On The Road

This morning I leave for a Plein Air painting workshop with Marsha Savage. I can't wait! I learned so much from the last workshop. I will take lots of photos and will write a travelogue when I return on Sunday. Stay cool! Here is the Thought of the Day....

"A Journey is best measured in friends rather than miles"

Tim Cahill

Road Fever

Painting of the Day...Sanibel

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Bailey Tract

Today's painting is one I did from reference photos taken on a recent trip to sanibel Island. Although we were in the middle of Tropical Storm Arlene, I managed to take 500 photos so I should have plenty to paint! I LOVE Sanibel. It is one of my most favorite places in the world. There is so much nature to discover. I could have spent all day wandering the trails at the Wildlife Refuge! This painting is currently listed on ebay and has a bidder so check it out if you are interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338387998&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Today's Painting

Jayne's Garden

Jayne has the most amazing home and gardens. Every nook and cranny is filled with wonderful surprises. It's funny, she didn't seem to think there was anything to paint and I didn't know where to start! I suppose it is that way. I don't think there is anything to paint at my house! So I went over to her house yesterday afternoon and before we started to paint, we enjoyed Jayne's wonderful blackberry cobbler. Yumm! Then we went outside. It was HOT! We are hoping it won't be quite so hot in the mountains later this week. I decided to paint some black-eyed susans and then went on to paint the one I posted. It is an arrangement of flower pots and these very kool clay balls. Jayne didn't get to finish but she has a very nice start on the Black-eyed Susans. I hope to go back! Thanks Jayne for a great afternoon.

Finished! Avalon Beach Scene

'A Day at the Beach'

To finish this painting, I worked on the sea grass. I remember that it was quite breezy so the sea grass was really blowing! I then added different shades of peach and cream to the sandy areas. Next came the finishing touches on the chair. Finally, the fun part.....I added some colorful beach umbrellas and some people enjoying the beach. This painting will be listed on ebay so if you are a beach lover...check out my ebay link!

Here you can see that I added some waves and hinted at a seagull. I also worked on refining the shadows on the life guard chair.

Avalon, New Jersey 'A Day at the Beach' Work in Progress

Today I went to paint at my friend Jayne's house...more on that later.....but I also managed to finish my Avalon painting. Here you can see that I worked on the sky and ocean. I also added shadows to the chair and the sea grass.

Thought of the Day

"Travel spoils you for regular life"

Bill Barich

Traveling Light (1984)

Today I didn't get to paint at all so I can't add to my work in progress. I spent the day getting ready for my next trip...a plein air painting workshop in Cashiers, North Carolina. I take classes from Marsha Savage, a wonderful pastel artist. She will be teaching this workshop and I can't wait to go! I plan to add a travelogue of my trip to my blog when I return so stay tuned...see what it's like at a painting workshop! Sunday I plan to paint with my friend Jayne who I admire greatly as an artist. We want to get warmed up for the workshop. I'll try to work on the Avalon painting so I can add to my work in progress.

Following up on my Work in Progress.........

This is the first layer of pastel. I am painting on Wallis sanded paper which I love to use. For my first layer, I am using the harder nu pastels and blocking in the scene. I started with the dark areas first and then just made sure to cover the entire sheet of paper with a layer of color. This is 8 x 10 by the way. It doesn't look too good right now! But it is time to start using my softer pastels now. My favorites are Unisons and Terry Ludwigs. Ok....back to the easel!

Work in Progress - Avalon Beach Scene

Here is my current 'Work in Progress' ....well here is my reference photo to start with. I plan to show you the steps I take to paint this scene in pastel. This is a photo I took last summer in Avalon, New Jersey. As you can see, the horizon is crooked and the colors are dull. I remember it as a beautiful blue-sky beach day with lots of color. In my painting I will make the colors more intense to better capture the feeling of a hot summer beach day.

Painting of the Day ... Sanibel Island

Here in Atlanta we are expecting the hottest weather of the season. All the more reason to choose a beach scene for my painting of the day. Wouldn't it be nice to run and jump into the Gulf and then spend a lazy day floating on a raft...or my favorite way to float....on a noodle net! This is a view from an area on Sanibel on Middle Gulf Drive near the Waterside Inn. There were several large Australian Pines that the ospreys would rest and feed in. I spent many hours quietly watching these awesome birds. Look for Osprey paintings soon. This painting is one of my current ebay offerings.

eBay: Pastel Painting NJ Shore Wildwood Lifeguard Beach Sea (item 7337133330 end time Jul-22-05 17:45:00 PDT)

eBay: Pastel Painting NJ Shore Wildwood Lifeguard Beach Sea (item 7337133330 end time Jul-22-05 17:45:00 PDT)

This is my latest offering on ebay. This auction ends tomorrow but I will be listing two more sanibel paintings tonight so be sure to check them out.

This is me painting plein air at Lake Allatoona

Today's Painting

'Out on the Cove' Lake Hiwasee, North Carolina

Here is my first commissioned painting. It is a houseboat out on Lake Hiwasee in Murphy North Carolina. Out in the cove there are these floating cabins that we discovered several years ago. At the time, most of them were used as fishing cabins and were in bad shape. My dad bought one and fixed it up. It became our summere get-away spot...our own lake front retreat. Over the years friends came to visit and most of them bought a houseboat! Everyone decorated with a different theme...there is this red barn, a New England themed boat, a bright caribbean boat. The cove on Lake Hiwassee is a very cool place to spend a summer weekend!

Toccoa River Plein Air 

First Blog Post July 2005

Here's my latest Pastel painting. It's a lifeguard stand in North Wildwood, NJ. It was early morning on the beach before the crowds arrive. I'll admit that I like it both ways. I love the serenity of early morning on the beach....but I also love the color of the crowds as they fill the beach with their beach chairs and umbrellas.

Hi and welcome to my blog. This is my first post so bear with me! As soon as I figure it out Ill be posting a painting.