MOTTO FOR 2011

Life is full of magic . . . find some

Sunday, June 28, 2009

"South Georgia County Road"


16 x 20
This is from a trip I took looking for images in the South Georgia farmland just north of Tallahassee. It is beautiful country. Call me crazy (or lazy) but I like that car level shot. It can be taken right out of the front windshield. I close the aperture on the camera and shoot with a large depth of field. Of course I don't do that all the time, but I have a whole folder in my photo database that I have labeled "car shots". After all isn't this the only view that most of us have of the countryside?
I have always been a looker while traveling. My kids, on the other hand, have used all that privileged time traveling to watch movies on the vcr in our high top van. That was before they had all those portable tvs on the back on the headrest of every seat. But I have to admit there is no quieter way to travel with children. And we had a bunch. The funny thing is I have recently seen movies that I know every line of dialog and have never seen the movie. "The Goofy Movie" and "Three Ninjas" are two examples. I was watching "The Goofy Movie" recently and realized I had imaged a completely different movie. But that's what the Dad gets to do. He is driving and watching the scenery and thinking 'that would make a beautiful painting'.
If you are taking a family vacation this summer and you are traveling through some pretty country think about MAKING your children put down their Ipod or movie or cell phone or game or whatever and taking a look at what is outside. At least for a little while.
Happy Travels.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

"Rainbow"


5 x 7 (plein air)
Remember all those drawings you did in kindergarden with the rainbow. It's just something that you don't see painted, except by children. I guess the thinking is it's a trite subject. That's what I was thinking as I was sitting out on the dock looking across the lake at a nice rainbow forming in a passing rain shower. So that is just a perfect thing to try and paint. How do you make it look like a rainbow without making it look like a rainbow. Not sure if I did that but it was sure fun to paint. It was also quick. The thing about rainbows is they don't last very long. I probably could have concentrated more on the different colors but the bright yellow was the overpowering color and if I tried to put in all of the colors and the perfect arch . . . well it would have looked like a rainbow.

Monday, June 15, 2009

"Hope and her Sister"




5 x 7 (Plein air)


Did this down at Lake Ella on Saturday. I had just finished a larger painting and I had to go pick up my daughters from the ACT test and did this one as a sketch in about 20 minutes. Probably could do a better job on the size of the children but they would not hold still. Now there's a suprise.

Lake Ella is a great place to paint. The people are friendly and interested, but not over interested. They walk around the lake and some make comments as they make laps around the lake. Heres the one done earlier in the morning. It's 11 x 14. We'll call it:
"Church Steeple and Walkers"



11 x 14 (plein air)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

"Blue Water"


5 x7 (Plein air)
From last weekend at St. Mark Wildlife Refuge. I took my paints, my camera and my bike. The weather wasn't great. I took off down this dirt road that heads east into the woods. I had my big backpack with about thirty pounds of equipment. The weather was moving in and the humidity was as close to wet as you can get. Yellow flies and horse flies reminded me that I had forgottent he bug spray. This little dirt road is about one foot above the water in the ditches that were only about ten feet from the side of the road. As I booked down the road on my trusty Cannondale F29er Mountain Bike "things" were scurrying into the water. Some of the things - like the six foot gator - didn't scurry they just watched as I pedaled past. Needless to say after about four miles, with thunder rumbling I turned around and headed for the truck. By the time I got back I was covered in sweat.
Sticking to the plan I was able to do number of small pieces and get a lot of good shots. I have a couple of good ideas. The one above was done at about 7 pm with nice golden light. This was my favorite.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"Summer Storm Gathering"


5 x 7 (Plein air)
During our last trip to Lake Weir the summer afternoon storm cycle had started. You have to get going in the morning because you end up getting chased off the lake in the early afternoon. I love the intensity of the lavender sky against the dark olive green of the trees. Its a great match. There is also a bit of drama in painting one of these out under the tin roof at the end of the dock with lightening flashing and thunder rolling. I continually look down at the hairs on my arm to see if they standing straight up. I'm not quite sure what to do if they are standing straight up. Do you run? Or just say a prayer?

Monday, June 08, 2009

"Plein Air at Phipps Park"


5 x 7
I'm calling these postcards. (Yes, I know, plenty of people before me have called them postcards, but I like it. It fits the bill.) They are small and I am getting a lot of good experience by painting a bunch of them. This was done on location in Phipps Park. This is right next to the corner where the port-o-potty sits. Thats what artistic license means. I could have put the potty in, but I thought to myself - I'm not sure someone wants to look a port-o-potty. So I take artistic license and leave the potty out. Your lesson for the day.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

"Setting Moon"



11 x 14
Moon setting over Micosukee Greenway during October.