Perfect Day

Perfect Day SOLD

10"x20" oil on linen

This is the kind of weather we Floridians live for in December!  

Enough said ;)

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas Afternoon SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

After all the presents had been unwrapped, treats had been eaten, and grown ups had taken their naps... my family gave me a lovely gift of a couple hours of peaceful Christmas afternoon painting time!

Though I normally stand, to get this perspective I wanted I had to sit for this one.

(Below is a picture of me "in action" that my husband took while I was unaware, sneaky guy!)

Christmas by the Sea

Christmas by the Sea

5"x7" oil on panel

The weather's not been cooperating for good plain air painting lately, so I took the easel inside today and did a little painting of our tree (hung with sand dollars and starfish) in the light of the fading sun- which finally came out at the last minute! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Evening Show

Evening Show SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

Watching the sun set over the ocean (and it's light reflected on the sand and dunes) just never gets old!

Afternoon Blues

Afternoon Blues

8"x10" oil on canvas

1 hour study of silhouetted dunes against a moody sky alone the path behind our place on Anna Maria Island. I particularly liked how the setting sun lit up those cat tails in the foreground as if they were on fire!

Early Riser

Early Riser

8"x10" oil on panel

Painted with the Light Chasers plain air group again this morning at the Bayfront  Park in Sarasota. There's so much good subject matter around there! Decided to challenge (and blind) myself by looking towards the rising sun and working with a high key palette. 

Hay Bales

Hay Bales

9"x12" oil on panel

So, it turns out hay bales aren't as easy to paint as one might think! I have a feeling I'll be returning to this field to tackle them some more... One can learn a lot about value by observing cylindrical shapes on a flat plane!

Anna and Her Pail

Anna and Her Pail

19"x19" oil on wood panel

 I have been wanting to do a painting of my 8 year old daughter for a while now. Her favorite activity at the beach is hunting for coquinas, those tiny shells that burry themselves in the sand whenever the waves recede. She'll spend hours in this little squatted position filling her bucket with them. Several times she's even gathered enough for me to make a bowl of coquina soup!

I used a photo I'd taken of her for this piece, as well as some quick little plain air sketches.

Palm Study

Palm Study

5"x7" oil on panel

Squeezed in one last painting this afternoon, a small study of the various colors that can be found within shadows, still using a limited palette.

Winter Palm

Winter Palm

9"x12" oil on panel

Can you tell it was a COLD grey day in Florida the morning I painted this one? If so, good, that means I communicated well! Brrrr... it was freezing, first time all year I donned my wool gloves to paint!

In the Light

In the Light

11"x14" oil on panel

Day 2 of Lori Putnam's workshop had me focusing on the subtle shifts in values, especially in the lighter ranges. I had fun getting a little looser with my brush work too!

Light Study

Light Study

8"x10" oil on panel

Did this one on the first day of Lori Putnam's workshop at the Bay Preserve at Osprey last week. Only had about an hour and a half to get something down after her inspiring demo! Experimented with a limited palette of Napthol Red, Cad Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue and Warm Whitel

My Favorite Path

My Favorite Path

5"x7" oil on panel

Couldn't resist one more little dune study before the sun set the other night! Sometimes its hard to tell if a painting is done or not...nice thing about painting right around sunset is eventually you're forced to put the brush down cause it just gets too dark to see anymore!

Golden Hour

Golden Hour

8"x10" oil on canvas

Did this painting (during a particularly stunning sunset) as part of Greg Summer's Looking Out My Backdoor challenge, where over 160 artists from around the world painted their backyard views from within 100 feet of their own backdoors. While I've painted from this spot on several occasions, this week was the first time I'd ever painted it as my subject. (Liked it so much I did 3 in 3 days as a matter of fact!) 

Looking at the painting now I still feel like I ought to be squinting as the sun sets over the ocean...

Afternoon Bliss

Afternoon Bliss

8"x10" oil on canvas

Got a little Thanksgiving Day painting in while the turkey was cooking in the oven... 

Sea Grasses

Sea Grasses SOLD

11"x14" oil on linen

The sun kept disappearing on me yesterday, still, it was a lovely cloudy morning to paint on Anna Maria Island. When the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, however,  I was forced to call it quits as I couldn't stop shivering and shaking... Don't know how all you plein air painters up in the snowy north do it?!

Mangroves

Mangroves

8"x10" oil on linen

Painted on Casey Key in Venice, FL last week with The Light Chasers Plein Air painting group. I was inspired (and challenged!) by the abstract qualities of the outstretch roots and play of light and shadows.

The Cherry Residence

The Cherry Residence

8"x10" oil on panel

Christmas came a little early to the owners of this house, located in St. Pete Beach, today!  

While I don't typically paint portraits of people, I am happy to paint "house portraits!" The couple's daughter commissioned this painting as a gift for them, recognizing that one day in the future, should they sell it, it would be lovely to have a painting to remember it by. If you have a house, a special view or favorite place that you'd like to have turned into a painting, either for yourself or as a one-of-a-kind gift, feel free to email me at cmurals@verizon.net. Though I prefer to work form life when possible, I can work from photos if you are not local, and can give you an idea of prices according to the size you'd like.

Christmas is right around the corner...!

Myakka Palms

Myakka Palms

8"x10" oil on panel

Painted this palm trees study with the Light Chasers group at the far end of Myakka River State Park the other day. Working on massing in my trees and varying my edges.

Anna Studies

My 8 year old daughter was gracious enough to pose for me a bit this "slightly chilly" afternoon on the beach (thus the pink hoodie.) It was fun to work on gesture drawing the figure with my oils. Inspired by the English artist  Haidee-Jo Summers' work, I'm thinking of incorporating more figures in my paintings somewhere down the road, so will be tucking these away in my ideas file...

Low Tide

Low Tide

6"x12" oil on canvas

Little study of the shore this morning. May go back and work on it some more in the future...

Drifter

Drifter

11"x14" oil on panel

Shadow play, abstract shapes, stark contrasts of dark and light, moving water... and I get to wiggle my toes in the sand for a few hours! That's all the ingredients I need to make for a great morning of painting!

Wave Goodbiye

Wave Goodbye

8"x10" oil on panel

Another in my on-going study of water in constant motion (aka waves.) I have to admit, when I started this one I wasn't holding out much hope that it'd turn into anything. In fact, I think I spent much more time just staring at the waves as they crested and crashed, with my brush poised in midair, than I did painting! All the while I kept thinking to myself, this is an exercise in futility! But in the end, all that studying seems to have paid off, because it turned out pretty good... I think so anyway!

Beautiful Day in MiraBay

Beautiful Day in MiraBay

5"x7" oil on panel

I was itch'n to get my brushes wet this morning, but didn't have a lot of time, so I walked across the street to my friend's yard and painted the view of the neighborhood clubhouse from across the lagoon.

Drift Away

Drift Away SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel 

Beautiful morning light on the driftwood beach... subtle reflections in the water... lovely abstract forms in this natural sculpture garden by the sea!

New Show @ Studio at Gulf & Pine Art Gallery

22 new paintings framed, delivered, hung, and for sale at The Studio at Gulf and Pine Art Gallery on Anna Maria Island!  (And 1 proud and happy artist!) 

Lot of Beaches and Boats!

www.studioatgulfandpine.com

Invitation

Invitation SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

Just follow the path through the dunes to your awaiting umbrella and chair on the beach... 

You don't have to ask me twice!

 Another one in my sand dunes series... 

Morning Splendor

Morning Splendor SOLD

10"x20" oil on canvas

Squeezed in one last painting for the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out after a wonderful week of painting morning, noon and night for 7 days straight. 

Its funny, on the east coast of Florida the morning light casts shadows in the opposite direction than I'm used to seeing...but they are still just as stunning!

(Work in progress pictured below.)

A Labor of Love

A Labor of Love

9"x12" oil on panel

Someone put a lot of thought and consideration into the beautiful architectural details of this home...

Dinner at the Fish Camp

Dinner at the Fish Camp

9"x11" oil on panel

All of us artists participating in the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out painted one evening that week at JB's Fish Camp as customers looked on. Of course, I was immediately attracted to the bright red umbrellas! Painting all the people who we're milling around was definitely a challenge, but I was happy with the way it turned out.

Big Boys Toys

Big Boys Toys

10"x20" oil on wood panel

Big sports fishing boats behind the Marina in New Smyrna Beach one morning. Again playing around with reflections in the water. (And values in the color white!)

Afternoon Delight

AfternoonDelight SOLD

5"x7" oil on panel

It was the pink umbrella that first caught my eye in this scene along the banks of the Indian River in New Smyrna Beach. Then I noticed the young woman playing so joyfully in the water with her little  dog. When they took a break and sat down to rest I quickly painted them in. As she was leaving I thanked her for being my "unwitting model." She told me her mother had just undergone a radical mastectomy that morning and that she'd traveled from GA to care for her for the past 10 days. This was the 1st time that she'd had an afternoon all to herself and the 1st time she'd ever taken her dog to this beach... and I just happened to be there to capture that moment of release and relief...

Your Beachchair Awaits

Your Beachchair Awaits SOLD

11"x14" oil on canvas

This sweet little yellow house just touched me when I saw it.  I loved the shapes and shadows, as well as the Aderindack chairs lined up I on the porch, very inviting. Reminded me of the kinda house Edward Hopper might have liked to paint too.

Coffee on Canal Street

 

Coffee on Canal St. SOLD

8"x10" oil on panel

While painting this little ice cream shop on Canal St. in New Smyrna a Beach I got a craving for ice cream myself... "When you're done with the painting," I told myself. Well, when the time came that was as good a reason as any to put my brushes down and call it done! 

(I picked pumpkin flavor and it was awesome!)

A Time For Reflection

A Time For Reflection SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

Played around with reflections in the water today. It was overcast all morning so the light never really changed much, allowing me to takes time a bit... and do some quiet reflecting of my own...

A Festive Night

A Festive Night SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

This nocturne painting was done in the lovely little garden patio courtyard behind The Third Wave restaurant in New Smyrna Beach. Even with a headlamp on my forehead it was still difficult to really see what colors I was putting down... I only hoped it would look as good in the daylight as it did in the dark! (Luckily, I think it did!)

A photo of the painting in progress taken with my camera flash.

Eldora House

Eldora House SOLD

8"x8" oil on canvas

For my afternoon painting on the 1st day of the Paint Out, I chose to do this historical house on the Canaveral National Seashore property. I liked the idea and challenge of relating the geometric shapes and shadows of the house to the square format of my canvas. 

Quiet Cove

Quiet Cove SOLD

8"x10" oil on panel

Set my easel up at the end of the Canaveral Seashore National Park this first morning of the Paint Out and played around with reflections and shadows. Had to move it back a few times as it's apparently a very popular place for fishermen and kayakers launch their boats!

Evening Notes

              Evening Notes  SOLD

5"x7" oil on panel

Before the sun set completely on the same evening as I painted The Garden Party, I got one more little beauty in. The light in the sky was fading softly into pinks and purples, reflecting in the river as I did this one, like changing notes of color behind the palms... thus the title.

Garden Party

Garden Party

5"x7" oil on panel

This little painting sketch was done at the kick off party held in the garden behind Clay Gallery for the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out in New Smyrna Beach, FL last week- a chance to warm up my brushes for the week of non-stop painting ahead!

The Ol'Folks Home

The Ol'Folks Home

8"x10" oil on panel

This is my other piece in the Paint the Town Bradenton exhibit, a beautiful old wooden boat housed in someone's yard.  I've long admired it, however there are usually a bunch of cars parked in front of it... but not today! Don't you just love the turquoise blue and rust orange paint peeling off the bow? So much good stuff in Cortez!

Cortez Blues

Cortez Blues

11"x14" oil on canvas

Truth is, I can't recall ever having had the blues in Cortez! It's such a charming, quirky, unique little fishing village with the most amazing subject matter for paintings everywhere you look... not to mention some of THE BEST seafood around! If anything, it can be a bit of a sensory overload. 

Feeling ambitious, (this is a Paint Out week after all!) I decided to challenge myself this morning with studying the reflections in the water. Figured why not? I'd either sink or swim! 

Fortunately, for as ever-moving and complex as reflections can be, I think I managed to stay afloat pretty well in the end. Will be submitting this one (along with another Cortez boat painting) to the 

Paint the Town 2014 Bradenton Plein Air Paint Out Show later this morning. Reception is tonight at Art Center Manatee 5-7pm if you're in the area and the show will be up through October 30th!

Evidence

Evidence SOLD

11"x14" oil on panel

Day #1 of the Bradenton Paint Out (and day # 28 of the Daily Painting Challenge) found me on Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island- which really wouldn't be different than any other given Sunday, except that today I was surrounded by a bunch of fellow plein air painters! Loved the good company! Also loved the dune shadows (of course) and footprints in the wet sand after a night of thunderstorms... Evidence that a few others had enjoyed an early morning walk on the before we arrived with our easels. 

Over the River and Past the Park

Over the River and Past the Park

8"x10" oil on panel

This week I am one of 30 artists participating in the "Paint the Town Bradenton" Paint Out. It kicked off Saturday morning with a Quick Draw in which we  had 2 hours to start and complete a painting  within the perimeters of the RiverWalk Park. This was my entry. As a side note, when I laid in the  color for the water I actually second guessed myself... but yes, it was in fact that brilliant a shade of  blue!

Just Peachy

Just Peachy NFS

4"x6" watercolor on paper

My painting of the day today ended up being a painting of the night. Fun with wet on wet watercolors! Can you guess what I had for dessert with a glass of white wine?