Anna on the Rocks

Anna on the Rocks SOLD

5"x7" oil on gessobord

This quick oil sketch of my 8 year old daughter was painted last Sunday morning by the intracoastal waterway as she was exploring along the rocks during low tide.

Path Through the Dunes

Path Through the Dunes
16"x20" oil on canvas

It was bone chilling cold here in Florida this past weekend... and yes, by that I mean it did't get up past 72 degrees (I'm a total wuss about the temperature after all.) Therefore, I decided to paint in the warmth of my studio and use the smaller plein air study I did last week to create a larger version on canvas, "Path Through the Dunes" being the result.

Come Sit In My Shade

Come Sit In My Shade

8x10 oil on panel

I recently discovered another local plein air group that meets in the St. Pete area on Tuesdays (The Plein Air Colony of Pinellas, or PAC). Yesterday I joined them at the Florida Botanical Gardens. The morning stared out rather dismally grey, but before too long the sun came out, producing a lovely pattern on shadows beneath the leafy green tree I was painting from my elevated perch on a nearby bridge.  Made me think of that Shel Silverstein book, The Giving Tree... "Come boy, come play in my shade and be happy!"

Cottage by the Sea

Cottage by the Sea

8x10 oil on panel

This view is one I tend to paint a lot, as it's just steps away from our condo looking north on Anna Maria Island. (Plus, nearly all the paintings I've done from this spot have sold!)
I just think the quaint cottage next-door is so charming...

Fog Lifting

Fog Lifting

11x14 oil on panel

Painted at The Celery Fields (now a nature preserve and marsh land) in Sarasota last Thursday after watching a demo by fellow Light Chaser, Katie Dobson Cundiff.  I was definitely inspired by her bold, expressive strokes and the way she so fearlessly attacks the canvas! Also tried her method of toning it with a wash of red first. 

Such fun!

(on site)

Footprints in the Sand

Footprints in the Sand

9x12 oil on panel

Windy morning on the beach! As I was painting this my children showed up bearing donuts from the local Anna Maria Island donut shop... now, when I'm painting I tend to get pretty focused and there's not much that can distract me... however, a fresh, hot sea salt and caramel donut can AND DID! ;)

Pathway Through the Dunes

Pathway Through the Dunes

11x14 oil on gessobord

Yes... Anna Maria Island is a little piece of heaven!

Sabal Palms

Sabal Palms

9x12 oil on gessobord

Started my week at the Wekiva Paint Out with painting palm trees and ended it with them too! I met a bunch of other talented plein air painters & some wonderful volunteers, got a lot of good work done, saw a few wild turkeys, some deer, (no bears!) sold a couple paintings and helped to raise some funds to keep the Wekiva River clean for generations to come... not a bad way to spend a week!

Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising SOLD

8x10 oil on gessobord

Couldn't resist a little painting under the full moon last week! And as we were working away in the near dark (and battling mosquitos!) the band under the tent was playing Bad Moon Rising, which I thought was an appropriate title for this painting!

A Good Day

A Good Day SOLD

9x12 oil on gessobord

On the 3rd day of the Wekiva Paint Out a couple of us went out on a pontoon boat on the Wekiva River to paint. Talk about heaven, the deep blue, water lily covered river was beautiful! Any day spent painting- in my book- is a good day, but to spend it painting out on the water with  a couple other artists on a warm sunny day... well that's a really good day!

Sunlit Reverie

Sunlit Reverie

8x10 oil on gessobord

Loved the sunlight shining through these palms!

Anyone Seen the Red Life Jacket?

Anyone Seen the Red Life Jacket?

8x10 oil on gessonbord

This scene behind an RV parked along the river caught my eye for the varied values and textures within it... plus it was a nice spot in the shade on a hot 80 degree day!

Lake Prevatt

Lake Prevatt SOLD

9x12 oil on gessobord

When I initially walked down by this lake in the early morning it was not even visible through the pea soup-like fog. A couple hours (and one painting) later the sun had burned off all the low lying clouds and this lake was flooded with light and color!

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place SOLD

8x10 oil on gessonbord

The second day of the Wekiva Paint Out was just as foggy as the first... which I actually really liked! I came across this scene along the side of a lake at the camp ground I was staying at.  To the right was a sign which read "A Quiet Place" with a ring of small wooden benches, some sort of mediation place for campers.

First Impression

First Impression 

11x14 oil on gessobord

This was my first painting of the Wekiva Paint Out. We awoke to a thick layer of dense fog throughout the Wekiva Springs State Park, where most of us 27 artists were staying for the week. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture with paint the particualr atmosphere surrounding these lovely palms that first morning.

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To The Sea

To The Sea

8"x10" oil on canvas

Another view of my favorite little path down to the sea from our place on Anna Maria Island... with our foot prints and wagon tracks in the sand from the day before.