Friday, May 22, 2015

Sanctuary
 PLEIN AIR PAINTING
        It's been a very long time since I've updated my blog and a lot has happened in that time.  I'm glad to be back and hope to be more faithful to updating in the future.  The paintings at the left were painted "en plein air" (on location) during a recent trip to Florida.  Plein air paintings are not meant to be finished studio works, instead they are immediate, spontaneous responses to wherever the artist happens to be.  I was raised in Florida and love to go back whenever possible.  I'm always drawn to the beaches where it is a challenge to find something to paint in addition to sand, sky and water.

Tracks in the Sand
        Although the piece of driftwood in the top painting is the focal point, what really caught my attention was the bird sanctuary on the sandbar in the background.

        The second painting looks at though it's been a long time since a vehicle traveled this path but in reality, right after I started painting, a "herd" of kayakers brought their boats down to the water on clever two-wheeled carts.  Maybe I'll paint them in another piece.
        View of Don Cesar was actually the first "warm-up" piece that I painted, of a famous old landmark on Pass-a-grille Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The clouds were especially dramatic as there was a very brisk wind blowing that morning. I hope to be painting en plein air all summer and will post as I go.
                                                        
View of Don Cesar