"Night of Nights"

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

"Farm"


11 x 14

Still here. Yes, it's been awhile. Still here and still painting. I took a break. After Crescent Beach Paintout I did the Plantation Wildlife Show in Thomasville. Things were slow up there. It's the economy stupid. That's what I heard from all of the artists up there. Most of them are people who do it for a living and do a lot of show. They report that most shows are 50% down across the board. Makes you glad you don't do it for a living. Anyway, I felt like I needed a break for the first time in a long while.

It's funny when I meet friends for the first time in a long time they always ask whether I still paint. Sometimes I wonder whether they are saying are you still doing that crazy painting thing. Like have you gotten over that stage yet. Well, I haven't. I'm thinking about doing some new stuff. Maybe some figurative work and portraits. Thats got to improve your painting because you can't fake a portrait or a figure. Trees you can fake. So stay tuned and we'll see.

This is from a trip to North Carolina. Its a car shot. I'm a sucker for a flat field and an old barn.
I loved the light on the side of the houses and blue sky.

"Waiting for a Ride"

11 x 14 Plein air

From the Crescent Beach paintout. Been taking a break lately. Doing some small stuff and getting ready for the Plantation Wildlife Show.

"Santa Maria"

8 x 10 (plein air)

From the Crescent Beach Paintout. This was from Friday when it pretty much rained all day. I did this one from the road. About half way through it started raining and the whole thing and my palette got wet. I didn't think it would do much because the paints are oil paints, but there is an effect. This one was tough because of the weather. I really had a problem with putting too much information in this one. I really should have just concentrated on the sign. I liked the idea of the graphic nature of the backwards sign.

Summer 100 (100 of 100)
"Wet Matanzas"

11 x 14 (plein air)

Painted on Friday at Crescent Beach Paint Out. It was raining and windy (really windy). The only dry place I could find was under the south side of the Matanzas Inlet bridge. There was a family with a father and two young children waiting for Dad to catch some bait for the day of fishing. The little girl, who did not seem very excited to be there, gave me much encouragement and compliments as the painting progressed.

So here's a hundred paintings. I'm going to recap and provide some analysis of the effort in the next couple of days.

Thanks for looking.

Summer 100 (99 of 100)
"Fading Light"

11 x 14 (plein air)

Painted on the beach in the late afternoon with the wind blowing pretty strong in my face.

Summer 100 (98 of 100)
"Bobby B"

9 x 12 (plein air)

This is the shrimp boat Capt. Bobby B. It was anchored next to the Bridge of Lions on a very windy day. I set up near the waterfront sidewalk on Thursday. The photo does not do justice to the painting. The sky is a bright yellow.

Summer 100 (97 of 100)
"New Day"

6 x 8 (plein air)

The color on this photo isn't even close. I took the photo in the gallery so the light wasn't right. Anyway I did this on Thursday morning at the lighthouse park.

Summer 100 (96 of 100)
"At the Shore"

8 x 10 (plein air)

From the same place as the last one. Liked the light on the front of the little house. Nice place to live. A bunch of people kept walking by with their dogs or children. I wonder if they realize how great they have it?

Summer 100 (95 of 100)
"View of Valano Beach"

9 x 12 (plein air)

From a place I painted last year near the Conch House. This is an area where the road goes right by the water and there is an old concrete slab that is a perfect place to sit and paint.

Summer 100 (94 of 100)
"Fishin"

11 x 14 (Plein air)

From the Crescent Beach Paint Out. This was the first one I did on Tuesday morning. After I left the gallery I drove over to Mantanzas Inlet and saw the waves breaking and people fishing and knew I had to paint it. This painting won an Award of Merit, so that was cool. Met alot of great painters and people so that was also cool. And I did enough to finish the summer / early fall / late fall 100 so that was cool.

Summer 100 (93 of 100)
"Barn and Blue"

16 x 20

This is an old barn on the way to Cairo.

Summer 100 (92 of 100)
"Eastpoint and the Bridge"

9 x 12

Oyster boat and a pile of oysters.

Summer 100 (91 of 100)
"Lake Ella Afternoon"

6 x 8 (plein air)

Trying to get in some plein air work because I'm going to Crescent Beach next week for the Crescent Beach Paintout. Had a great time last year. It was alot of hard work. Last year it was in the middle of August and really hot. I painted in the morning and afternoon and spent the hours around calling clients. It's been moved this year to October and it is tied in with a charity in St. Augustine and an additional gallery. I'm looking forward to a challenging and fun time. Always great to meet new artist and hang around with people who understand your disease.

Summer 100 (90 of 100)
"Georgia Field"

16 x 20

This is a South Georgia field at dusk. It's alot of open space because there was alot of open space. I'm trying to finish the Summer 100 before the first frost.

Summer 100 (89 of 100)
"Goldenrod"

9 x 12 (Plein air)

This is was painted at Phipps Park in Tallahassee.

Summer 100 (87 of 100)
"Baldwin Angus Ranch"

8 x 10

This is from a car photo taken on I-75 around Ocala or Gainesville. There is a barn and another red building that has the words "Baldwin Angus Ranch". Every time a drive by I want to stop and take a photo. Unfortunately, that plan never works. By the time I realize its coming up I don't have my camera ready. This time I was coming back from a mediation in Orlando and just rolled down the window, pickup up my camera and aimed and shot. Or course the painting looks only marginally like the photo. But I like the way it turned out.

Summer 100 (86 of 100)
"At Marineland"

6 x 8

This is from a photo from Crescent Beach. This is the beach down by Marineland. This is one of the only beaches I know of in Florida with natural rocks on the beach. They are coquina rocks and they are pretty neat. This is just a sketch. Trying to get ready for the Crescent Beach Paintout in a couple of weeks. This is a scene I'd like to attempt during the time I'm there.

Summer 100 (85 of 100)
"Along the Riverbank"

14 x 11

Okay it's not the Summer 100 anymore. Now it's more like the Summer Early Fall 100 but hey you get what you pay for. Life has been way to busy lately. Suddenly there was getting kids to college, going to cross country meets, and actually making money by doing my real job.

Summer 100 (84 of 100)
"Palms"

10 x 8

Palms near Titusville.

Summer 100 (83 of 100)
"Dock"

9 x 12

Shrimp boat at a dock in Fernandina.

Summer 100 (82 of 100)
"Along the Intercoastal"

16 x 20

Near Crescent Beach.

Summer 100 (81 of !00)
"Florida Cowboys"

14 x 18

From a photograph I took while on an airboat tour on the St. Johns River east of Orlando. There are still cowboys in Florida.

Summer 100 (80 of 100)
"Hot Georgia Field"

16 x 20

A field in south Georgia photographed on the way to Atlanta this summer. I was working with the pattern of dryed up crop against the cloudy sky. I like the way it came out. It is one of those paintings where someone might say "oh I like it, but where is the tractor, or the barn, or the farmhouse", or whatever the motiff is that you want to add. Whats wrong with it being about dead dry crops? Its my painting. I want it to be about dead dry crops.

Summer 100 (79 of 100)
"SML"

10 x 8

The light from the road.

Summer 100 (78 of 100)
"Thirsty"

8 x 10

This little palmetto bush was on the ridge of a dune over in Grayton Beach State Park. Making a place for itself. Tried to capture a dry, hot and windy feeling.

Summer 100 (77 of 100)
"Clouds over the Indian River"

6 x 8

Yes, another low horizon cloud painting. Glad you liked it.

Summer 100(76 of 100)
"Palms at First Light"

24 x 24

I like these square formats. They are different compositionally from what I do most of the time. Just trying to make this interesting.

The Olympics are over so I am getting back to the Summer 100. There is still plenty of summer in left in Tallahassee. In fact, September can really be hot. It has been an eventful couple of weeks. We celebrated the girls Sweet Sixteen Party at Lake Weir one weekend. We came back to Tallahassee and started packing Micah and Zack to send them off to college. We took Zack to UF and dropped him off in the middle of a tropical storm. Literally the middle. I think the eye was over Gainesville. Then we headed back to Tallahassee and storm followed us. Unfortunately it was travelling very slowly and left plenty of rain and wind damage.

The best part of the storm was fishing during the middle of it. I told Stephen that the fish really bite when the barometric pressure changes and he said "sounds good to me". We walked down to the lake in our neighborhood in the middle of pouring rain. It was fabulous. There was water flowing into the lake that looked like a stream in North Carolina. And best of all, we caught ten fish in about an hour. It was awesome.

Summer 100 (75 of 100)
"St. Marks Vista"

14 x 18

This is near the lighthouse. Love the open sky.

Summer 100 (74 of 100)
"Bird Island"

9 x 12

This is a small island in the west part of Lake Weir. The birds nest on the island and fly in towards evening.

The Summer 100 has been temporarily suspended because of the Olympics. Sorry. They only come around every four years.

Summer 100 (73 of 100)
"Across the Lake"

6 x 8 (plein air)

Another from the dock. I have painted this before but I like this one. I feel like I'm learning something. Hey, I guess that's the point.

Summer 100 (72 of 100)
"Clouds"

6 x 8 (plein air)

From the dock at Lake Weir. With subsequent studio adjustments. (Sometimes it's just not right when you paint it outdoors. I feel like if I really think I can improve it and do a better job of catching what I was looking for, then I should edit things in studio. On this one I wanted to emphasis the bright light on the edge of the backlit cloud. But brightness is relative. So no matter now bright you make the edge, it can only be bright compared to the rest of the painting. )

Summer 100 (71 of 100)
"On the River"

5 x 4

From memory based on many days on the St. John's River.

Summer 100 (70 of 100)
"Pine Tops"

10 x 11

Where trees meet sky in North Florida.

Summer 100 (69 of 100)
"Traveling Sketch"

5 x 5

This is from a small charcoal sketch I did on the way to North Carolina during one of our camp trips. I obviously added the colors later.

Summer 100 (68 of 100)
"Barn and Tree"

4 x 6

From a photo taken near Midway. I like the roof angle against the crooked tree limbs.

Summer 100 (67 of 100)
"Georgia Field"

8 x 10

A "carshot" from the trip to Atlanta. Just a Georgia farm field.

Summer 100 (66 of 100)
"Edge"

16 x 20

From a wipe-off painting from crescent beach. I put a cover of bright red which shows through in areas. Two thirds of the way done. All I have to do is my girls sweet sixteen birthday party. Get two kids moved into their college dorms. And not spend every night watching the Olympics. Oh this is sounding easier and easier. I better get painting.

Summer 100 (65 of 100)
"Lone Palm"

10 x 8

From an image from the Crescent Beach Paintout last year. By the way, I was invited to participate again this year. It will be held from October 21 to 25. It has some new sponsers and looks like it will be even better this year. I got to meet some really neat artist last year and sold two pieces. Plus, I love the beach and water there.

Summer 100 (64 of 100)
"Abstract Summer"


4 x 8

My attempt at an abstract. Not as easy as it looks when your standing the modern art museum. There are a lot of different greys. Hey, you try some new things once in a while. Like if this was my full time job, I'll probably get real tired of landscape, landscape, landscape. So is it good. Who knows.

Summer 100 ( 63 of 100)
"Palms and Oaks"


12 x 9 (plein air)

Another rainy day. Again at the end of the dock under the tin roof. Picked out the palm tree on the shore against a large live oak. Will probably do some more work on this one.

Summer 100 (62 of 100)
"Rainy Day"

6 x 8 (plein air)

Rainy day. I sat at the end of the dock under the tin roof and painted. I decided to do something different and so I moved the horizon up and worked on the water. Not an easy task. What color is the water, or the reflection on the water.

Summer 100 (61 of 100)
"Crows at the Barker Boathouse"

9 x 12 (plein air)

This is my favorite boathouse on the lake. It is old and has a story. These crows fly up and down the shore looking for food. This was morning. I loved the shadows and the light illuminating the inside of the dark boathouse.

Summer 100 ( 60 of 100)
"Morning Sun on Western Shore"

9 x 12 (plein air)

In the morning painting from the dock and looking west. The sun was warming up the land and contrasted with the high rain clouds in the west.

Summer 100 (59 of 100)
"From the Boat"

11 x 14 (plein air)

After painting the last two from the middle of lake I moved the boat closer to the shore and out of the wind. The clouds were moving fast, but keeping with my idea of painting more clouds I went at these. Not easy because you the scene would change every second. It was fun and challenging.

Summer 100 (58 of 100)
"East"

5 x 5 (plein air)

Looking east from the middle. This is the old yatch club that has recently been redone.

Summer 100 (57 of 100)
"South"

5 x 5 (plein air)

Not my usual finish but there is an explanation. I took the boat out to the middle of Lake Weir. It's about three and half miles across. I anchored and decided I would just do quick sketches of each direction on the compass - south, east, west and north. This one is south. The biggest problem is that there was some decent wind out there and therefore the boat was rocking. Its not that easy to put a stroke where you want it under those conditions. I did east and then decided I really didn't want to do anymore. Oh well. It's one hundred paintings for heavens sake. You're not going to like every one.

Summer 100 (56 of 100)
"Neighbor's Flag"

6 x 8 (plein air)

The neighbor's dock has a flag they fly every day that they are there. I like it. There is usually a nice breeze to keep it moving. After I was finished everyone participated in a Pledge of Alligence with hand over heart and everything.

Summer 100 (55 of 100)
"Looking West"

6 x 8 (plein air)

Looking west from the dock at Dina and Dave's. Painted earlier this week but having problems taking photos of the artwork. I have to fix the spot in the middle of the painting. Really is a spot in the photo so it must be in the camera. I hope I can fix that.

It is not easy to paint at the lake. The biggest problem I have is that there is a lot of horizon and not much vertical. I have been wanting to work on some clouds so I will use this week to do some clouds.

Summer 100 (54 of 100)
"Grayton Dunes"

5 x 10

From State Road 39A looking to the beach.