5-Day Challenge, 20-Minute Painting, Day 2: Old Florida, 5x7 Oil on Panel

This reminds me of my younger days in Central Florida. It was always an adventure to look for wildlife, and snakes or gators gave us bragging rights. We used to pick Rosary Peas, bright red beans with a black spot, and use them for peashooters. I now know they are poisonous and we could have killed ourselves with those things!

I primed my board with red, which I brushed on and wiped off. I like it for landscapes because it gives all that green some spark.

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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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Shady Cows, Original Oil Painting 8x10 Landscape

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It's been a while since I posted. I've been very busy working on a book that will be coming out in April. You will be hearing more about that later.

This painting is all about the light. I love the shade in the foreground, with a tiny couple of slivers of light on the pasture.

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Patchwork River, 16x20 Oil Painting Landscape on Canvas

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The Pieces of Eight were hiking in the woods on an artists' retreat and came upon this peaceful scene. This was in North Carolina, the same mountains where we went whitewater rafting and bonded over a near-death experience. Below is my drawing commemorating that scene.

Carol, Donna, Denette and I were airborne. We were The Flying Grannies.

Canna Lilies Painted from My Pool, Original Oil Painting on Canvas 5x7 Small Painting

 

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This is my second painting in my series painted while standing in my pool. I love being eye level with my plants, especially stately ones like the canna lilies. Painting en plein aire while in the pool solves the problem of getting insufferably hot in the middle of summer. Another advantage of the eye level view: the weeds are less noticeable.

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Heliconia Painted from My Pool 5x7 Oil Painting on Canvas Landscape

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This is the first in a series of paintings done while standing my pool. I have been noticing how good my garden looks at eye level from the pool, so I started with a view of my Lobster Claw Heliconia, which is a fascinating and unusual plant. It likes all the rain we've had, and was good enough to put one of its blooms right in front for me.

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Coconuts and Allamandas, 6x8 Original Oil on Canvas Landscape

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This is my neighbor's coconut tree, which I have painted many times. I envy them those coconuts! We had a coconut tree until the freeze of 1989, and when it froze I gave up on growing coconuts; if I had only known about climate change then I would have immediately replanted. Now I grow tropical plants and never have one freeze. It's small consolation for the scorching summers.

In the foreground are my allamandas on our purple screen, a bit of whimsy we added to the garden. 

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Lake Junaluska Original Oil Plein Air Painting 5x7 on Canvas Panel

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This beautiful spot is near Waynesville, North Carolina, and it was such a pleasure to sit and paint there. There is a rose walk on one side that is planted with a huge variety of roses--an exotic sight for a Floridian. It was my idea of a perfect morning.

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The Yellow Swing, original oil painting, 16x20

We are in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina and I am very excited to see rhododendrons blooming everywhere. They are lush and gorgeous, and I have seldom ever gotten to see them because they don’t grow in Florida. There’s nothing like a front porch swing, and the pink rhododendrons make it even more inviting.

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Jungle Garden, Original Oil Painting on Canvas 8x10 Florida Garden

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I love mysterious garden paths through jungle-like gardens. What exotic plant is around the next corner? There were bromeliads galore in this garden.

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Windmill, 6x9 Mixed Media on Paper, Bronze and Black

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I painted good-quality watercolor paper with bronze acrylic paint, then used liquid medium to transfer the windmill from a magazine print. I added the tulips to make it more interesting. It's too bad that the metallic effect of the bronze can't be fully appreciated when looking at it online.

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Peaceful River, 24x20 Original Oil Painting of Florida River

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This is a completed commission inspired by Florida's Dora River. It's quite a change from small daily paintings.

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Lagoon Sunset, Original Oil Painting 10x8 Sunset on Indian River, Florida

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This was the Fourth of July on the Indian River Lagoon, and moments later Army paratroopers came floating down with American flags. Sunsets are beautiful even when you are facing East and getting reflections on the clouds.

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Peaceful River, Original Oil Painting 10x8 Florida Landscape on Canvas Panel

This is a study for a large painting, a commission. I first used photos of the Dora Canal, but it is impossible to paint it without most of the canvas being green, so I opened it up to get more sky and reflection. There will be more 'critters' in the final.

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Moon Over Miami, Original Oil Daily Painting 11x14 Oil on Canvas Panel

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Our Pieces of Eight painting challenge for February was to illustrate a song or poem, so I chose the old standard "Moon Over Miami." Go to the Pieces of 8 blog to see all the challenge responses.

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Red Barn and Sunflowers, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Landscape

This is the time of year I always try to rethink my time, my business, and my art. As I spend more time marketing on the computer, I have less time to spend painting. If I spend more time painting I end up with lots of inventory. But what is more fun? 

I'll be in my studio.

The painting above is a non-painful commission. You artists know what I'm talking about. There are enjoyable commissions, then there are those where someone gives you a bad picture--or maybe two or three that they want you to combine--and you are supposed to make a great piece of art out of them. Painful! Just say no.

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Dora Canal, Oil Painting, 24x18 Florida Landscape

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Our painting group, Pieces of Eight, was in Mt. Dora, Florida, and we went on a cruise across the big lake to the beautiful Dora Canal. The canal is pretty short, and turns into this lovely river. There is something so intriguing about a swampy river with cypresses and live oaks. The more you look, the more you see, like the plants that grow on the oak limbs, or (though not in my painting) the occasional gator eyes and nose peeking from the water.

I've decided to add the occasional cartoon to my blog, as a kind of journal illustration of what's going on in my life. Hope you like it.

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Gordes, France, A Page from My Sketch Journal

I love Provence. I love the vineyards, olive groves, lavender fields, medieval villages, Roman ruins, and the food. I love hearing, "Bonjour, Madame," and the all-encompassing word, "Voila!" I love the people. 

Did I mention the food? Vive la France!

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Mougins, France, a page from my journal

The beautiful little village of Mougins sits atop a mountain, as do so many Medieval villages in France. Only a few people live there. The town is full of art galleries and restaurants, and when we first saw it, my sister said, "I want to live here!" The food--oh my goodness, the food is so good, every time I had a meal I wanted to shout, "Vive la France!"

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Florida Vista, 6x8 Original Oil Landscape with Clouds, Free Shipping

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I enjoy the contrast in light that Florida weather creates. In this instance the clouds were putting the foreground in shade and the sun was shining brightly on the pasture in the background. This is an original 6x8 inch oil, signed and ready to frame. 

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