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...