By the Sandbar

By the Sandbar SOLD

 8"x10" oil on panel

On the last day of Paint the Town 2013 the artists gathered along Pine Ave. on Anna Maria Island.  The weather was gorgeous and the sea was calling me, so I walked on down to the beach right next to one of my favorite restaurants on the island called The SandBar.  A giant oak tree was casting wonderful lavender shadows on the sand by the dunes and the simplicity of the scene appealed to me, as did the shade!  

The next night at the Paint the Town opening reception I was thrilled to receive one of 4 Honorable Mention Awards for this one!

Cortez Boats

Cortez Boats SOLD

9"x12" oil on panel

There's no shortage of great painting inspiration around Cortez Fishing Village over by the StarFish Seafood Company... loved the challenge of capturing the boats' reflections in the water with this one! Equally loved seeing all the other Paint the Town artists' interpretations of scenes from this distinctly "old Florida" landmark.  Incidentally, the show is up through May 3rd at ArtCenter Manatee in Bradenton if you're in the area...

Holmes Beach Looking North

Holmes Beach Looking North SOLD

8"x10" oil on panel

I did this painting last Monday morning along Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, looking north to the point about 3 miles away. With it, I was interested in conveying a sense of the distance, as well as capturing the nuances of shadows and highlights in the expanse of sand before me, already patterned with many early morning footprints.

Buckets of Greens

Buckets of Greens

9"x12" oil on panel

I did this painting at the Bradenton Farmers Market last Saturday morning for the 2 hour "Quick Draw" competition, which was the kick off to Paint the Town 2013.  This was a week long event in which selected professional artists painted on location "en plein air" all around the Bradenton area, culminating in a juried show at the ArtCenter Manatee. I chose this scene for the striking striped table cloths adorning the vendor's tables, upon which were set great big pastel buckets of all sorts of greens. 

I liked the movement of the lines and angles as they naturally lead the viewer's eye back into the distance. (Admittedly, I also liked that directly upwind from me was a barbecue vendor who was filling the air with the most deliciously intoxicating aromas you could imagine!)

Morning by the Myakka River

Morning by the Myakka River 

14"x10" oil on panel

I've been slacking on my blog lately, but I assure you I have a good excuse... 

I've been too busy painting!  

A couple of weeks ago I participated in my first "Paint Out" in Sarasota, along with about 70 other plein air painters. It was a 3 day event and at the end we all submitted our best piece for a juried show. I turned in a painting that I did of my grandmother's backyard... and was honored to have won one of 7 honorable mentions! It's currently on display at Art Center Sarasota, but when it comes down at the end of the month I'll post it here. 

Last weekend I participated in the Hyde Park Chalk Walk plein air painting competition and took 1st place in the Quick Draw and one of two Awards of Merit in the plein air event! Again, I'll post pictures  of them soon 

(one of which has already sold!)

So, as for today's painting, my subject was the beautiful Myakka River State Park. I will definitely be painting there again- so peaceful and gorgeous scenery everywhere you look!

Ca d'Zan Gardens

Ca d'Zan Gardens

8"x11" oil on panel

The Ca d'Zan Mansion, once home to John and Mable Ringling, is located in a beautiful setting on the water in Sarasota. As stunning as the mansion itself is, with the gulf of Mexico in it's backyard, it was the sunlight playing on this bright yellow-green tree and an urn by the former reflecting pool in the front that ended up catching my eye last week when I was there. Tourists came and went all morning long as I painted, many of them stopping to watch as I worked, but the sweetest comment I received was from a little English boy of about 4 years old who walked up behind me and exclaimed "Mummy! Daddy! Come see the most amazing thing! Look, she's painting the big trophy in the garden!"

Contemplating the Ocean

Contemplating the Ocean SOLD

5"x7" oil on panel

I painted on Siesta Key Beach this morning. It was a cool, breezy, overcast day, but as I've said before, the beach is quite lovely no matter what the weather! Now, I don't typically paint figures, but as I was working on this seascape a couple came and set down their blanket in the sand in front of me. He lay on his side reading a book and she sat staring out onto the ocean for about an hour- both staying perfectly still- so I decide to add them in, (they were such obliging models after all!) The photo I took of this painting is not the best quality, as it was taken with the camera on my phone, but I wasn't able to shoot it properly because the couple purchased the painting on sight just as I applied the final brush strokes...SOLD!