By the Sandbar

By the Sandbar SOLD

 8"x10" oil on panel

On the last day of Paint the Town 2013 the artists gathered along Pine Ave. on Anna Maria Island.  The weather was gorgeous and the sea was calling me, so I walked on down to the beach right next to one of my favorite restaurants on the island called The SandBar.  A giant oak tree was casting wonderful lavender shadows on the sand by the dunes and the simplicity of the scene appealed to me, as did the shade!  

The next night at the Paint the Town opening reception I was thrilled to receive one of 4 Honorable Mention Awards for this one!

Cortez Boats

Cortez Boats SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

There's no shortage of great painting inspiration around Cortez Fishing Village over by the StarFish Seafood Company... loved the challenge of capturing the boats' reflections in the water with this one! Equally loved seeing all the other Paint the Town artists' interpretations of scenes from this distinctly "old Florida" landmark.  Incidentally, the show is up through May 3rd at ArtCenter Manatee in Bradenton if you're in the area...

Holmes Beach Looking North

Holmes Beach Looking North SOLD

8"x10" oil on panel

I did this painting last Monday morning along Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, looking north to the point about 3 miles away. With it, I was interested in conveying a sense of the distance, as well as capturing the nuances of shadows and highlights in the expanse of sand before me, already patterned with many early morning footprints.

Buckets of Greens

Buckets of Greens

9"x12" oil on panel

I did this painting at the Bradenton Farmers Market last Saturday morning for the 2 hour "Quick Draw" competition, which was the kick off to Paint the Town 2013.  This was a week long event in which selected professional artists painted on location "en plein air" all around the Bradenton area, culminating in a juried show at the ArtCenter Manatee. I chose this scene for the striking striped table cloths adorning the vendor's tables, upon which were set great big pastel buckets of all sorts of greens. 

I liked the movement of the lines and angles as they naturally lead the viewer's eye back into the distance. (Admittedly, I also liked that directly upwind from me was a barbecue vendor who was filling the air with the most deliciously intoxicating aromas you could imagine!)