Calm Sea, 5x7 Oil on Panel

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This is what I saw this morning when I walked the beach. The other day when I was walking there, big waves were crashing ashore; today the sea was flat and calm. It was very peaceful.

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5-Day Challenge, Day 3: Beach Day, 7x5 Oil on Panel

Before I began this, my third 20-minute painting, I couldn't resist drawing a cartoon about the experience of doing a painting in such a short amount of time.

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A Gift from the Sea, 8x10 Original Oil Painting Still Life Coastal Decor

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When I lived in Bermuda I collected antique bottles. In the old days Bermudians used to dispose of bottles by tossing them into the sea or burying them in shallow holes. It's great sport there to dive for bottles, and I lucked out finding this one, a Cobalt Blue Castor Oil bottle, pre-1900s.

This is oil paint on a metallic gold background.

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Man O' War, 5x7 Oil on Canvas, Beach Series

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This is a Portuguese Man O' War, and it is quite beautiful in a weird way. It has tentacles with a painful sting, and even when it's lying on the beach those tentacles need to be avoided. Now here's the weird part: this is actually four organisms living in cooperation (wish Congress could do that). The sail is a gas-filled bladder (now that sounds like Congress); the tentacles are the killers that deliver prey; then there are two other organisms that do digestion and reproduction. I feel that such a remarkable example of God's handiwork deserves to be painted on gold. I wish you could see the metallic gold background on the computer monitor.

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Postcard Original Oil on Canvas Panel 4x6 Mailable Art

 

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This oil painting is an actual postcard and can be mailed. The back, pictured in the second image, is a bit touched with paint, but it adds to the authenticity, don't you think? This is the perfect gift for the person who has everything. It is 4x6 inches, painted on a canvas panel. I have mailed these before and had them arrive safe and sound. It is a signed original.

The postcard is not actual purple on the left side, it was just hard taking a picture of the back of a wet painting.

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Robots and Paintings

On First Friday, August 2nd, Kathy Garvey and I will be exhibiting our art at Highland Art Studio, 1425 Highland Avenue in Melbourne. I'll have my oil paintings on display.

Storm's Coming

Kathy has been making ingenious little robots out of clay and luggage tags.  Foreign object removal on the runway at the airport constantly turns up the metal tags off luggage, and only Kathy would see them as potential robots. They are so darn cute!

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Paradise, Oil on Canvas 7x5 Florida Painting

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This is my second painting of this spot. This is a small 7" by 5" painting of North Captiva Island, a place that is as good as being in the Bahamas. No cars, just golf carts, and gorgeous scenery. No bridge to the island, either. Life there runs on Island Time. Ahhhh.....

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Royal Terns, 7x5 Original Oil Daily Painting on Canvas Panel Beach Art

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I love these birds with their cute little hairdos. I have jumped right from the mountains to the seashore in this blog, having returned home after almost three weeks in North Carolina. The contrast is drastic, but I love both places. Each is beautiful in its own way.

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Reflections on Breakfast, Oil Painting on Gold, Daily Painting Print

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I see so many sights when I walk on the beach, including closeups like this one. Prints are available in various sizes and prices, on paper or canvas. 

 

I bought myself a Bluetooth Hat, which is so clever, especially for people who don't like earbuds. You can listen to a book or your music library on your phone, but in your hat while doing your morning walk! 

The only drawback is that I live in Florida, and if the weather isn't cool, I roast. I'm glad that it does occasionally get cool; one day it's 80, another day it's 50...that's my cue to don my Bluetooth Hat and hit the road (or the beach)

Oil Painting "Rough Surf" Seascape, Small Daily Painting Original Art

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This was my second painting from our group's plein air day at the beach, a tiny 5x7-inch seascape. We meet a lot of nice people when we are painting on location. One group had just ridden 30 miles on bicycles, and it was only 10 a.m! People like that make me feel like a slug, but when given a choice between painting and exercise, painting usually wins out. If there is a creative fire within you it won't be quenched by pushups.

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Window on the Beach, Oil Painting, 7x5 Florida Seascape

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My painting group gathered at the beach on a beautiful Florida day last week and did some plein air painting. That is always an invigorating experience, and I was happy with my little picture. In picking my spot I noticed how vivid the water looked when viewed through the sea grape window. When I walked to the crossover and looked at the beach with nothing framing it, it didn't seem nearly as saturated with color. I'm sure my friend Qiang Huang could explain this to me in technical terms because he knows everything about optics and about art.

My cartoon today is one I did for a T-Shirt. It's called "The Pleininator" and features a hat with a brush holder, paper tower holder, citronella candle, cup holder, and viewfinder. My inspiration was when I painted in a cow pasture with weeds, bugs, and extreme thirst.

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Stormy Day, 5x7 Original Oil on Canvas Panel Seascape

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The beach and stormy weather are an exciting combination. The colors become subdued, but the action does not, and I love being able to see the rain far off in the distance. 

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Beach Birds, 14x11 Seascape on Canvas Panel

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I enjoyed painting this bright and airy beach scene. The birds were very busy that day. This is an original oil painting on canvas panel, 11x14 inches, signed and ready to frame. 

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Tahiti Beach, Elbow Cay, Abacos Islands, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel

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This is one of the most beautiful places I've been. When you're there it feels like a dream. The water is so clear and the sand is so white. This is an original oil painting, 8x6 inches, signed and ready to frame.

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Salt Spray, Seascape Original Oil Painting, 8x10

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This was painted on a bright sunny day when the air was clean. Unfortunately, right now we are afflicted with Red Tide, and every time I go outside it makes me cough. Dead fish litter the beach and some intrepid volunteers have been out picking them up. It's a very unhealthy situation. We used to have lots of tar on the beach from oil spills. I prefer that. At least I could breathe without coughing.

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Happiness II, Original Oil Painting, 5x7 Oil on Canvas Panel, Girl on Beach

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 This is my input to the monthly challenge on the Pieces of 8 Blog. We are copying the Fifth Avenue Gallery's idea to paint a favorite part of a previous painting. The painting I chose a portion of is below.

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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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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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Ghost Ship, 20x20 Oil Painting on Canvas

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After Florida was hit with Hurricane Irma, this sailboat was found washed up on Melbourne Beach. Authorities eventually discovered that the boat came all the way from Key West, hundreds of miles away. Aboard, oddly enough, were two mannequins, a large velvet rose, and a sign that declared, "beatings will continue until morale improves." 

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Storm Watch, 6x8 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Seascape

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One of my favorite dramatic lighting conditions is what we have been having the past few weeks: a dark and threatening sky as a backdrop, with a bright, sunny foreground. In this case, the sailboat might want to get to port as quickly as possible. After our big Florida drought, we should be thankful for all the rainstorms.

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