Painting My World: May 2007

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Plein Air Irises

'Bessie's Garden' 5x7 pastel

I had the chance to paint in Jaynes's neighbor's yard. She has the most wonderful flower beds and at the time her Irises were in bloom. I was taken with these yellow ones so I sat down to paint them. It originally was 8x10 but I decided it would be great as a pair of 5x7's. Look for the other one tomorrow!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sanibel Island Beach Umbrellas

'Relaxation' 9x12 pastel

It's been awhile since I painted a Sanibel Island scene and it was fun to go through my reference photos and remember relaxing on the beach. I love these colorful beach umbrellas. I can just feel the slight breeze and hear the surf tumble the shells at the shoreline. Ahhhhh, that's Relaxation!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Bird Nest #4

'Eggs in the Morning' 8x10 pastel

Here is nest number 4 in my bird nest series. This one is an American Goldfinch nest. I call it 'Eggs in the Morning' because I was trying to capture the soft dappled early morning light on the eggs. This painting is on LaCarte paper with Great American and Ludwig pastels.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Water Lily in Bloom

'Water Lily in Bloom' 8x10 pastel

On our recent trip to the South Carolina coast we visited Brookgreen Gardens. There were several ponds with lilies that were on the verge of blooming. We were disappointed that we didn't see any in bloom. As luck would have it, on the ride home, we saw some lilies in bloom in a pond at the side of the highway!! We got to see our lilies after all...so of course they had to be painted! This painting is 8x10 on prepared gatorboard which gives it a nice texture.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Sailing the Virgin Islands

'Sailing the Virgin Islands' 8x10 pastel

No that wasn't me on the sailboat! That is something I'd love to do someday though! I was actually on the deck of the Zuiderdam cruise ship as we sailed to our port stop of St. Thomas. The smaller sailboats would get close to the ship and everyone would wave. It looked like they were having so much fun!

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Monument Valley Pastel Painting

'Monumental Skies' 9x18 pastel

I am getting into a Southwest mood with my vacation approaching so I took a break from beaches and palm trees to paint from one of my SW reference photos. This is a view of the 'Mittens' in Monument Valley. I was excited for our visit to Monument Valley a couple of winters agao. When we arrived I was disappointed to see the skies gray and dreary with sprinkles of rain. I was hoping for a glorious sunset which didn't happen. We did get to experience some interesting skies. I wish I had taken more photos. I won't have that problem on this trip...I just got another 2 gig memory card so I have 4 gigs of memory...that should do it!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Hunting Island Palms

'Hunting Island Palms' 5x7 pastel

This is a great beach to visit. It isn't easy to get hereand there isn't anything to do except enjoy the wild scenery. But it is so interesting. I am talking about Hunting Island State Park on the South Carolina coast near Beaufort. There are these wonderful tall palm trees lining the beach giving a tropical feeling to a beach which otherwise reminded me of the Oregon coast. Very unique and wonderful!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Stone Harbor Salt Marsh

'Afternoon at the Wetlands Institute' 5x7 pastel

Every once in awhile I come across an older photo that I just want to paint. This is from a visit I made a few summers ago to the NJ Shore. I spent an afternoon at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor. There are wonderful expanses of marshes along the coast and I wish I had taken more photos! It is interesting to contrast these green summer marshes to the early spring colors we saw in the marsh grasses on the SC coast.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Barbados Pastel Painting SOLD

'Caribbean Blue' 8x10 pastel

One of my favorite islands in the Caribbean is Barbados. I've been there twice and both times I took a local island tour which I highly recommend. It is such a diverse and beautiful island. Every stop on the tour was unique. This painting is the second one I've done of this particular overlook. The water was such a beautiful shade of blue and it got better as the tour went on!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Low Country Marsh

'Signs of Spring' 5x7 pastel

I was starting to clean up the pastels I used for the egret painting when I thought it would be fun to do a marsh painting using only those pastels. It was a fun little experiment and this marsh scene looks so nice with the Egret painting. I think it would great practice to do the same scene with a few different color palettes. I'll put that on my list! Tonight I am going to paint with Jayne so look for the results tomorrow.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Snowy Egret Pastel Painting

'Glorious' 8x10 pastel

I was lucky to see this gorgeous Snowy Egret in all his glory. The way he was backlit in the dark swampy area where I saw him was almost unreal...he was just so beautiful! You could see why their feathers were coveted for ladies hats. This painting is done on LaCarte pastel paper with mostly Great American pastels.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Blue Ridge Georgia Mountain Scene

'Quiet Morning' 12x16 pastel

Here is another scene from the farm in Blue Ridge , Georgia where I had the opportunity to paint last year. We need to go back!!!! Hopefully we will be able to get back this summer to do some painting. I just finished framing my show paintings and a few to bring up to the gallery in North Carolina. I hope to go up over Memorial Weekend.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Flowers in a Meadow

'In the Meadow' 5x7 pastel

'How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.' -William Wordsworth

Here is another little roadside flower painting. I loved how this rogue Purple Coneflower made an appearance in the Black-eyed Susans!I have some time this evening to paint and I am trying to decide on my subject. Check back and see what won!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Queen Annes Lace Pastel Painting

'Roadside Beauty' 5x7 pastel

I haven't painted flowers in awhile so I decided on the Queen Annes Lace. I really love these flowers..the way they add a graceful touch to the most ordinary settings. I found these one summer along the side of the road. I used some recycled Wallis paper for this painting. I just brushed off the old painting which left a nice underpainting to work with.

Corey's Self Portrait

From time to time I have posted my son's work from his art classes at Kennesaw State. Yesterday he brought over his portfolio so we could photograph his work. I loved his self portrait. For anyone that knows him....you know that this looks just like him! I wish I could draw faces!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

A Scene from Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

'Town Beach Boat' 8x10 pastel

Grand Turk was filled with all kinds of surprises and great photo opportunities or in my case...great painting material! Like this old boat tied up to some sea grape trees. And a beach covered in sea glass...and of course water such a magical shade of blue it was almost unreal. I have only scratched the surface of my pile of reference photos from my January cruise!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Moab Utah Winter Pastel

'A Winter Tour' 8x10 pastel

Our Southwest vacation is in a few weeks so I thought it was time to start organizing my pastels...to see if I have the right colors in my travel box! So I pulled out a few photos from my last trip to Moab, Utah which happened to be in the winter. It was amazing how much color there was even though it was soft and muted. I am really getting excited about this trip. We just made some itinerary changes and made room for a stop at Moab...which is one of my favorite places! Last time I was there we passed the Red Cliffs Lodge and I said I would love to stay there and set up and paint....well I plan to do just that!

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Low Country Sunset Pastel Painting SOLD

'Another Sunset Surprise' 5x7 pastel

This was one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever experienced. And the best part was that we just stumbled upon it in Beaufort, SC when we missed the turn to the beach! How lucky can you get!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Sanibel Stoop

'Shellseeker at Sunset' 11x14 pastel

I've had this image in mind for quite awhile. I decided that today was the day to paint it. This is my daughter looking for shells at sunset on Sanibel Island. One of the great things about staying in a cottage right on the beach is the ability to walk the beach at all the best times of day. The magic hour just before sunset is one of those times!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

NJ Shore Lifeguard Stands

'Waiting for the Season' 8x10 pastel

I was backing up some older photos and came across some oldies but goodies...things I've been wanting to paint. So today, after spending a frustrating morning framing.. I took a break to paint these lifeguard chairs...symbols of summer! I had an even better photo of about 20 chairs all in a corral...but that was too complicated. I have another great photo of some lifeguard boats that I would like to paint.

Just a note...My blog has been 'tagged' so I will play along tomorrow when I get a chance...stay tuned!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Purple Marsh ACEO

'Purple Marsh Morning' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

Today I had plans to stay in and frame. I have to frame the two paintings accepted into the Southeast Pastel Society show as well as a few to bring up to the gallery in North Carolina next week. But instead I went shopping! There's always tomorrow! So for today's painting here is a little ACEO I did last week. It is the marsh at Huntington Beach State park in South Carolina. I love to paint the marshes!

click here to bid on this painting

Friday, May 11, 2007

Blue Ridge Georgia Pastel Painting

'A View from the Farm' 11x14 pastel

Last spring I spent a day doing some plein air painting up in Blue Ridge Georgia with the Georgia Outdoor Painters. We spent the morning at a local farm where the views were just beautiful. It was such a peaceful and soft looking morning. I have painted another view of the field but I liked this view as well so I took a photo and painted it today.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Sanibel Island Pastel Painting

'Sanibel Magic' 8x10 pastel

A perfect eveing on Sanibel Island is to have a grouper sandwich at the Lazy Flamingo and then walk across the street to the beach for the sunset! The hour or so before the sunset is a wonderful time for photography...the light is so wonderful. I love wandering the beach with my camera in hand capturing the glow of the setting sun. This beach path leads to some cottages which may be part of the Castaway complex. I just loved how the path and cottages were lit by tehe sun.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

A Pink Hibiscus Pastel Painting

'Hot Pink on a Hot Day' 5x7 pastel

Today's painting is another one for my Hibiscus series. Whenever I see a Hibiscus flower I am reminded of the tropics and hot, sultry weather. This pretty hot pink flower seems especially tropical. I have some fun paintings planned for the rest of the week...from Sanibel Island to the Georgia mountains...I can't wait to get started!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

New Magen's Bay Painting SOLD

'Magen's Bay Shade' 8x10 pastel

It's been awhile since I painted a Caribbean scene so here is one from our January cruise. My favorite beach is Magen's Bay on St. Thomas and I love to get there early before the crowds to take photos and sketch. There is a section of the beach where these colorful little boats are pulled up under the sea grape trees. I'm so glad I got a photo of them before the crowds arrived...by mid-day the little boats were covered with towels and beach gear!

Monday, May 07, 2007

Cardinal's Nest Pastel Painting

'Babies on the Way' 5x7 pastel

Here is a new addition to my bird nest series. This one is a Cardinal's nest. Their eggs can be blueish, grayish, green...these were more blue. They can be covered with brown & purple markings or be marked sparsely. I painted this on black paper which was an interesting choice for this subject. The jewel tones really pop on the dark paper!

Cardinal Pastel Painting

Today's painting is a Cardinal from a photo I took while visiting Jayne's Bluebirds. He was just posing for me in the bush surrounded by berries as red as he was! After I finished painting him I decided I would like to paint a cardinal's nest to go along with my bird nest series. I'll be posting that one next. This one is 5x7 on LaCarte Pastel paper. If you'd like to purchase this painting, send me an email at kemstudios@yahoo.com

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Evening at the Marsh Pastel Painting

'The Magic Hour' 5x7 pastel

On the way back to the hotel in Georgetown, South Carolina, we pulled over to Hobcaw Point Observation Point to see the sunset. An old highway bridge has been converted into a fishing pier. You can see some great views of the Great Pee Dee River from here also. But I was fascinated by the stands of cat tails and reeds that lined the river. They were just full of Red Winged Blackbirds calling out to one another and the reeds just glowed from the light of the setting sun....truly the Magic Hour!

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Barred Owl Pastel Painting SOLD

'Whoooo's Looking at You?' 5x7 pastel

It was a treat to be able to see these beautiful Barred Owls up so close at Brookfield Gardens. They had a small Raptor Center where they cared for birds who could not be released into the wild because of injuries. There were three Barred Owls and they were gorgeous! I took several photos but this pose was one of my favorites.

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