Stewart Jones Art

Spending a few days in Cedar Key was like stepping back in time. Quite a nice area to enjoy boats, marshes and sunsets. The last evening there, we were there provided with a beautiful sunset from The Hideaway Tiki Bar just before Tropical Storm Beryl set it. I was able to get up the next morning and do two paintings before the bands of rain started to sprinkle drops of water on my watercolor paintings. One of the most photographed sites is the now dilapidated pier; which used to have a small house on it. I resisted the temptation to paint it, until I saw the wonderful colors of the morning clouds before the storm set in. Then I headed for that old pier, knowing I I had just the right opportunity to paint it in front of the sunrise.

I was photographing an old barn in St. Augustine where they keep the horses for the carriage rides. I noticed a couple of chickens scratching in the dirt by the barn so I snapped a quick photo. I used the photo to do a painting of chickens in my studio. I liked the idea of one white chicken and another that was quite different. I emphasized how to paint light colors to look like white feathers. Then I painted a darker brown chicken and used darker strokes of paint to show the differences in the feathers. One chicken was placed in front of the other; just slightly, to help me get the 3-dimension feeling on the flat surface of the watercolor paper. A few dark boards were painted in the background to add a little interest. Do you think I should add some chicken wire to complete the coop?