Beach Memory, Original Oil Painting Tropical Island Scene

 $145

This photo reminds me of time spent on Elbow Cay in the Abacos Islands. No cars are allowed, and my daughter and I explored every square inch of the island. We even found an abandoned hotel. There were so many flowers blooming brilliantly in the little main street in town that my daughter called it Electric Avenue.

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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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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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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.

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Oil Painting, Indian River Lagoon, 8x10 Daily Painting

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I was taking a stroll on Riverview Drive when I saw this lovely view of the Indian River. What a beautiful place I live in. I hope not too many people find out, because it's getting pretty crowded here already.

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Beach Birds, 11x14 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape

This has been an interesting project because I used cold wax as my medium. I painted much of it before going on vacation, then added the foreground birds when I returned. Cold wax is very interesting to use and I am still experimenting with it. It has a soft look, and when painting over a layer that has dried it is very easy to wipe away any mistakes. Wax on, wax off. 

It also makes a nice final varnish and you don't have to wait months to do it. It is not recommended for stretched canvas, though. A rigid support is necessary to prevent cracking.

I realize if you're not an artist this is about as interesting as reading the Tax Code.

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The Little Birds, 6x8 Original Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape Daily Painting

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This is a very typical scene on the Space Coast of Florida. Before I cross over the dunes I never know what color the water will be, what size the waves will be, or how many birds there will be. I only know that a peaceful feeling comes over me--unless it's stormy, and I like that too. Clouds and waves do all kinds of interesting things when it's stormy.

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Beachscape, 14x11 Oil on Canvas, Florida Beach Scene

$165, Buy Now

I usually paint from the beach looking at the ocean, so this is a departure. I am looking from the ocean to the shore. I like the palms standing like sentinels over the beach.

By the time this post is online, I'll be hiking in the Smokies, one of my favorite places in the world, with some of my favorite people in the world. Heaven!

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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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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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Pale Sunrise, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel

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I was in a softer mood when painting this one. I need something calming during this election season as an alternative to banging my head on the wall. Serenity now...

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Beach Scene, 20x7.5 Oil Painting Seascape on Panel, Framed

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Here we are in the last throes of summer, never mind that it's November, and it's still hot. I am ready for Florida's perfect Winter to begin. I like this scene because people are looking so relaxed, and when on the beach people are always gazing at the ocean. You just can't help it. It keeps changing all the time, and you never know when you'll see something exciting--like a dolphin, or even a whale. I never understand those who say they don't like the beach or the sand. What's a little sand when you can be part of a view like this?

This painting is for sale framed.

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Pelicans in Flight, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape with Birds

$125, Buy Now

I feel fortunate when I catch a flock of pelicans in flight; with a digital camera at the beach and all the movement going on, it is like shooting blind. 

We are expecting a lot of wave action this weekend due to hurricane Joaquim, so I will be down there with my camera. I'm just so thankful we haven't been hit in 11 years. Makes you wonder why our insurance premiums are still outrageous (grumble grumble).

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Beach People, 10x8 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape Daily Painting

$125, Click to Purchase

As I am writing this it's pouring outside. I hardly know what is left to say about a sunny beach, I have posted so many, so I'll just say I'm glad to see the rain. I am growing Purple Hull Peas, and I know no one north of the Mason-Dixon line knows what I'm talking about. They are the most delicious vegetable one could ever put in one's mouth; they are the Ambrosia of the vegetable world. Though tedious to shell, they are worth it. What could be better than shelling Purple Hulls while watching Last Tango in Halifax? Of course this assumes that I successfully raise a crop. Flowers come easily to me, but vegetables--not so much. We'll see. 

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Dunes, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Seascape

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I just returned from visiting my family in Memphis, a city I really enjoy. I journaled my visit. I have capitulated and used "journal" as a verb. Shame on me.

On the right page, scenes from my son's yard.

We went to Oxford, Mississippi and toured the home of William Faulkner. There is a statue of him downtown on the square, sitting on a bench. I wanted to ask him, "Why did you make your books so hard to read?" Faulkner won the two Pulitzers and the Nobel Prize, and the town of Oxford fairly reeks of literary air. The tiny square has at least three bookstores, and John Grisham lives there.

The second day we went to the new Bass Pro Shop, recently installed in the Memphis pyramid. It's the world's biggest, and was quite an entertaining place. In the center is an elevator to the top of the pyramid, which is 321 feet high.

Lifeguard Shack, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Beach Scene

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Palm Beach has not only luxurious homes and an abundance of Bentleys, it has a lovely public beach. Our state is quite diverse; we have scenes like the one above, also miles of pastureland with cattle, citrus groves, farmland, swamps, lakes, the Everglades, and theme parks. We have Carl Hiassen, who writes books about outlandish Florida characters. They are fiction, but I understand that his ideas come from the news. We are the state of mermaids, manatees, and hanging chads.

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Sunday at the Beach, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

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The beach in Ft Lauderdale was packed with people when we were there, and it was exhilarating to see all the colors and the overall cheery brightness happening. South Florida is so beautiful.

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Sunglow, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

$99, Click to Purchase

Some sunrises are "quieter" than others. This one was very soft, but that's because I just didn't get there in time for the bright reds of early morning. I like the softer side of sunrise too.

"If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise."

That quotation is from Jeanette Walls, who wrote Glass Castles. Every whiny, demanding child should be made to read Glass Castles, about Ms Walls' childhood, to make them see how good they have it. It's a terrific book and one of those that sticks in my memory. With my memory lately, it takes a really good book to to linger in there for long.