For the past five years my work has been about developing a relationship and understanding of the unique world of the Florida Panhandle. Having lived in California, the Arizona desert and Western New York State, this environment has been entirely new and different. It is confusing, gorgeous, extreme, diverse and just simply amazing!
So often I just need to paint the weather, the water, the moss hanging from oaks along with the perfect horizontal and vertical lines in Tallahassee. It's things dripping, watery, dark and sunny. It's shrimp boats, old and new buildings and a magnificently diverse flora and fauna. It's a living, working culture experienced nowhere else.
May 21, 2011 Meeting with small group for artists' dialog in Bald Pt./Alligator Pt. So enjoyable and worthwhile. Critiquing, helping one another and laughing. Welcome relief to get away from competition/marketing and other such nuisances. Have been working on animals a bit more. Currently a hunting scene, full sheet w/hunting dog (as in "It's Over There" - see recent works page) and ducks. Reaping the benefits from last Beach Artists' Dialog.
A note on one of my recent paintings "In Wildness..."
The painting has been cropped to 26" X 17" (see photo in Gallery 1) so that it makes a more pleasing and "proper" composition. However, the painting is actually 30" X 23" and even though the child is centered, I STILL like it. Should anyone wish to purchase the painting this is how it will ship - cropping at the discretion of the purchaser.
This painting was accepted in the juried exhibition of The Tallahassee Watercolor Society's Brush Strokes Exhibition.
"Plein Air in October" and "Apalachicola" ~
These two plein air watercolors are currently at The Frame Shop in Apalachicola ~ open Tues.- Sat. noon-6pm (850) 653-1919 or by appointment (850)370-0881. I painted "Apalachicola" during their annual ArtWalk where artists set up on the sidewalk and paint. Both are now beautifully matted and framed by frame shop owner Peggy Foley.
Plein Air Tallahassee in Carrabelle
The Plein Air page has a photo of my "work in progress" from our paint out on Oct. 23rd. I have painted a similar scene before (see Gallery 1). I have since done yet another and returned yesterday to sketch. The bonus of living in Carrabelle when PAT chooses to paint in my locale!
Small Works Page
I have recently been painting some "small works" and added a page of some of them. I used to do very, very tiny pen & ink/watercolors years ago of any subject I could think of: houses, animals, landscapes, rooms in houses such as kitchens and bathrooms with little claw foot tubs. There were many collectors of these!
It's a curiosity to me why I feel the need to revert to this, albeit not exactly the same thing. We artists know our work is an expression of what is going on within us...hmmm...