Tangerines

My daughter was here from Virginia and we had a great time. We rashly bought two bags of Honey Tangerines, and I kept to my Paint It/Eat It rule, and this is the result. Back in the day in Central Florida, we never bought citrus--never needed to. Most people's work was connected to citrus and fruit was free. It was very hard for me the first time I had to pay for an orange.

Melbourne Harbor

Plein air painting with my 'peeps' produced this one. There is no learning experience quite like painting outdoors, and no photograph is really the same thing. Many beautiful paintings are produced from photos, but the light and color are not like the real light and color. It's a big challenge, but gets more enjoyable every time.

Storm Over Hopetown

I loved visiting Elbow Cay in the Abacos Islands. The water color is impossible to believe, the people are so friendly, and the food is unbelievable, especially the coconut pie. The beaches are incredible. We spotted a giant red starfish in the shallow clear water at Tahiti Beach and it was an incredible-looking thing. This is a painting of the view I had when I was leaving on the ferry just before the storm. I hated to leave.

Venice Parking Lot

Here's a departure from still life and landscapes. I was so amazed to see how elaborate the interiors of gondolas are, with brocade upholstery on the seats. I never heard one single gondolier singing, though. Not a note. I expected at least a few bars of "O Sole Mio," but no. The best scene was the commuters going from one side of the Grand Canal to the other, in their suits, with their briefcases, standing in a gondola. A whole crowd of them, all standing! Those people have some sea legs.

Apples and Glass

Do you get the feeling I like food? Isn't it nice that it's attractive and tasty? I'm sitting here looking out at a huge papaya on my tree. Time to harvest that. I planted seeds a few years ago from a gigantic, sweet papaya I had bought, and I have a little papaya farm going on now. We can't grow apples here in Florida, so they are part of my buy it/paint it/eat it cycle. And they are more attractive than papayas. I told my husband I may paint one someday, and I already have the title. He said, "Oh, My Papaya?" He knows me too well.

Shady Oaks

I just love roads like this. You just know there is something good at the other end. In this case, you can take this road and wander around Spring Island, which is sparsely populated and looks as though Rhett Butler might ride up at any moment. Moss-draped trees, palms and marshes--it's Low Country at its best. This is my 9 x 12 version of the scene.