sunset violet - 8" square

I've had this study kicking around for a while and decided to post it because it is growing on me a bit......that happens a lot. Sometimes if I just set something aside after experiencing a certain frustration level, I decide not to destroy it. Went out plein air painting yesterday but had to leave because even the deet insect repellent I bought for the jungle in South America wasn't working......several bugs flying into my mouth caused me to flee.

sisters underpainting - 20x20"

 

 

 

I finished the little boy with the truck and began a larger painting of two sisters I found at the beach. I have been planning this one for a while and debated how large and what format I wanted to make it. Since the gesture/movement of the figures is so important in this painting, I decided to use a grid to check myself for errors and save a bit of time while getting it on to the canvas (you can see it). I will often divide the canvas in quarters if I am using a photo for a candid figure painting for that reason. Let's face it, you simply cannot get people to pose in mid-run.

trucking - 11x14"

This one isn't quite done yet but I was feeling guilty for not posting all week. I went and got a new Canon SLR on my way home from dropping my daughter off at the airport in Charleston yesterday........I had tried everything I knew to get my old one to work without luck and a camera is pretty much a necessity these days. It was great to see my daughter even though the weather was a little gloomy (the gloomiest we have had all summer); it's good she likes rain. 

savannah industrial 2.0 (aka: almost done)

This photo is terrible but, alas, my Canon SLR digital seems to have broken.........at least I can't get it to focus. Bottom line, I had to use my iphone to take the photo. I have realized that the older my poor camera gets, the more sensitive the settings are to the battery dying. Either that will work or I will be shopping for a new one. My daughter is arriving from Texas on Tuesday for a quick visit and wants to go to the beach a lot so I will hopefully get some studies in while she suns..........otherwise I have been working inside recently because of the heat & humidity.

savannah industrial - 16x15" step 1.5

I am pretty much making this one up because I wanted to combine a stormy, dramatic tropical sky with a brightly lit industrial scene..............ah, all those bad plein air studies that I have never posted come in handy for memory work! I don't fret too much anymore about the things I don't wish to post because I really do consider it like a musician practicing their instrument.

cloud play - completed

I finished this one and don't really have much to say today.........back to work.

cloud play - 12x24"

I was hoping to finish this picture today but I "lost" Wednesday at the dentist's and the root canal isn't even completed - now I have to see a specialist. I become all anxious in the 24 hours prior to a dental appointment and then am ruined for the remainder of the day following the appointment. My new dentist is wonderful and gentle but I can't seem to shake my dental anxiety (it did take me years to learn it though)! Anyway..........we have had several weeks of storminess and I absolutely love the way the weather system and clouds build at Hunting Island so I thought I would insert some figures into a larger cloud painting.

Beaufort Art Association Exhibit

I thought I would begin to get involved in the local art community now that I feel settled enough........so I have joined the Beaufort Art Association as an exhibiting member (I worked my first full day in the gallery today). The paintings above are now on display for the next six weeks. Since I am working on a couple of larger pieces and have a root canal this week, I might be a little short on brand new stuff...we shall see.

cloudy but nice - 12" square

I really love the gray days down here - maybe because it feels a bit like permanent summer. It isn't as if one is desperate for light all the time so you can relax a bit and enjoy the varied weather.