River Dock, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

This is a study for a mural that I'm going to paint when I get time. I took time out for a couple of days and went with my friend Kathy Garvey to Polk County, where I grew up. While there we visited the Dundee Depot Museum and I donated a copy of my book, Crackers and Oranges, which is a memoir about growing up in Dundee.

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Rock City Gardens, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Landscape Art

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South of Sebastian, Florida is this beautiful garden and nursery, where they welcome artists and allow us to paint to our hearts' content. Every time we go, there are more gorgeous paths and plants, plus a little lake with an island. I picked this spot because of the winding path and the dappled light. There's a bit of a mystery to paintings of pathways...what is at the end?

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Sherri and Woody, 20x20 Portrait, Oil on Canvas

I was commissioned by AARP to do a portrait of a caregiver and patient. I was to faithfully represent the people in the photo they sent, as well as the Christmas tree in the background. After the time spent with Sherri and Woody's photo I felt that I knew them. I was one of twenty-one artists chosen to do the art for an exhibit called "Portrait of Care."

The gallery event will be on Capitol Hill November 3rd for Congressional representatives and their staff. The second event will be in the AARP headquarters on November 4th. I'm honored to be part of this because caregivers are very special and giving people, whether they are professionals or relatives. They deserve a unique tribute like this.

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Simonetta, 16x20 Collage on Canvas, after Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus"

$420, Buy Now

One of the members of our painting group, Pieces of Eight, has written a book about Simonetta Vespucci, the beautiful woman who inspired Botticelli's painting, "Birth of Venus." Fay Picardi's fascinating book, Simonetta, takes us to the 1470s during the Italian Renaissance in Florence. Simonetta was considered the greatest beauty of her time, and today, over 500 years later, her face is seen everywhere in Florence--even on T-shirts. Her life was short, but her beauty endures.

Fay's book launch will be on November 6th 5:30 to 7:30 at Derek Gores' art gallery in the Eau Gallie Arts District. If you live in the Melbourne, Florida area, stop by; our painting group will be exhibiting our very diverse and surprising interpretations of Simonetta. There will be a booksigning and Fay will give a short reading at 6:30.

Books and art! What could be better?

Farmland, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Landscape, Purple Hull Peas and Frog

$110, Buy Now

My daughter and I were taking a walk down a beautiful road through Virginia farmland when I saw this scene. Though this is out in the country, it's not all that far from our nation's capital.

While I'm posting country things, how many of you recognize these? They are Purple Hull Peas, and they are the most delicious vegetables you will ever eat. My daughter and I both grew them this summer, and I never enjoyed pea-shelling more, knowing what the reward would be!

And finally, I took this photo in my daughter's garden. This frog actually looked green and purple. Frogs are the cuties of the reptile world.

Pelicans in Flight, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape with Birds

$125, Buy Now

I feel fortunate when I catch a flock of pelicans in flight; with a digital camera at the beach and all the movement going on, it is like shooting blind. 

We are expecting a lot of wave action this weekend due to hurricane Joaquim, so I will be down there with my camera. I'm just so thankful we haven't been hit in 11 years. Makes you wonder why our insurance premiums are still outrageous (grumble grumble).

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Saltwater Cure, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape Painting of Stormy Seas

$99, Buy Now

"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea."

-  Isak Dinesen

The above quote is the inspiration for the title of this one. I love to see stormy seas; there is a lot of excitement and action going on. I'm just glad I'm not out on a ship in it. I have been to sea twice; once, there were 25-foot seas and a broken engine on the ship (that was when I was working and I was on the job); the second time I was on a cruise ship in a big storm. There aren't enough crackers in the world to fight that kind of seasickness. On those trips the cure for me was not saltwater, it was stepping onto terra firma.

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Sketch of Girl, 11x14, Oil on Canvas

This is a quicky-quick sketch of a girl that I did to practice my drawing skills. I need to do more of that. If you can draw a person you can draw anything. I don't know if there's another profession that is a lifelong learning experience like art. It seems that there is a continual striving for perfection. Maybe that's why the dreams I have while sleeping are always about trying to get somewhere and never getting there. I used to dream about flying, but I never flew outdoors. I revealed this once in a psychology class discussion about dreams of flying and the professor said, "See me after class." He just didn't get how much fun it is to hover near the ceiling.

Carmen