The Driftwood Beach

The Driftwood Beach

8"x16" oil on canvas

Day #21 of the Daily Painting Challenge ( https://www.flickr.com/groups/2756377@N22/?added=1 )
So I was out painting on the island one day this summer when a guy came up to see what I was doing and asked if I'd ever painted the driftwood beach before. Well, I'd never heard of it, but he gave me directions, just over the bridge to Longboat Key. This morning my children came with me to check it out and were we ever rewarded! It was a gorgeous morning and the giant driftwood trees were casting all kinds of cool shadows on the sand, it was hard to decide what to paint first! I had so much fun painting this one, still, my kids claim they had the most fun of all playing in elaborately constructed driftwood huts that some people had created and jumping off the branches into the ocean! I think it's pretty safe to say we'll all be back!

Late Afternoon

Late Afternoon

9"x12" oil on panel

Decided I wanted to focus on my brushwork with this one, specifically, on putting it down and leaving it alone! It's a challenge for sure with such a composition as this, where the foreground gets rather complicated. I started with by blocking in the darkest areas (the trees) and keying in the value of the sky in the background, then I worked my way down, dark to light. All in all, I'm quite pleased with how my Day #20 painting turned out! Two thirds of the way into this Daily Painting Challenge and I'm really starting to feel like I'm on a roll!

Totem-Pole

Totem-Pole

5"x7" watercolor

Little sketch of my kids playing their favorite game in the ocean this afternoon where my daughter climbs on my son's shoulders then leaps off into the water!

Shell Study

Shell Study

5"x5" oil on primed paper

Day #19 of the daily painting challenge and today was definitely a challenge! Well, somedays are diamonds and somedays are shells I suppose... a busy and rainy day meant I had only a little time to squeeze in a quick painting sketch before heading to the beach for the weekend. Guess I was kind of already there in my head!

Artist in the Shade (Phillippi Estate Park)

Artist in the Shade

11"x14" oil on panel

Painted with The Light Chasers plein air group in Sarasota. Loved how regal the two palm trees looked against the clear blue sky. I only noticed my fellow painter in the shade towards the end!

Tea Time

Tea Time

5"x5" oil on primed paper

#17... A rainy day= priming panels and a nice cup of hot tea! 

In Mama's Shade

In Mama's Shade

 9"x12" oil on panel
Day #16... Turns out cows are really good models... as long as it's sunny and there's shade. About half way into this painting the sun disappeared and before long, so did my models! Finishing it was a challenge to my memory :)

Sea Treasures

Sea Treasures

8"x8" oil on panel

Day #15... the half way mark! You can check out everyone's paintings in the Painting a Day for the Month of September challenge at https://www.flickr.com/groups/2756377@N22/?added=1

It's been a while since I painted a still life, I'd almost forgotten how much fun they can be! Used a limited palette of ultramarine blue, red iron oxide, yellow ochre and white for this one.

Pikes Place Market Watercolors

Sunflowers at Pikes PlaceMarket 

5"x5" gouache watercolor on paper

Seattle Market 

5"x7" watercolor on paper

Flowers by Pike Place Market

5"x7" gouache watercolor on paper

Days #11, #12, and #13 in the Painting a day For the Month of September Challenge... and after a great time in San Francisco and Seattle it's back to Florida!

Puget Sound

Puget Sound

5"x7" gouache watercolor on paper

Arrived in Seattle this afternoon and settled into our hotel. I've never been this far Northeast before and can definitely see the appeal. The city is clean and walkable and the views of both the Puget Sound, surrounding lakes, and mountains are stunning! Not to mention, the seafood here is delicious. This was the view from our hotel room just before the sun began it's all out descent.  

Lazy Sunday Afternoon in Washington Square Park

Lazy Sunday Afternoon in Washington Square Park

8"x10" oil on panel

Met up again this afternoon with Bruce Katz in San Francisco's Washington Park, just over the hill from Little Italy. Now, I normally stand when painting in plein air as it keeps me alert and forces me to step back from my painting periodically which is always a good idea! But having walked well over 20 miles since arriving in the city by the bay, I was grateful to find Bruce had snagged us a nice little park bench in the shade! Several other park goers made use of the soft green grass in the shadow of nearby trees and ended up in our paintings. 

Painted Lady

   

Painted Lady

5"x7" gouache on watercolor paper

Little gouache watercolor sketch of the famed Painted Ladies on the hill across from Alamo Park.

San Francisco Oils

View of Coit Tower From the Bay

8"x10" oil on panel 

View of the Golden Gate Bridge

5"x7" oil on panel

Two paintings from Day # 8.  I had the pleasure of meeting and painting with SF natives, Bruce Katz and Stuart Gourlay today. The scene we picked was very grey with a silvery light shinning down through the clouds. As the morning wore on the sky behind us began to clear and the hills just beyond the famous bridge started to come to life with colors before our eyes... or rather, behind our backs! When I finished the Coit Tower view I turned around and got the bridge done before the wind chill had this warm-blooded Florida girl shaking with cold to the point that I couldn't even paint a straight line- brrr! 

San Francisco

View From the Seattle Terminal

6x8 watercolor

Alcatraz

5"x7" gouache

Steep Street in San Francisco

6x9 gouache

Day #6 was spent in transcontinental flight so my painting of the day had to be done from the terminal in Seattle. Day #7 I did a plein air sketch of Alcatraz, followed by one from a photo I took towards the end of my 15+ mile walk that day.

Music Practice

 

       Anna Practicing Her Piano                          Sam Practicing His Violin

                                6"x8" watercolor                                            6"x8" watercolor

           Day #4 and #5 in the "Pinting a Day Challenge" were rainy... Fortunately my kids were agreeable models for me. While they practiced their instruments I practiced mine!

Cabbage Palm in the Sun

Cabbage Palm in the Sun

8"x10" oil on canvas

Day #3 of the Painting a Day for the Month of September Challenge. These palm trees are growing by a nearby pond in my neighborhood. I was struck by this subject for the contrasting shadows of palm fronds against the crystal clear blue September sky.

Ripples on the Little Manatee River

Ripples on the Little Manatee River

6"x6" oil on panel

Day #2 of the Painting a Day for the Month of September Challenge. Did this little painting along the river near our house and challenged myself to complete it in 1 hour- which was a good idea considering how how it was! Though the river did look nice and cool...

High Noon on the Island

High Noon on the Island

6"x6" oil on panel

Well, by the time I was done running and playing with my kids this morning, the sun was high over head. I was thinking of leaving my paints inside... but then I saw a post on my friend and fellow plein air painter, Kelly Medford's website challenging other artists to do "a painting a day for the month of September." So... I headed down towards the water, parked myself in a chair under our big umbrella and did this little study of the cypress trees along the beach behind me before jumping in the ocean to enjoy the Labor Day holiday with my family. Day #1 down, 29 more to go!!! 

Check them all out at www.flickr.com/groups/2756377@N22

Sunday at the Sandbar

Sunday at the Sandbar

8"x10" oil on panel

Enjoyed the live music and occasional sea breeze while I painted this one... huddled under my umbrella shade trying to avoid heat stroke... cooler days are ahead, come November!