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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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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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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Everglades Bird, Giclee Print on Canvas, Wildlife Painting

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This painting represents a very happy memory of camping in the Everglades with my buds Cindy and Kathy. We saw at least 50 alligators, but no pythons, thank goodness. Although we painted en plein aire on the shore of a lake with a big gator resting nearby, my real scare was when a huge furry black spider got on my paper towels.

This is a high-quality print in several different sizes, on stretched canvas. 

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Mango High, 6x8 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

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It is mango season and there are so many mangoes right now. For those of us who love them it is a glorious time. I was in Bradenton recently, standing under a tree that had dropped mangoes on the ground. Gorgeous fruit just lying all around. Way, way up in the tree were these beautiful collections of fruit, and I especially liked this one because of the lone ripe mango among the lavender ones. So, the title "Mango High" can be taken two ways. 

Here's a tip I learned last week about cutting and peeling mangoes: make a cut around the fruit, all the way to the seed. Use a glass or a cup (easier with a cup, holding it by the handle) and scoop the fruit out of the peeling. Do it firmly and you will have no waste. Then chomp on the seed and get the pulp all over your face like you usually do. Mango high.

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Florida Road, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Landscape

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When I was a kid we used to walk down roads like this: white sand meandering through woods. This road goes through a garden and it has that bright hot look from the Florida sun. This is a signed original, 6x8, painted on archival canvas, signed and ready to frame.

If all goes well, I am preparing for my show tonight (I scheduled this post in advance). If you live anywhere near Middleburg, Virginia, please stop by. 

Friday, April 22, 6 - 8 pm

The Parish House

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

105 E. Washington St

Middleburg, VA

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