Rock Springs Run

While people in the mid-west are staying inside as the blizzard passes I have the opportunity to paint outside in the warm weather. I met a few friends from our local plein air group at Kelly Park last weekend in Apopka. We get to see a little bit of autumn in Florida. It actually comes in December and some of the leaves are changing color before falling to the ground. I found a vacant spot on a bridge to set up my easel as I watched Rock Springs Run pass by. The parks popularity is riding down the stream in an inner tube. The water was crystal clear from the nearby springs. Quite a few birds, fish and a turtle kept me company as not too many people took this path. Hopefully I can get back there again within the next month and do another painting and possibly ride down the stream in an inner tube.

Another painting I did while in Savannah was along River Street. It was a quiet morning and a cold front had dumped rain the night before onto the streets. It was still drizzling when I set out to paint. A cup of coffee and a donut from the local convenience store seemed like a good way to start the day. I had found a location the day before that was covered by an overhead walkway of a local hotel. After setting up camp I began painting the buildings along River Street. Once a bustling seaport in the wooden ship era, River Street now is a shopping destination for tourists. As the morning went on, I kept painting while it rained intermittently. The wind would slow down at times yet I wished I hadn't left my jacket in the motel room. I created this painting much faster than I would normally paint which helped in creating the abstract shapes and colors. I had to finish quickly, my hands were frozen.

Savannah Harbor

I was in Savannah attending a wedding when I was awaken by the sounds of a foghorn early Saturday morning. I was only 2 blocks from the Savannah Harbor so I grabbed my easel and paints and went to see if there was anything going on. When I arrived, the river was mostly fog and I couldn't see the other side of the harbor. A tugboat and a cargo ship appeared mysteriously out of the fog, only to quickly disappear again as I heard the sound of the foghorn fade into the distance. I was delighted to find a three-masted ship named the Peacemaker mourned to the harbor wharf. I don't get to paint boats like this often so I immediately set up my easel and went to work.

Tequila Sunrise

Almost every morning at the Crescent Beach Paint Out I was up in time to watch the sunrise come up over the horizon. I did a number of paintings of the sunrise that week. Sometimes I would be setting up to paint while it was still dark. This was evident one day when I realized the Arches watermark on the painting was upside down. Starting the day by painting the sunrise not only gets me started early but it loosens me up. I feel that I can create better work as the day goes on after getting that initial jump start. One particular morning I was greeted by the suns rays, alternating colors of blue and orange. I had to try to get that effect with my watercolors. The result is the painting I named "Tequila Sunrise."

Forces of Nature

I just completed painting in the Crescent Beach Plein Air Paintout. Over a week of painting on location along the beach and near the city of St. Augustine. Forces of Nature was an old cedar tree I found growing along the banks of a canal that led to the Intracoastal Waterway. I spent the afternoon with that tree for three days in a row. Trying to capture the light and strength that nature cast upon that old tree. The first two days I left unsatisfied, hoping I would be able to return again and finish the composition. On the third day I left joyfully, knowing I had created a nice painting. I didn't acutally know how good it was until I put it in the competition and it was voted Best of Show.

Morning Mist

I had a chance to go out painting early when I was staying in Connecticut in October. The fall leaves were just starting to change into their warm autumn hues and there was an early morning mist raising over the river. Hundreds of geese were flying overhead and landing in the field next to the river. I resisted the temptation to add these geese into the painting. I was interested in capturing the look and feel of the early morning mist as well as the reflections of the trees in the slowly moving water. The rocks give you a feeling of where you are standing.

Connecticut Church

I often do a painting for young couples when I am invited to their wedding. Hopefully finding a subject or theme they can both share. In this case I did a painting of the church they were married in on the third of October. This painting was done en plein air on the day of my niece's wedding. There was a 60% chance of rain that day which you can see in the sky I painted. I finished most of the painting in the early morning just before the rain came. It was a beautiful wedding and most of the rain came as we were going from the church to the reception.

Wekiva River

This is a painting of the Wekiva River I did as a demonstration at the
Central Florida Watercolor Society. The Wekiva River is a 30 mile river starting in two separate fresh water springs in Central Florida and ending in the St. Johns River. I previously did a plein air study at this location and a value sketch to work out the basic composition. My demonstration was to emphasize how I use plein air paintings as reference material for my later studio work. I enjoy adding figures to my work and put the two men in the boat going down the river, just as I had experienced on the day I did the plein air painting.