Alaska!, 20x16 Oil on Canvas, Landscape Painting

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This is a much-photographed scene in Alaska, and since it was July, I got to see Fireweed everywhere. They are the spiky blooms in the foreground. My cousins took us all over Alaska in an RV one summer, and I can only say it is an astonishing place. It's a good thing I took a sleep mask, because it was daylight at midnight. It's so weird to go to bed when it's still daytime outside. In spite of that and the rough winters, there is a lot to love about Alaska.

Carmen

Pretty in Pink, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Panel Wildlife Painting

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This was a commission to do flamingos, and I always enjoy using my favorite color. Lately I feel surrounded by pink; as I drove up to my house the other day it struck me just how much pink is going on in my front yard. I have a very large frangipani tree and clumps of pink lilies blooming; it looks like the wedding scene in "Steel Magnolias." 

The Kayakers, 16x20 Oil on Canvas So Far

I am working on a commission, doing a larger painting of my small work The Kayakers, and I thought I would post the beginning of the painting. When Grandma Moses was asked about her process and how she painted, she responded "I paint down. I start at the top and paint down." As for me, sometimes I sort of "paint down" if it's a landscape, but in this case I started with the principal subject and I'm painting out. 

Since I have painted this subject before, I know what I am aiming for and I know the colors, values and so on, so I concentrated my energy on the most important part of the painting first. Below is the 6x6-inch original small painting of the happy kayakers. It's a square format, but the large one will be a rectangular format and, of course, more detailed.

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Antigua Women, 20x16 Oil on Canvas

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I haven't posted in a while. I don't know if it's Christmas or what, but I seem to have lost my groove. I am not used to this. I painted a successful painting that sold right away, then I did two scrapers. What the heck?

Maybe it's bad Karma from criticizing George Zimmerman's art...nah, it couldn't be that. He sold that thing for over $100,000. I think I will coin a new term for bad art that is done by notorious celebrities: "Zimmermanist." If I paint something so bad I want to shoot someone, I am Zimmering. This week I have Zimmered twice. 

Speaking of bad art, there is a Museum of Bad Art at http://www.museumofbadart.org/ and it is a hoot. Nothing can cost over $5, and if you found it in the trash, even better. Descriptions by guest "interpretators" are hilarious.

The above painting is one I did after visiting Antigua. I loved the ladies on the beach carrying their shops around with them. When I get my groove back I will post something new.

Pardon My Back, 24x18 Oil on Canvas

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This is the first in a series and it's a bigger painting than I usually post. I didn't pose these birds, they were standing exactly like this, so this was one of those paintings that got named before I started it.

While in the Everglades I got to see plenty of mangroves, mangrove forests and mangrove islands. What fascinating trees they are. They thrive in salty environments because they are able to obtain fresh water from saltwater. Some secrete excess salt through their leaves, and others block absorption of  salt at their roots. Their intricate root design makes a protective nursery for tiny marine life.

Rites of Spring, 18 x 24 Oil Painting

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I went to the beach on a fine Spring day, and after a hard Florida winter (ha ha), everyone had the same idea. The water was this incredible turquoise color and the whole atmosphere was just exhilarating. I am so lucky to live here.

Fall Island, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

$89 Click here to buy

Well, my ten-year-old Mac finally let me down, and at a crucial time. I did manage to post on my iPad, but not everything worked exactly like I wanted. Now I am looking at my brand-new marvel of technology with a giant screen and no box, no round little base, no nothing that indicates there are magical things going on inside to help me do my job. Once you go Mac...

The painting above is on Lake Oconee, Georgia, a little island we pontooned to and explored. It is just a beautiful place. 

If you are in Central Florida, save the date! The big Pieces of 8 Holiday Sale is December 7, and you can click here to link to the map.

Near the Shore, 6x6 Oil Painting

The light, color, and movement of the ocean is different every day, and I never tire of walking on the beach and studying it. I used to live in the Azores, where people would sit by a wall and just stare out at the sea. I thought they were dreaming of escaping their small island and going somewhere else, but maybe they were just doing what I do--watching the ocean.

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On the Upside, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Panel

"Ocean"

Upside down, "Whitewater"

This is two paintings in one. Rightside up, it is an ocean scene. Turn it upside down, it is whitewater in a river. I am feeling very original today. This can be set on a little easel, or if framed, put two hooks on the back of the frame, and you have an absolutely unique work of art. What fun!

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Piney Island, 5x7 Oil on Canvas

This scene was painted  in plein air very near our campsite in the Everglades. The only wildlife was an alligator lolling at the shore and a huge black spider that got on my paper towels, possible a Regal Jumping Spider, though I can't be sure. I flicked him away without introductions.

Painting the scene

 

These photos are courtesy of Kathy. Here Cindy and I are in the mangrove forest, a wonderful tangled, twisting example of some of the world's most amazing trees. 

Wetlands, 8x8 Oil on Canvas

This is a typical scene in the Florida wetlands, an area that is a big draw for birdwatchers, or as they say nowadays, birders, from the verb to bird (ha ha).  Sometimes nouns changed to verbs sound pretty funny to me; however, birders don't just watch these days. They record, report, photograph, study, and have conventions, and Florida has lots of interesting birds for them to bird.

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Leap of Faith, 8x10 Oil on Canvas

This painting just returned from my exhibit and I am now putting it "out there." I find this painting exhilarating, capturing the spirit of childhood and fun. I paint so much that I am forgetting to have other kinds of fun. I need to correct that. I could go jump off a big rock into a river, but Florida doesn't have big rocks. We are as flat as a flitter (whatever that is).

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Sea Change, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

The more I paint water, the more I enjoy painting water. Maybe it's because I grew up in a town where there was one form of entertainment only, a nice clear lake for swimming. Sure, it had alligators in it, but the locals were not stupid enough to feed them and they were not overpopulated, so we never had gator attacks. Wonder how it is around Lake Marie nowadays?

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He Feedeth Among the Lilies, 8x8 Oil on Canvas

This was done from a photo shot by Uncle Emmett, who is not my uncle, but the uncle of a friend. That makes him my Fruncle.

The artist Robert Genn has many made-up words like that in his blog, The Painter's Keys, today. They are all about art and they are very funny. I was inspired to make up a few of my own:

Liarkinding: Complimenting an artist on a painting you hate because you don't want to hurt their feelings.

Clownvisagia: Going out in public unaware you have paint on your face.

Saddergaller: Depression because you didn't sell well at your show.

And my favorites of Robert's: 

Snooler: A person who gushes over your work but who you suspect privately thinks he can do better but actually can't. 

Superalphabetted: A person whose name is followed by a lot of letters. 

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Verdant, 18x24 Oil on Canvas

I can't imagine being an early settler in Florida and trying to slog through swamps and palmettos, but I really enjoy seeing what is left of that jungle. It's a lot more beautiful to look at than condos. Yeah, yeah, I'm a treehugger. I love the woods. Being in the quiet of a forest makes me mindful of the beautiful planet God gave us to inhabit.

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Sealight II, 10x10 Oil on Canvas

This is the other end of the wave I posted previously. The color is completely different from my first one, because I was painting in different light. Also, I painted the first painting from my iPad and this one from a photo. I am painting in the square format on gallery-wrapped canvas for an upcoming show, so I cropped the wave and got two paintings from one wave.

I painted this at yesterday's Pieces of 8 Holiday Sale. We had such a great day, the paintings were flying from the shelves! We sold a great variety of things, and our black-and-white mix-n-match earrings were a huge hit. Kudos to Kathy Garvey for that smart idea! One customer came twice, and said she can't wait until next year.

Sea Change, 10x10 Oil on Canvas

A rough sea is a joyous thing for me as a subject for painting. I love the colors, the shapes, the movement. This is a 10x10 original oil on gallery wrapped canvas and painted on all sides.

My posting of originals has been erratic of late because of vacation and then illness. We have now had a loss of a beloved family member, and I am giving myself permission to take some time off from painting and be with my loved ones who are grieving. 

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River Cave, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

I haven't posted for a while because we were in Virginia during the hurricane, and we delayed our return home. My heart goes out to the citizens of New York and New Jersey. As Floridians we are very practiced at preparing for hurricanes, and the number one item on my checklist is: Evacuate! I so wish everyone had heeded that warning.

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On a more peaceful note, the scene above is no longer accessible to the public, so I am glad I got this done. I've painted it twice, and here is a painting of me painting it. It's called My Happy Place.

Near the Falls, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

This is such a peaceful spot, the stream just trickling by. However, a few yards further down there is a spot that looks completely calm, even though it is a prelude to a huge waterfall. I feel sorry for the first person to ever discover this. Below is the waterfall, and if you look closely you can see two foolhardy youth who later jumped in.

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Big Wave, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Board Seascape

Hurricanes always bring some nice waves, and this was a family visiting the beach just before Isaac passed by Florida. The child is thinking, "That's scary," Mom is thinking, "That's dangerous," and Dad is thinking, "I wish I'd brought my board."

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