{"id":19412,"date":"2025-02-03T23:44:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T23:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/?p=19412"},"modified":"2025-02-03T23:44:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T23:44:01","slug":"return-to-bidwell-mansion-watercolor-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/return-to-bidwell-mansion-watercolor-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"“Return to Bidwell Mansion” Watercolor Painting"},"content":{"rendered":"![\""Return](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
Now that the historic Bidwell Mansion has been destroyed by fire, it seemed like a particularly good time to create this watercolor painting entitled “Return to Bidwell Mansion”.\u00a0 Bittersweet indeed–like many Chico residents, I viewed the Bidwell Mansion, built by John and Annie Bidwell in 1865 as the most significant landmark in our city.\u00a0 We thought it would always be there, as a visual example of the early days of settlement in the area–something we could always go visit and tour with friends and loved ones.\u00a0 As if to prove that you can take nothing for granted, it disappeared from our view early one December morning late last year.\u00a0 In the hours following the massive fire, all prints (and the original) of my first watercolor painting of the mansion were completely sold out at the art gallery in a rush (image of my first Bidwell Mansion watercolor shown below).\u00a0 That was a testament to the importance of this landmark to the people of Chico–in case there was any doubt.\u00a0 It’s unclear at this time whether there will be a successful effort to rebuild Bidwell Mansion.\u00a0 No doubt Chicoans will want to rebuild it, but much depends on budgetary concerns, logistical concerns, methods of funding, etc.\u00a0 \u00a0It is a California State Park, and a registered State landmark, so there is reason for optimism.\u00a0 My new painting is an effort to commemorate and maybe recapture some of the building’s glory and dignity.\u00a0 And hopefully serve as a kind of “bridge” to a brighter day….I sincerely hope that one day the Mansion stands on the Esplanade once again.\u00a0 Fine Art Prints of “Return to Bidwell Mansion” are currently for sale at Chico Paper Company–and I will be contributing 20% of my personal proceeds from any sales toward the organized effort to rebuild this historical gem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now that the historic Bidwell Mansion has been destroyed by fire, it seemed like a particularly good time to create this watercolor painting entitled “Return to Bidwell Mansion”.\u00a0 Bittersweet indeed–like many Chico residents, I viewed the Bidwell Mansion, built by John and Annie Bidwell in 1865 as the most significant landmark in our city.\u00a0 We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,10,11,1],"tags":[18,31,51,80,86,118],"class_list":["post-19412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-architectural-illustration","category-architectural-rendering","category-personal-fun-stuff","category-perspective-drawing","category-uncategorized","tag-architecture","tag-chico","tag-illustration","tag-perspective","tag-rendering","tag-watercolor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finearchitecturalillustration.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\""Return](\"https:\/\/b1204804.smushcdn.com\/1204804\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/JMG-Return-to-Bidwell-Mansion-Color-72-dpi-1024x693.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\")
Now that the historic Bidwell Mansion has been destroyed by fire, it seemed like a particularly good time to create this watercolor painting entitled “Return to Bidwell Mansion”.\u00a0 Bittersweet indeed–like many Chico residents, I viewed the Bidwell Mansion, built by John and Annie Bidwell in 1865 as the most significant landmark in our city.\u00a0 We thought it would always be there, as a visual example of the early days of settlement in the area–something we could always go visit and tour with friends and loved ones.\u00a0 As if to prove that you can take nothing for granted, it disappeared from our view early one December morning late last year.\u00a0 In the hours following the massive fire, all prints (and the original) of my first watercolor painting of the mansion were completely sold out at the art gallery in a rush (image of my first Bidwell Mansion watercolor shown below).\u00a0 That was a testament to the importance of this landmark to the people of Chico–in case there was any doubt.\u00a0 It’s unclear at this time whether there will be a successful effort to rebuild Bidwell Mansion.\u00a0 No doubt Chicoans will want to rebuild it, but much depends on budgetary concerns, logistical concerns, methods of funding, etc.\u00a0 \u00a0It is a California State Park, and a registered State landmark, so there is reason for optimism.\u00a0 My new painting is an effort to commemorate and maybe recapture some of the building’s glory and dignity.\u00a0 And hopefully serve as a kind of “bridge” to a brighter day….I sincerely hope that one day the Mansion stands on the Esplanade once again.\u00a0 Fine Art Prints of “Return to Bidwell Mansion” are currently for sale at Chico Paper Company–and I will be contributing 20% of my personal proceeds from any sales toward the organized effort to rebuild this historical gem.![\"Watercolor](\"https:\/\/b1204804.smushcdn.com\/1204804\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/JMG-Bidwell-Mansion-Color-72-dpi-576x1024.jpg?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"