The Everglades, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

The Everglades is a wild and wonderful place, constantly threatened by damage caused by human greed or carelessness. The latest problem is pythons, and they are consuming huge amounts of small game, which leaves large game without food. A recent python hunt got rid of some of them, but they reproduce in large numbers, so this is an ongoing battle. I try to look at the beauty and hope for the best for this important ecosystem.

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Hurricane: Before and After, 8x10 Oil on Board

Before the Storm

After the Storm

My first reversible painting! It's stormy on one side, sunny on the other. I'm always fascinated by the changes in the ocean, and a hurricane passing by Florida creates awesome drama. This family wisely stayed in shallow water and watched the mighty waves crashing.

Hurricane Isaac was long and drawn out, so it was many days before the peaceful, warm, sunny scene in the "After" painting. I am so lucky to live here--barring storm surge, of course.

This painting comes with an easel so it may be easily displayed according to your mood. It's kind of a "Mood Ring" of art, and it's two paintings in one!

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The Loons, 10x10 Collage on Canvas

I saw these beautiful loons when I was in a boat on Big Lake in Alaska. Hearing their mournful calls from far away is quite nice, but they have some other calls that are not as appealing. Male and female loons look alike, but the male is a bit larger. They can dive to depths of 32 yards and can stay submerged for fifteen minutes. That's my loon lesson for the day.

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Dream Boat, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

Going for a dreamy effect here, because the original scene was quite dull, in very flat light. In reviewing my work of the past two weeks, it looks like I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I used to have a friend who would say, "When you grow up, you grow old, when you grow old, you die." Let's hear it for immaturity!

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Girl in the Butterfly Garden, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

How much fun is a butterfly garden? This one had every color of butterfly, including green. The girl's pose really struck me, it is so typical of a young girl.

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The dreaded political ad season is upon us and I am disgusted already. I would like to refer politicians (especially those who claim to be saintly) to Proverbs 6:16-19:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

The Photographer, 8x10 Original Oil on Canvas

I took this photo of our Pieces of 8 member Kathy Garvey while she was intently photographing poppies. She liked them as much as I did. It was really fun to paint her, and of course it was an excuse to paint more poppies. Here's a little slideshow of the painting as it progressed:

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Christmas Palm, 12x12 Oil on Canvas

Christmas Palms are so beautiful. I see a lot of them in public landscapes, but there are never any berries. I guess they are considered too messy and get trimmed off. In Elbow Cay in the Bahamas I saw a lot of them left on the trees and it gave such a lovely touch to the landscape. What other palms have such a striking fruit?

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Soft Landing, 8x10 Collage

Color follows trends, and I guess bright yellow is not trendy now, because it was difficult to find a yellow that would give this butterfly some "punch." I finally discovered this buttery yellow in Dr. Oz's sweater. He is always so helpful, isn't he?

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Blue Frog, 12x9 Collage

This little dude is the Blue Poison Dart Frog. The toxin from these frogs was used by South American Indians to poison tips of blowgun darts. Needless to say, these little guys have few predators in the jungle. In the wild, its diet of ants, termites and beetles causes its skin toxins. In captivity, a more bland diet renders the frogs non-poisonous.

My frog is made of ripped magazines and is perfectly harmless.

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