Florida River, Oil Painting Scene

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I love Florida's swampy places, with moss hanging from oaks. This painting got quite complicated, with so many things going on, but I think it still manages to look peaceful. 

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Steve Jobs Collage in Word Play Exhibit in Winter Garden, Florida

This collage is in the "Word Play" exhibit at the SoBo Gallery & Art Center in Winter Garden for the month of January. The theme is artworks with words incorporated in them. I am really excited about this, because I used to live in Winter Garden and I always call it my "Happy Days" stage of life. It was a lot like the TV show, just a carefree time of life with some very interesting characters. For sentimental reasons, I am very happy to be in the show, and after about 30 years away from Winter Garden I was happy to see that the town is smart enough to keep up with the times and become a very nice place to visit. The downtown area has managed to be quaint, beautiful and trendy all at the same time.

P.S. The collage just sold!

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Sunshine and Shadow, 24x20 Oil Painting after Winslow Homer

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We usually associate Homer with seascapes, but he also painted restful paintings like this. This is a direct copy of a Homer painting about two of my favorite things: lying in a hammock and reading. This is a large painting, signed and ready to frame.

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Pair of Pears Watercolor Painting 8x10

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I don't do much watercolor except for my sketch journal, but I recently was inspired by a watercolor demo. I thought I'd make our Pieces of Eight September Challenge a real challenge by departing from oils.

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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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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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Blueberries, Small Daily Painting of Fruit Original Oil on Canvas

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This little painting is a favorite of mine, not only for the colors, but for the fact that it is the sum total of my blueberry crop. My little bush produced these berries then withered and died. I know blueberries can be grown in Florida, but they must be a certain kind, and maybe they are not salt-tolerant; maybe I'm too close to the beach. Just another gardening experiment gone awry.

Speaking of gardening, would someone please tell my weeds it's winter? As the planet gets warmer many of my weeds continue to grow when they should just hibernate. Could I please get a weeding break? On the plus side, I have flowers blooming in the middle of winter. 

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)

The Gondolier, Oil Painting, Original Art, 8x10 Venice Scene

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Since we are now into the Christmas season and I have had no time to paint, I am re-posting one of my favorites, a scene in Venice. It brings back wonderful memories of that very unique place. 

Yesterday our painting group, Pieces of Eight, had our Christmas party, which is always a hoot. 

From left to right: Donna Vines, Carol Schiff, me, Jean Thomas, Mary Warnick, Denette Schweikert, Kathy Garvey, and Fay Picardi. 

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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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Red Shoe, 8x10 Collage on Canvas

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This collage is made of torn magazines; can you tell Derek Gores was my teacher? Collage is a lot of fun, and a lot of work. It is very messy and challenging, but I really like the results.

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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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Basking Robin, Original Oil Painting, 5x7 Oil on Panel, Bird Art, Wildlife Art

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This little guy looks like he just ventured out for Spring. I give my husband the credit--or blame--for the title. Actually, I like it a lot. 

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Patchwork River, 20x16 Original Oil Painting on Canvas, Smoky Mountain Landscape

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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.

 

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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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Kirk and Snickers, 9x12 Original Oil Painting on Canvas

I always say my son-in-law is at one with nature. He has climbed mountains (Kilomanjaro, for instance) and camped in jungles as an archaeologist. He loves hiking in woods with his dog. This picture is so typical of him that I felt I must paint it, because it speaks to friendship between a man and his dog.

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Pelican at the Port, 5x7 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Daily Painting

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I usually paint just what I see, and I am trying to get away from that in cases like this, where the photo colors were quite dull. I ramped up the color and I like it much better.

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Watermelon and Iced Tea, 14x11, Collage on Canvas Panel Still Life

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This collage is made entirely of paper torn from magazines and fixed to a canvas panel with liquid medium. It makes me think of a summertime barbecue. I must thank my friend Fay Picardi for finding all those beautiful pink pictures in a fashion magazine. They were perfect for my watermelon.

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Purple Posies, 5x7 Oil on Panel Floral Painting

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After my last painting, which was quite complicated, I felt the need for a painting that freed me up, so I selected this from my bouquet. This is a very "floral" week, with Mother's Day flowers and visiting Bok Tower Thursday with the Pieces of Eight painting group. I grew up a few miles from Bok Tower, and when I was young the Big Three tourist attractions were Silver Springs, Cypress Gardens and Bok Tower. Of course, Disney changed all that. Bok Tower has no thrill rides, just beautiful gardens and a gorgeous building. Below are a few pictures from our very pleasant day.

The postcard view 

The Golden Door

The last Spring blooms of the azaleas

Window on the Pond