Fall Morning on Siesta Key Beach

Fall Morning on Sietsa Key Beach

9"x12" oil on panel

I met up with fellow Light Chasers recently at Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota on one of the first cool fall days here in Florida... alright, so it was down right cold!  Maybe not exactly sun bathing kind of weather, but the cool, overcast sky made it just fine for painting!

Cortez House at Dawn

Cortez House at Dawn SOLD

5"x7" oil on panel

Another small painting, this one of the iconic little house on stilts out in the water. 

Fishing Buddies

Fishing Buddies SOLD

5'x7" oil on panel

Yes... it's the Rebel...again.

The Lone Rebel

The Lone Rebel

5" x 7" oil on panel

Yes, this painter is a bit smitten with the boats at nearby Cortez Fishing Village, this one in particular, with it's lovely reflections. Part of the attraction, I have to admit, is a wonderful shaded public dock on which to set up my easel out of the sun.  While it normally keeps me cool, this morning it kept me dry from the pouring rain! And while I may have been painting a "lone Rebel" I was pleasantly surprised to  find that I was not alone! I was, in fact, in very good company as the incredibly talented Katie Dobson Cundiff arrived with her easel and small panels just as I was setting up mine. I'd seen her last February when she did a paining demo for the Light Chasers group over by the Ringling Museum. What a treat to paint along side her for a morning!

Tide Pools, Anna Maria Island

Tide Pools, Anna maria Island

8" x 10" oil on panel

When I came out on the beach this morning with my easel and began scoping out what I wanted to paint I was initially drawn to the elongated indigo shadows cast by the sun rise.  After walking around a bit, however, I noticed the reflections in the tide pools and knew immediately that I wanted to actually make those slashes of color the focus!  I particularly liked how, from this perspective, they naturally lead your eye into the distance. As the tide began to rise and the sun moved higher in the sky, of course, they all evaporated away... but not before I managed to captured them first!

Casting Lines

Casting Lines

8"x10" oil on panel

This morning I took Shell Point Rd. in Ruskin all the way down to the end where the Little Manatee River spills out into the Tampa Bay. I spotted a boatyard, the Shell Point Marina, and decided to take a look around. This sweet little boat, with "Sand Dollar" painted on the side, caught my eye. Yet, when I got all set up to paint I realized the long cast shadows in the early morning light were pretty interesting too. Of course, they tend to change rather quickly, so I blocked them in first, made some mental notes, and had to rely on memory towards the end.

Sand Dune Shadows

Sand Dune Shadows

7"x11" gouache on paper

On the beach this morning with my back to the ocean and opaque watercolors on my lap, a study of shadows cast by the sand dunes...

Caspersen Beach

Caspersen Beach

8" x 10" oil on panel

I painted at Caspersen Beach in Venice, FL this morning, meeting up with several other members of the Light Chasers Plein Air Painters of the Suncoast group after the summer hiatus. These rocks struck my eye for the all the rich, warm golden tones in contrast against the cool greens, blues and purples of the gently lapping waves.

Golf and Sea Pond Sketches

 Golf and Sea Pond #1 SOLD

5"x7" oil on panel

I've painted this view before, it's a pond not far from our house. This time I stood lower down by the water's edge, amongst the reeds. I love the pond's vibrant shade of blue in the early morning light at this time of year. 

Golf and Sea Pond #2

5"x7" oil on panel

By noon time the breeze had picked up, rippling the surface of the water and a bunch of clouds had rolled in. I'm pleased with the sense of movement in this one.