Lindale

"Lindale" 12"x16" oil on linen

I found this old beat up boat in Millville, Florida at one of the boat yards I frequent. Sometimes it takes awhile to settle on a subject, but not this time. As soon as I saw the dark, mysterious presence of this old fishing vessel I quickly got to work. Since I was working relatively large for a plein air piece, my goal was to stay loose with the background and focus on my subject, the boat "Lindale". In the end, I was pleased with the results.

Henry's Pride and Rosa Marie II

I've got two new plein air pieces to share and an announcement about an upcoming show. I will be showing this weekend at the Coconut Point Art Festival in Estero, Florida. More information on the show can be found here. I will have ten new pieces that I haven't shown before. If you live in the area, hope you can come out.
The piece pictured above is a 9"x12" painting I did recently in the small town of Millville, Florida, one of my secret painting locations. No fancy condos here!
The painting pictured below was done in Apalachicola, Florida. I completed about 75 percent of this 6"x8" on location two years ago and it's been in my studio hiding behind some other paintings ever since. I had forgotten about until I came across it a few days ago and decided to finish it up today. Glad I did. I really like this one!

In For Repairs

I painted this one in Apalachicola, Florida on a gray winter day. I was set up to paint a boat closer in the harbor but when I saw this one pull in, that quickly changed. I was lured in by the interesting contrast of the white boat against a cluster of dark pines comprising the background. The crew was working on one of the outriggers, so, I figured (or at least hoped) I would have enough time to paint her before she took off. And I did.

Fresh Shrimp

I painted this piece one afternoon in St. Andrews, Florida while set up on the dock at the "Shrimp Boat" restaurant, which, by the way, happens to be one of my favorite places to dine. It has a long history in our town, great seafood, and is just down the road from the main gallery in which I show my work. The boat I chose as my subject is named "Deep South" and it supplies the fresh shrimp which can be purchased at the seafood market located within the restaurant.



"Fresh Shrimp" 6"x8" oil on linen. Click here for purchase info.

Tropical Storm Ida, Laguna Beach, Florida

I painted this piece in Laguna Beach, Florida the morning after Tropical Storm Ida came to shore a few miles to the west. White, choppy surf was coming in with a loud roar and double red flags danced violently against the wind as braced my easel and defied the cold drizzling rain. Once again, I felt "alive!"

Camp Helen State Park

Lately, I've been visiting local beaches doing some plein air painting. There are some magnificent state parks here in the panhandle of Florida that have preserved the natural landscape. This particular one is Camp Helen State Park.

The weather has finally started cooling off, making my beach excursions much more pleasurable. In addition, the light seems a little softer and colors more crisp--truly one of the best times of the year to paint this area. I'll be posting more beach pieces in the weeks ahead but for now, I hope you enjoy this one.

"Camp Helen State Park" 6" x 8" original oil on linen. Click on painting for purchase info.

After the Rain, Massalina Bayou

When I headed out today, there were dark ominous clouds overhead, but the threat of rain wouldn’t impact my decision to go painting.

I make no apologies for returning to one of my old faithful painting locations, Massalina Bayou. I paint here often but there’s always something different to see and besides, it’s close to where I live.

Today was one of those “good days” we all wish we had more often. I wasted no time in finding my subject, getting to work, and accomplishing my goal. Needless to say, it doesn’t always happen this way.

I got rained on a couple of brief moments but didn’t let that slow me down. A lot of people don’t realize that when plein air painting in oils, it is possible to continue painting during a light rain. Oil and water don’t mix, therefore, the rain drops simply bead up and roll off the canvas leaving the wet paint underneath undisturbed.

I imagined I would have to fake highlights on the vessel a little since it would have otherwise been a “flat” painting, however, I was pleasantly surprised when the dark clouds parted, letting the sun peek through and confirming the vision I had in my head.

After the Rain, Massalina Bayou” 6” x 8” oil on linen. Click here for purchase information.