The Breakfast Table, after John Singer Sargent

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When our painting group, Pieces of 8, first began painting together, we agreed to hone our skills by copying the masters. I love the work of John Singer Sargent, I so I copied this rather complex piece. I really identify with this woman--eating and reading at the same time.

Here is my favorite copy I did of a Sargent painting. 

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Beach Paradise, Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, 9x6 Seascape Daily Painting

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I'm running out of titles for these beach scenes. How many ways can you describe such a beautiful place? I worked on this while getting windows installed and pavers put down in the driveway. My easel was really the only place I could be out of the way, so the drills were drilling and the saws were sawing, and I pretended I was back on North Captiva Island listening to the sound of the Laughing Gulls.

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North Captiva Sunset, 9x12 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Seascape

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At the end of each road on the Gulf side of North Captiva Island in Florida there is a beach, and most every night there is a sunset show. People gather on beach chairs and watch the sun go down, and there is sometimes applause. It's perhaps a form of worship, applauding God for His magnificent display. No paintbrush can truly capture it.

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Oil Painting, "Anna Maria Reverie," 5x7 Oil on Canvas Daily Painting

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Even though I just came from North Captiva Island, this painting of Anna Maria Island was started before my vacation. I finished it today and I'm looking forward to painting more of N. Captiva next. Both places are beautiful and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico are very different from our surf here on the Atlantic. 

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Gull Cottage, Pen-and-Ink Drawing, 5x7

In the past two weeks I have painted a large oil painting, drawn this pen-and-ink drawing, and painted 8 x 20-foot flats for a play. Oh, and below are journal entries I did during my stay on North Captiva in Gull Cottage (above).

Pretty good for a woman of certain age.

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Oil Painting on Canvas, "Beach at Oro Pesos," 18x24 Seascape

There's nothing more inspiring than painting in gorgeous surroundings. This beautiful spot is on North Captiva Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and my husband and I explored every inch of the place while we were there. While looking for a subject to paint I spotted this scene, and the long purple shadows really clinched it. While I was painting I could hear the Laughing Gulls and the rustling coconut palms, and it was just...indescribable. The island is a paradise for an artist or writer. And of course, for tourists escaping the cold frozen North.

This was a wonderful way to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary.

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Oil Painting, "Blackbird," 5x7 Oil on Canvas Panel

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This was my entry in the Pieces of Eight challenge this month, to paint a black bird without using black paint. I saw this little guy at our zoo, enjoying the food people were tossing to the exotic birds, and I loved all the colors I could see in his black feathers.

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