The Other Florida, 12x12 Original Landscape Oil Painting

 

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I had plenty of time to study the landscape as we  recently traversed Florida on Hwy 70. This is the Florida of my childhood; pastures like this and orange groves. Sadly, there aren't very many orange groves these days.

Carmen

Selby Gardens, Pen and Ink Drawing

 My sister and I visited Selby Gardens in Sarasota and were amazed by the Orchid display (see below). It had a circus theme, if you can imagine that. I also love the huge trees with their gnarled roots. I have a thing for roots, but drawing them is like doing a puzzle. 

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Palms and Pastel Houses, 12x9 Original Landscape Painting

 

$135

I used to live in a pink house in Bermuda, and the address was Diamond Cottage on Suffering Lane. No house number, the houses just had names and the street name. The house was nice, but the pink was Pepto-Bismol pink. I like this pink house much better.

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Day 1 of Five-day Challenge, 23 Minutes

The Art+Work+Living Challenge is to paint a picture in 20 minutes. This was actually 23 minutes. It's an 8x10, and next time I'll go smaller. Click here to see all the art in the challenge.

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Wildlife Refuge, Oil Painting Florida Landscape

 

This is a scene from the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, a very diverse spot to visit.

It has trails, marshes, and the Cape Canaveral Seashore. This marsh is on the

Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, a popular spot for birders.

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Florida Road, Original Oil on Canvas Panel Tropical Landscape Painting

 

Click to Purchase

This is one of my favorite places in the world, North Captiva Island. It represents Peace, Relaxation, Beauty, Seclusion, Exquisite Beaches, and Expensive Food (nothing's perfect). 

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Turkey Creek, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel Landscape

Turkey Creek, $125

In spite of being fairly quarantined, a lot has happened in the past few weeks that kept me away from the easel. I decided to do a Florida scene as a departure from all the faces I've been drawing. 

Did you think I could do a post without mentioning our book Country Music's Greatest Lines? Of course not! That would be a dereliction of my promotional duty.

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Florida Jungle, 10x8 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

This was a very complicated landscape. I do like the thick and tangled jungle look of Florida woods, and it's always so tricky not to have everything green, green and more green. I'm pleased with the way this one turned out.

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Florida Vista, 8x6 Original Oil Painting Landscape

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I always enjoy seeing a bright strip of sunlight streaking dramatically across a scene. This was on the lonely Highway 60 across Florida. Most of Florida is flat as a flitter, whatever a flitter is. The exception is where I grew up, in Polk County. I used to get out of the lake after swimming all day and pedal my bike up a very long hill. Just my luck to have a hill there! 

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Snuggled Palms, 8x6 Original Oil Landscape on Canvas

SOLD

These palms were all by themselves by the water, but they look like they are getting along well. Reflections are such a challenge, especially in still water. My brain just doesn't work right when painting reflections. I seem to be on a landscape binge, and it's all because of studying the work of Mark Boedges and Clyde Aspevig. I just can't get enough.

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Florida Vista, 8x6 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

$99, Click to Buy

This is what much of Florida looks like, and it's one part that has not changed. You have to get away from the beach to see scenes like this, and I only hope that most of the pastures and grassy wetlands of Florida won't become housing developments. It's a sort of Growth is Good-Growth is Bad situation. Growth brings jobs, but do you really want to see a scene like this with condos sitting in it? In the end, it's all about balance. 

Carmen

P.S. My book, Crackers and Oranges, is now available on Kindle. 

House on the Beach, 8x6 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

$99, Click to Buy

This is a red-letter day. I finally painted a painting, after three weeks of being unable to do so. Oh, Happy Day! I painted this from an iPhone photo my husband took while we were out for my therapeutic walk. The sun was setting behind us, giving the house an interesting color and tinting the clouds a bit. I've been thinking about that light for days, and finally felt up to painting it.

I got my copy of Carol Marine's book about Daily Painting, and it is even better than I expected. It is full of info about how to be a Daily Painter, and she includes her materials, tools, habits, and so much more. You can just feel her energy coming through the pages. It's beautifully written and beautifully printed, and I am so happy to have my little zentangle in it! Check it out at Amazon by clicking here.