Bill's Dogs, 11x14 Oil on Canvas Panel

These were painted for my dear cousin Bill, who lives in Sequim, Washington. Sequim is pronounced "Squim" and it's an amazing little town. It has seashore, lavender farms, flowers everywhere, and nearby are mountains and rain forests. When we went to downtown Sequim, I walked into the public restroom and an aria from "Carmen" started playing. How did it know?

Carmen

Ibis, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel, Wildlife Art, Daily Painting

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I've been painting a lot of flowers lately, so here's a little change of pace. These birds were at our wonderful Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. To quote the zoo website, here is how it all started:

It began as a small group of people...
A small group of people with a big dream; building a zoo. A world-class zoo that would serve as a conservation hub where people could gather to learn about animals. A place to escape from the urban world and get closer to nature, to be reminded of the diversity of the life with which we share this planet.

Now we have a state-of-the-art zoo with rhinos, giraffes, meerkats--it's an amazing testament to what community effort can do.

Carmen

Field Flowers, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel Floral Daily Painting

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I painted a big happy sunflower on this canvas, then decided I hated it, so I scraped it off. The result was a lovely background that looked like a green field, so I painted these flowers in the field and now I like it. "Scrapers" frequently produce interesting results. I think I'll do more of it. 

Carmen

Peace, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape at Sunrise

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The beach makes me happy. It is a place to escape hectic everyday life, and especially the constant yammering of politics (shiver). I've always marveled that I can walk from the noisy, busy highway, over the crossover, and down to the beach, and I only hear the pleasant sounds of the ocean. 

There's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away.

-Sarah Kay

Marilyn, 20x20 Oil Portrait on Canvas

Only Marilyn Monroe could wear a hat like that and look so good. This is one of my favorite pictures of the photogenic Miss Monroe. I pulled this one from the archives, since I have fallen behind in my new paintings.

My grandmother used to wear a hat fully that large when she hoed her little orange grove, but it did not have the same effect. It did allow her to take her shade with her. She was a true Florida pioneer, tough as nails, an Italian woman who didn't like to cook. I know. Who ever heard of an Italian woman who didn't like to cook?

Carmen

Shadow Irises, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel, Floral Daily Painting

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I really like the play of the shadows on the wall. I love visiting Virginia in the Spring and seeing a lot of flowers we don't see much in Florida. My daughter always has a spectacular yard, and in my family we call it "The Chulie Gene." Chulie was my grandmother and she had a plant nursery. Most of my family inherited the Chulie Gene and at this time of year texts fly back and forth among them with images of their beautiful flowers. My grandmother would be so pleased. 

Carmen

Purple Posies, 5x7 Oil on Panel Floral Painting

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After my last painting, which was quite complicated, I felt the need for a painting that freed me up, so I selected this from my bouquet. This is a very "floral" week, with Mother's Day flowers and visiting Bok Tower Thursday with the Pieces of Eight painting group. I grew up a few miles from Bok Tower, and when I was young the Big Three tourist attractions were Silver Springs, Cypress Gardens and Bok Tower. Of course, Disney changed all that. Bok Tower has no thrill rides, just beautiful gardens and a gorgeous building. Below are a few pictures from our very pleasant day.

The postcard view 

The Golden Door

The last Spring blooms of the azaleas

Window on the Pond

Purple Time, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel, Floral Painting

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I got this wonderful bouquet for Mother's Day and I deconstructed it to make it interesting to paint. It also made it much more difficult. My previous painting was the same way, with many pieces and parts, so I need to snap out of it and simplify the next one. Of course, with flowers, your subject has a short life so you must act quickly and decisively. 

I put my bouquet back together when I was done and I thank it for its service. It is really beautiful and I'm loving all that purple. 

Carmen

View from SquidLips, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel, Florida Scene

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This is the view from a popular restaurant, looking at the Indian River Lagoon right beside the Eau Gallie Causeway in Melbourne, Florida. This was a very pleasant day with my painting buddies. We get somewhat scattered in the summertime, but we paint together faithfully when we are here. Next week we are making a trek to Bok Tower in Central Florida. I painted the below painting a long time ago from a visit to Bok Tower. I grew up near there and wrote a memoir called Crackers and Oranges about my childhood. It was a different time in what we now call "Old Florida." It was before Disney, and the three big attractions were Bok Tower, Silver Springs, and Cypress Gardens, which is now Legoland. Pretty tame compared to the behemoths that are tourist attractions in Orlando these days.

Carmen