Peaceful Easy Feel'n

Peaceful Easy Feel'n

8x10 oil on canvas

What's a girl to do when she wakes up to such an irresistible sky this one? Why, paint it of course! Good excuse to do a little cloud study this morning.

Clouds, waves, animals and kids... they just never stop moving!

Skinny 1 Burger Studies #2

 Lunch With Friends

6x9 oil on Arches Oil Paper

Ignoring the Parents

6x9 oil on Arches Paper

Need I say more? ;)

On site painting at Skinny's Place this afternoon

Sam

Sam

8x10 oil on gessobord

My son came with me today for the last Light Chasers outing of the season (just get'n too hot!) We met at Ken Thompson Park in Sarasota where there was plenty of shade and a nice cool sea breeze. He brought his iPad and found a spot in the shade to sit and do a "digital painting" of a nearby sailboat using the SketchbookPro app. So still, focused and concentrating, he made a good model for mom!

On the easel

His iPad painting (way less messy than oils!)

Light Study

Light Study

5x7 oil on gessobord

I set out this evening to do a larger painting, drove to the north end of the island, walked out onto the beach and got my easel all set up... only to realize I'd left my brushes at home!

Fortunately, I remembered I had a tiny 1/4" touch up brush in my purse and a small palette knife in my backpack, so rather than start a large painting, I decided to give my meager tools a whirl on a 5x7 inch panel and at least do a small light study. Necessity being the mother of invention, I actually really like the fine, expressive marks made by the palette knife, may have to use it more often!

Shaded Dunes

Shaded Dunes

8x10 oil on canvas

Working on simplifying my shapes (squinting), softening my edges (varying brush pressure and position), refining my values (comparing)... and trying my best to stay cool in the shade on this hot June morning!

Siesta Key Beach Path

Siesta Key Beach Path

11x14 oil on gessobord

Well it's definitely summer around here! (Even under my trusty easel umbrella I think I sweated off at least 5 lbs this morning!) But it was worth it for the chance to capture the gorgeous blue sky and billowing clouds over Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota with a few of my fellow the Light Chasers (most of whom were smarter than I and stayed in the shade of a nearby tree!) 

After using essentially the same limited pallet of colors for the past 3 years I've decided it's time to branch out a bit and experiment with some new ones. Inspired by the work of  Kim Casebeer and her book Ideas For the Landscape Painter, I'm having fun with a few new hues!

Happy Hour

Happy Hour

8x10 oil on canvas

So in addition to being a painter, I'm also a runner. (If I could just kick my running habit I'd probably get a lot more early morning painting done, in fact!) At a race expo once I saw a t shirt that said "Running is my Happy Hour." Now I'm kinda think'n I want one that says "Painting is my Happy Hour!" Anyway, I sure do love the light in that hour right before sunset...