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

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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.

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.

Dolphins

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 9

One of the things I love about the 30 day painting challenges is the opportunity to paint just about anything. It's a real creative playground where I can experiment and discover new muses. So, for today, something completely different—dolphins. 

We took photos of these dolphins while visiting California. We were supposed to be on a whale sight-seeing tour. We found no whales, but we DID come across a megapod of thousands of dolphins. Take a look at the video here:

Pacifica

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 25

While on vacation in California last summer, I was fascinated by an exhibit of undersea kelp. The exhibit simulated ocean current, making the kelp wave with the flow of the water.  I thought it would make a great abstract painting. This is a fist study of what I hope someday will be a larger piece.

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!

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.

Harbor

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 21.

Have you ever looked at a harbor and all of the boats just seemed to blend together? That was the impression that I tried to convey in today's piece.

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.

Morning Tide

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Fresh Catch Series #3

This is the companion painting to yesterday's post. This is the gulf tide in the morning. Even though there is very little surf, the calm waters and shallow sandbars make for a colorful seascape.

Evening Tide

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Fresh Catch Series #2

Today's painting is of the evening tide in the Gulf of Mexico. There is very little surf in the gulf. Sometimes, it is so calm that it seems as if someone simply turned off the "surf machine." By evening, the sea does manage to muster up some waves. Watch for a future painting of the morning tide to compliment this piece.

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.