Little Foxes, 6x6 Original Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas, Wildlife Painting

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This picture was taken in Alaska, and these cute little guys were so sleepy they barely reacted to me taking their picture. I like the way they appear to be smiling and have such contented looks on their faces.

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Mermaids and Sea Serpent, 14x11 Graphite and Watercolor on Nautical Chart

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This started as a graphite drawing on a nautical chart, like my last mermaid. My process is: I study the chart from a distance until I see something in it. In this case I saw the sea serpent first, and lo and behold, there was a stingray right in front of him. Then I noticed the possibility of mermaids toward the top. 

The sea creatures are actually made up of bodies of water, and I ignore that the chart is upside down; the aspect is determined by what the sea creatures dictate. After I did the drawing I thought I'd try some color, so I used watercolor. This is so different from my usual work, and I'm really enjoying creating these little fantasies.

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Sunset Palms, Seascape, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel

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I have gone from soft in my previous post to intense in this one. Florida's sunsets can be so unbelievable, and I never tire of painting them. I got more loosey-goosey in this one.

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Palma Sola, Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Landscape

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This is a scene from Palm Sola Botanical Garden in Bradenton, Florida, and was the first of three hikes with my nephew that hot sizzling day. The only moments we were cool were in the car between parks. 

I painted this after reading a challenge from Becky Joy to paint with three colors: yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and white. It was a good lesson and the painting was very interesting, but dull. It couldn't be brightened with those colors only, so I used cadmium yellow to finish it. I like it better now.

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River of Grass II, 8x6 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Everglades Landscape

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I have painted this scene before, but this one is a bit more loosey-goosey, which I am happy about. This is the Royal Palm Visitor Center in the Everglades, and two of the best trails are here: the Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo-Limbo Trail. There are also more alligators than I've ever seen in one place, which are, thankfully, viewed from the safety of the boardwalk. 

The Everglades are in a battle to the death with big-money interests, so I hope Florida voters will figure that out in the next election. But don't get me started...

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Flower Girls, 11x14 Original Oil on Canvas

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Sometimes a photo just cries out to be painted. What is sweeter than flower girls at a wedding, waiting in anticipation to play their part? 

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Bermuda Scene, 8x6 Original Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape

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I used to live in this beautiful place, and I appreciated every moment there, even the rainy winters. I lived in Diamond Cottage on Suffering Lane; that was my actual address, no house numbers. Bermuda has the legendary pink sand beaches, and if you have seen the Photoshopped version on Facebook with the Pepto-Bismol pink beach, you have not seen Bermuda. It looks exactly as I have painted it. Yes, it does have pink sand, tiny bits of coral among the whiter grains, and you can see that when you are closer up. I have a bottle of it, pictured below:

Just because it's on Facebook doesn't make it so. I could make myself look 27 with my handy dandy Photoshop program. 

 

A friend of mine was a taxi driver in Bermuda, and he once had a woman ask him to stop so she could get a bottle of turquoise water to take home. Wow.

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Italian Man, 10x8 Original Oil on Canvas, Figurative Art, Portrait

This man was waiting for a train outside Venice and the light was shining so beautifully on him. In spite of my digital camera having that delay before being able to snap the first shot, I did get the picture before our train pulled out of the station. 

I hope I see Venice again before I shuffle off this mortal coil. What a beautiful and unique city.

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