Willow and Cody

Again painting horses in the nearby park. Initially I had a difficult time to decide what position and how much of light and shadow I wanted to capture, not to mention the constant movement of the animals - challenge! When the smaller orange colored horse stepped into a sunspot that came through the trees I was inspired. A conversation with the caretaker of the horses gave me the names of these wonderful animals and their quirky habits. What characters, so fun to observe!

Morning Rays

Another beautiful morning painting in the park. The wonderfully twisted and bend branches of the old oak trees continue to captivate me.

Tree Pirouette

My fascination with old oak trees on the Florida Ridge continues. So much movement and beauty come through these twisted branches. Who knows what caused this tree to grow this way. It made for an interesting composition.

Oaks and Oranges

Here in South Florida there is not much elevation above sea level. A few natural ridges (elevations) used to be like little islands in the middle of the Everglades for the early people that lived here. Nowadays some of these special areas are protected and one can find wild sour oranges, possibly descendants of former orange groves, growing among old live oaks. So here it is, the mood when the first early sun rays are hitting some of the upper branches.
I will be showing this and other paintings at the end of season exhibit at the community based Art Gallery 21, 600 Ne 21 Court, Wilton Manors, Florida. Meet the artists during the opening on April 24 from 7 to 9 pm. If you are in the area, stop by and join us for wine and cheese!

Pear Family

I could not resist another painting of pears - they are one of my favorite fruits to paint. Reds balanced out with greens seem to make for a vibrant and harmonious painting.

Pepper Party

Here I experimented with a brighter and different color scheme. Pinks and bright greens bouncing off of each other. Doesn't the "glow-quality" of the shadows and background give this painting movement and life?... hence the title....

Limonade

The complementary colors really helped to keep this alive and vibrant. It was fun to paint the different reflected highlights such as light blue from the spot light and "orangey spots" bouncing off from the table cloth.

Palms along the Marsh

My first post for this year is a scene from along the marsh, one of my favorite hang-outs to paint. During this time of year, the lack of rain causes the reeds and other water plants to dry up. The results are beautiful yellows and oranges.  

Palms in Morning Light

For you to see the location and process of painting this landscape. I went to this spot three times to complete. The size is 18 inches x 24 inches, for me too big to complete in one sitting. This painting will be entered into the Annual Island City Juried Art Exhibition that will run from January 9 -30, 2015 at Art Gallery 21, Wilton Manors, Florida.

Reminiscing About The Year Past

Hope you can look back to a good year and best wishes for a fantastic 2015!!

Follow Me Into The Forest

This is another take of a previous painting (see below, earlier post), spring colors. I am fascinated by how the difference in color saturation is creating a completely different mood.

The Pavilion

I was able to finish this in 2 hours in the park the other day. I was able to move things along without fussing too much over details. The view from under the shady trees out to the pavilion seemed to make a nice composition... after moving a couple of tree trunks, of course.

Still Life in Red

I found it very interesting to play with the composition in this painting. The diagonal lines are slashing through the image and end up being echoed in the stem of the apple. The hot colored background gets some cooling from the shadows, plate, bottle and tin can.

Path in Morning Light

The amazing light on the dead, fern-covered tree in the back attracted me to this scene. The very early sun rays reflected in the yellow glow of the ski and the blue/pink shades on the ground reflected for me that special early morning feeling... stepping on dew drops, walking into spider webs...... oh yeah, Halloween is around the corner!!!

Harvest Duo

Squash and pumpkin for a harvest still life. I loved the color reflections that showed up on the dark green.

Persimmon Trio

Painting a still life, I usually stand pretty close to the set-up, focusing on the subject. For this one I stepped way back. It really helped to ignore details, put emphasis on colors and include more of the surroundings.

Path into the Forest

Painting in the park on Saturday morning with the sun lighting up the edge of the forest. I focused on the movement of the tree canope, balanced by the dappled light on the ground.

Mowed Field

After a busy summer I finally got to go out this morning to paint with friends in the park... yesss! It made my day! The simple composition kept things relaxed and I was able to finish this 11" x 14" canvas in 2 hours.

Summer Flowers

Here is the result from a happy afternoon painting. I experimented with different backgrounds and finally decided on this refreshing turquoise to balance the other warm tones. I am still not sure if it is working...

Apples on Red

This painting is the result of exploring composition and color. I limited the palette to red tones with some green for interest. It seems to create a rather quiet mood. I am still not sure if the arrangement of the apples balances the composition. I tend to think that it holds together and am pleased with the result.