horses and Mt. Shasta by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Shasta Valley Hummocks and Horses

Medium: Oil, Image Size: 20″h x 28″w, 2009.

Black Mountain, where I used to live, is in the northern Shasta Valley of northern California. The terrain of this region is gently rolling with abundant hills called hummocks. These hummocks were created when a volcanic eruption on Mt. Shasta caused a great mudslide that slumped and flowed into the Shasta Valley. Over time, the hummocks eroded into these curvaceous hills.

This painting depicts a typical landscape view from this part of the Shasta Valley. The volcanic rocks on the crest of the foreground hill are visible remnants of that great landslide. The hills in the middle ground give a sense of size to help indicate the length at which the mudslide flowed. The two horses, a bay and sorrel, that graze these hills, give an even greater sense of scale against Mt. Shasta which towers in the distance.

Original is sold.

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

Edge of Dawn

Watercolor painting of horse at dawn by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Edge of Dawn

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 18”h x 13.5”w, 2003.

Siskiyou County is an amazing place, so I felt it was fitting to paint a scene of its grandest feature – Mt. Shasta. I wanted to combine this community’s great beauty with its ruralness, so I added this horse standing in a pasture in Weed, California early in the morning with majestic Mt. Shasta glowing in the background.

Original is sold.

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

Winter Silence-Mt. Shasta

Watercolor landscape painting Mt. Shasta by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Winter Silence-Mt. Shasta

Medium: Gouache, Image Size: 9″h x 12″w, 1999.

This winter scene of Mt. Shasta is off Harry Cash Rd. in the Shasta Valley, California.

Original is sold.

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

Early Winter Storm

Watercolor painting horses and Mt. Shasta by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Early Winter Storm

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 15”h x 22”w, 1993.

In this watercolor I placed three horses in a winter pasture. I saw this pasture in Edgewood, California. Mt. Shasta was in its spectacular winter glory that day. I thought it made an impressive background against the pasture.

Original is sold.

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

Shasta View West

Watercolor landscape painting Mt. Shasta and Shastina west view by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Shasta View West

Medium: Watercolor/gouache, Image Size: 12″h x8″w, 2002.

This scene shows Mt. Shasta in winter near Lake Shastina.

Original is sold.

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

The Spirited Pack

Watercolor painting of horses and Mt. Shasta by Janet Tarjan Erl.

The Spirited Pack

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 19.55″h x 26″w, 1995.

A varied herd of horses pose in front of Mt. Shasta on the hillsides in north Shasta Valley, California.
The terrain of this region is gently rolling hills called hummocks. These hummocks were created when a volcanic eruption on Mt. Shasta caused a great mudslide that slumped and flowed into the Shasta Valley. Over time, the hummocks eroded into these curvaceous hills.

I often saw this small herd of horses near my home on Black Mountain in Siskiyou County, California. They always seemed alert and curious, so I thought they would make a good gang of horses for this piece.

This painting was one of several artworks I donated to the Fairchild Medical Center, Yreka for a fund-raising auction to help benefit the new hospital.

Original is sold.

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

Mt. Shasta – Shasta River

Watercolor landscape painting Mt. Shasta and Shasta River by Janet Tarjan Erl.

Mt. Shasta – Shasta River

Medium: Watercolor, Image Size: 9”h x 12”w, 1989.

This scene of Mt. Shasta and the Shasta River are near Grenada in the Shasta Valley, California.

Original is sold.

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