Stewart Jones Art

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.

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."

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.