Down Memory Lane

I lived in Winter Garden in the late 50s and had a wonderful time there. It was a tiny, out-of-the-way town, and its base was the citrus industry. Because of the wisdom of the town management, it is now a vibrant, trendy place to visit. The day my sister and I were there the farmer's market was in full swing and there was a car show. I found the apartment building I lived in with Marilynn's family, back when life was so much fun in a small town full of interesting characters.

We also visited Disney Springs and Winter Park, where we enjoyed Leu Gardens and the Morse Museum, which has the largest collection of Tiffany glass anywhere. It was a lovely weekend.

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Orange Canna Lily, Small Original Oil Painting 5x7 Flower Art

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I was shocked to realize that I haven't posted since September 1st. It's amazing what a hurricane threat does to one's daily life. First, you stock up on supplies; then you install all your storm shutters; pack up things you don't want washed away; finally, evacuate. If it's a slow-moving storm like Dorian, you wait...and wait...and wait. I am not complaining, because some of my favorite beautiful places were wiped out completely in the Bahamas. We were lucky, but the people there lost everything. Homes, livelihoods, and even loved ones. I am so sad for them. Our government won't take them in without papers, and their papers are somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic by now. What a terrifying situation for them.

The proceeds from this painting will be donated to hurricane relief for the Bahamian storm victims.

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Batten Down the Hatches! Dorian's Coming.

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I'm scheduling this drawing to appear on the day we will most likely be evacuating this island because of the powerful hurricane that seems to be bearing down on us. We've put up shutters, stocked up on water, filled the tub, bought non-perishable items, brought in anything loose in our yard, etc. Meanwhile the storm is out in the ocean building strength in the warm waters. If it does as predicted and pounds us for three days, we've never experienced anything this bad, so your prayers would be appreciated. To my friends and family here, please stay safe.

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Sky Vine, 5x7 Oil Painting Pool Series No. 3

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This is the third painting I've done while standing in the pool. In our record-setting heat, it's the only way to go. It's a good thing I got this done, because Hurricane Dorian is on the way and will devastate this Sky Vine and most everything else in the yard. My painting from the pool is coming to a screeching halt.

As you can see, I added a few more flowers to my painting. Just couldn't resist.

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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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Koi with Gold, Oil Painting on Canvas, 10x10, Fish Pond Painting

 

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Been feeling a bit uninspired lately, so what perks a woman up more than a little gold? I added metallic gold leaf to some of the Koi in this painting, although it's hard to appreciate when viewing online.

 The canvas has deep sides and needs no frame.

A Closeup

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Oil Painting, Beach at Oro Pesos, Featured on Artsy Shark

 I'm happy to report that my painting has been featured in the Artsy Shark Summer 2019 Showcase. 
This is beautiful North Captiva Island on the West Coast of Florida.

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 I've been reading Fay Picardi's book, Without Warning, the Marrakech Poems, and I have been transported to Morocco by her lyrical writing. She has captured the sights, sounds, smells, and spirit of Marrakech. One of my favorite lines:
  

    Faith can come

in many senses,

floating down to touch

that part of us

we least understand.

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Robots and Paintings

On First Friday, August 2nd, Kathy Garvey and I will be exhibiting our art at Highland Art Studio, 1425 Highland Avenue in Melbourne. I'll have my oil paintings on display.

Storm's Coming

Kathy has been making ingenious little robots out of clay and luggage tags.  Foreign object removal on the runway at the airport constantly turns up the metal tags off luggage, and only Kathy would see them as potential robots. They are so darn cute!

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