Sea and Sky II

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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Another plein air painting from Florida. This one was made near sunset.

Sea and Sky

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Here is a new plein air painting from Florida's Gulf Coast. This one focuses on the color relationships between the sky and the shore. I was intrigued how some of the shadow colors on the shore matched the deeper shades in the clouds. I'm glad I got up early to capture this painting. By the time I finished, a storm front was blowing in.

Plein Air Painter’s Tip: 

Some of you pros may already know this, but today I discovered a handy painting hack. If you're using a french easel, you can position your canvas in such a way so you can use the top of the easel lid to act as a guide for your horizon line. See how the horizon line runs right across the top of the easel lid in the action shot below.

40 Days: Day 23: Beacons of Resilience

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

Plein air with Palette Knife

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Painting from life is a great way to meditate on the world around you. To notice the colors and the structures in our beautiful world is such a blessing. This final painting from Saint Joseph, Michigan was painted plein air on the beach with freezing temperatures and gusty winds. It was enough to make the effort nothing less than pure adventure. The lighthouse in this painting was the location from where the two previous paintings were made. By this time, the winds had picked up greatly and huge swells crashed against the pier.  I could not help but be impressed by the strength of those structures to withstand such harsh conditions. 

Special thanks to my brother-in-law, my host and invaluable assistant, for blocking the winds from knocking my easel over.  I hope to visit this beautiful place again... preferably in the warmer months.

40 Days: Day 20: Michigan Coast

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

Plein air with Palette Knife

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Switching gears for a bit in my 40 paintings. I took some time while on "Spring Break" in Saint Joseph Michigan to do some plein air painting. It was chilly and windy on the north pier, but it was a beautiful day to paint. 

Cozumel & Clouds

12x16

Oil on Canvas

Available

As the temperatures continue to drop, 
I'm keeping a caribbean state of mind 
with this memory for Cozumel.

Gulf Glow

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 26

For all of you beach fans out there.

Sandcastle

12"x12" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

Seven Days on 30-A: Day 7

Our final day on the beach—and the final painting of this series. Our family loves to build sandcastles. The previous day's storm made perfect conditions for sandcastle building on the beach. This painting is of the kids attempting the most epic sandcastle yet. 

A Storm Rolled In

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Seven Days on 30-A: Day 6

This is one of my favorite paintings. Until now, I have never experienced a stormy day on the beach. It was so much fun to paint. All of the colors drastically changed. The horizon and sky became an abstract of line and shape. Fortunately, our beach house had a covered  porch from which to paint, but I still go wet in the end.  It was a fast and frantic printout, but totally worth it!

Changing Tides

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Seven Days on 30-A: Day 5

I am always amazed at how different each day is on the beach. Today the waves were stronger. The higher tides carved interesting shapes on the shore. This painting is of the newly carved beach with a mother carefully watching her children as they play in the stronger currents.

Holiday

8"x10" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Seven Days on 30-A: Day 2

On day two, the sea was calm and beach-goers were enjoying the beach to the fullest—grouped in islands of tents, umbrellas and chairs. The waves were mild and the colors were brilliant. Facing east was particularly colorful. The sun was lighting up the high-rise condos a few miles down the coast. It was a beautiful day full of colorful fun and sun.

Evening Haze

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Seven Days on 30-A: Day 1

Hello Beach! We arrived at the beach house in the mid afternoon. Our luggage still in the car, we took off our shoes and walked on the soft, white sands of Florida’s Gulf Coast. We smelled the sea air, felt the warm breeze on our faces and gazed at the beauty of the ocean. The afternoon light was beginning to turn the sea into a dazzling display of light. After a hurried unloading and quick-change, we came back out to play. For me, playing meant painting the changing colors of the hazy afternoon light. It was as refreshing to my soul as splashing in the ocean waves—which I also did with my family.

Lazy Days

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 11.

One third of the challenge is behind me. Time to relax and take a break, at least in my artist’s mind, in these cozy adirondacks on the gulf. 

Sunset on 30-A

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 4.

When we visit the beautiful beaches along Florida's 30-A, I never get tired of watching the spectacular sunsets.

Gulf View

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 16.

Today's painting reminisces our trip to the Gulf, on Florida's beautiful white beaches.  Over the half-way point in the 30 Days challenge, I thought I'd celebrate by painting a serene scene of relaxation. Ironically, this one took more work than any other painting for this challenge so far. But, in the end, the lasting impression was worth the effort.

Windward Breeze

8"x10" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Fresh Catch Series #1

This is the first installment of my new costal-inspired painting series called "Fresh Catch." Today's fresh catch is a plein-air painting of dunes on a breezy afternoon at Inlet Beach, Florida. 

Seaside Joy

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 23.

Our family loves the beach. We try to vacation there every year. There is something about the beach that just rejuvenates and livens the soul. As I long for the beach on this winter day, I painted an image of my youngest daughter splashing around on the shore. It sums up all of the feelings I love most about our vacations by the sea. 

Grace

Most every summer we go to the beach. It’s a wonderful time for family fun and relaxation. Our favorite patch of sand is on Seagrove Beach, just off of 30-A in Florida. I have always wanted to paint on the beach. This year, we had the room in our van for my french easel and I seized the moment. Painting the ocean tides was harder than I thought. For one, I chose to paint at dusk, when things are the most colorful. But I discovered that the sun sets rather quickly, and the colors change a bit too fast for my speed. I also realized how hard it was to capture the constant motion of the waves. I think what turned out was more impression than fact. That’s just fine with me because what I was really after was an impression. An impression of God’s Grace. I am amazed how the sea is so varied from day to day, and yet remains so constant. Today’s tide could be calm and gentle. Tomorrow’s tide could be strong enough to change the shape of the shore. Yet, you can always trust that there will be waves. One after another. Endless. Never stopping like a beating heart. God’s Grace is very much like that. Sometimes gentle and peaceful. Other times strong and formative. But no matter what, God’s gift of love comes to us every minute of every hour of every day. It never stops coming to our shores. Like a constant breath, God loves us, forgives us, reforms us and sustains us with every crashing wave. It may too complicated to capture in paint, but the impression it leaves for me is simply beautiful.