Carrabelle Riverfront

I painted this piece in the small North Florida town of Carrabelle. While there's not much to this little place, there is an absolutely charming old waterfront. A waterfront where one can see a mixture of working boats, moored to old docks that look like they are about to fall down, to sailboats peacefully waiting for the next adventure. As luck would have it, they were having there annual Riverfront Festival this particular weekend. The street was lined with vendors and festivity, not to mention, fresh, cold, Apalachicola oysters! In addition to getting my "oyster fix," I got to enjoy the live bands while working on this piece. A nice day indeed.

"Carrabelle Riverfront" 6"x 8" original oil on linen. Measures 12" x 14" with included frame. This painting, along with many others, is available from "Florida's Forgotten Coast Plein Air Invitational."

Meander

Today's painting adventure was not without some challenges. At one of my usual painting locations, I found an old fishing boat that I haven't seen before. Feeling lucking to have spotted a great subject so quickly, I immediately began setting up my equipment but just as I squeezed out the last color of paint onto my palette, my subject pulled away. I search on.

Pictured below, is the scene I eventually discovered for today's plein air session. This beautiful sail boat, named "Meander," seems to be visiting from Maryland, or at least that's what the lettering on the stern indicates. I've featured the boat moored to the right of her in several paintings but this one is new to the area, and therefore, a new subject for me.



Now, a little about the process. Working on linen glued to a birch panel, I started this piece the way I start most of my work-- laying down a very thin wash of yellow ochre and then wiping off the excess color with a paper towel. This leaves a "tint" on the canvas which will peak through here and there, helping to create a nice warm harmony. Now, with some very thin transparent iron oxide red on a small brush I lightly and freely begin to sketch the scene I intend to render.

In the next stage, I block in the general color of the sky and water. From these midtone colors I will later build my darks and then lights.

Next, I begin to render the boats and the background. I am mindful to keep the background, with all its clutter, very loose and abstract. In addition, I keep the colors of the background very muted, thus , pushing them back and giving the illusion of depth. Being able to manipulate a scene to better convey a "feeling" is part of what an artist does to create his interpretation of the scene as opposed to simply duplicating what would be in a lifeless photograph.

Also, at this phase, I start to put in the vertical lines of the masts and pilings which, in my opinion, is where the painting really starts to come to life.

A little cleaning up and better refining of shapes and details and I'm finished. I have to be careful at this point because it's easy to get carried away with overworking things and loosing the freshness of a plein air painting, which would defeat my purpose of being on location in the first place.

"Meander" 6" x 8" original oil on linen. Measures 12" x 14" with included frame. This painting is $500.00 and can be purchased from my website here.

Storm Surge

I painted this scene on location in Mexico Beach, Florida. There was a huge tidal surge as a result of Hurricane Ike that provided some excellent painting opportunities. Mexico Beach is one of just a few beaches in Florida that has a marina feeding directly into the Gulf. This is the mouth of the marinas canal where it meets the Gulf and has to be dredged on a regular basis to keep the access point open. I was keeping a close watch on the weather and knew that on this particular day the tidal surge would be at its peak during high tide at around 10:00 am. My painting buddy, James, and I arrived around 9:00 am and set up our paint gear. There were quite a few onlookers as this was a great place to check out the awesome surf and to their surprise, watch a couple of artists work. When the massive waves would crash into the barrier rocks, they would send a spray of illuminated sea water reaching back toward the menacing sky. A few brave souls ventured out on the rocks to get a closer look at the forces of nature.

Above is a detail view.
"Storm Surge" 6" x 8" original oil on panel. Measures 12" x 14" with included frame which is black with gold undertones. $600 (click on images for a larger view)

SOLD

A View From Church Ave.

After several days couped up in the studio, I decided I had better get back outside and do some plein air painting. That being said, I grabbed my gear and headed out to brave the heat and humidity that we are so famous for here on the coast of Florida. Being intent on not wasting any time, I headed straight to one of my regular painting spots on Church Ave. in Millville, where I knew I'd find a good subject.

I've painted the dark blue boat several times before but never from the front, as it's usually facing the opposite direction, so I was quite pleased when I found it today proudly facing forward. There was strong sunlight blasting down on the top of the boats (and me as well) creating a bright golden glow that shimmered against all of the cool greens of the landscape.

Above is a detail view of my main subject in the painting. There's a lot of detail for a 4" x 6" painting.

"A View From Church Ave." 4" x 6" original oil on panel. $250 (click photos for a larger view)

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"Contessa"

On this particular August morning, I set up to paint at St. Andrews Marina in the Panhandle of Florida. It was an off and on rain kind of day but that’s okay, because I like what happens to the sky on days like this. The dense water logged clouds create some dark, cool shadows that support the warm pinkish-yellow reflections of light in the upper less dense portions. This often sets the overall tone or mood of my painting. And so, here it was today, a beautiful sky with a sailboat gleaming on the dark reflective waters below. What more could I ask for?

"Contessa" 6" x 8" oil on linen $700 (click image for larger view)

"A Favorite Place"

In the Panhandle of Florida, tucked away in an old part of Panama City, exists a favorite painting location of mine. Massalina Bayou offers some magical opportunities for an artist, like myself. Old buildings at the water’s edge provide a hidden oasis for a multitude of resting sailboats waiting for the weekend, waiting for adventure, waiting to be set free. I set up my pochade box and attempt to capture, with paint and canvas, the story laden charm this little inlet possesses.

"A Favorite Place" 8" x 10" oil on linen $1000 (click image for larger view)

A View at St. Andrews

Today I’ve chosen to set my easel up under a gazebo in St. Andrews, Florida. I’ve painted at this spot several times before. In fact, I’ve painted this sailboat before, but never the front view. When I saw the vessel had been reversed in the slip, it took little time to decide this would be my subject, as I already knew how well this boat, with all its glorious accessories, would translate to canvas. She is an adventure waiting to happen.

"A View at St. Andrews" 6" x 8" oil on linen $700 (click image for larger view)