orange and green - 24x18"

I wasn't going to post this one until it was done but then I decided to because I wanted to post a blurb about tomorrow's Paint Out in Bluffton, SC. This shrimper is docked in my neighborhood at our "community dock" that no one seems to use. At early morning and late afternoon here the sky becomes more orange than what I expect....this isn't a factor of what it normally does early and late because when you leave the forest here, the sky is it's usual self. It seems more to do with the dark green color of the trees and the warmer sky. This particular scene expresses that color relationship and how it is intensified when a storm is clearing.......not too many trees that you can see in the painting but trust me, there's a ton of them behind me. I've still got a lot to do but I'm getting there.

Tomorrow I will be participating in the "Bluffton Old Town Paint Out" and would like to mention it to anyone who might be in the area. I am not really familiar with Bluffton even though it is only an hour away from where I live and on the way to Hilton Head....it took me a while of exploring to get to really know the area closer to me and I just haven't gone towards there except to shop occasionally. It is a very interesting town and the historic area is pretty neat. So.....I have just joined SOBA (the Society of Bluffton Artists) and will be exhibiting there at their gallery.  

edge of the tide (and new baby chicks) - 18x14"

This is the beach near my house.......the tide has quite a range at Coffin Point and the difference between high and low tide is pretty big. Even though there are few waves due to it being somewhat protected by Harbor Island (in the distance) and Edisto Beach (on the left but unseen in this painting - six miles by boat but close to two hours by car), the tide coming in can be pretty dramatic as it washes over the marsh grasses. I only started this yesterday and probably would have finished it except.......................

the baby chicks arrived at the post office!!!! They only hatched five days ago but already seem to have grown since yesterday. I spent way too much time just watching them and they are super cute.

beachside road - 12x12"

Sorry about the cropping on this one but I liked the picture and couldn't really put it anywhere to photograph it......a drawback of using thick paint on a panel.  There was way too much glare wherever else I tried to take the picture. This dirt road runs parallel to the Coffin Point Beach in my "neighborhood." It was funny but of the 7 or so of us that showed up for plein air group yesterday, all of us painted off the beach. 

Happy Labor Day!

I thought I would post a couple of plein air things today in the spirit of "working".........I don't usually exhibit them and often don't really "finish" them since I do them for the experience/learning and find that I tend to mess them up when I try and make them suitable for sale.  The top painting also shows how I used an old frame to hold a small canvas (8" square) firmly in my soltek easel which doesn't accommodate small sizes very well. I did the bottom 14"x11" this morning at the entrance to the beach down the street from my house on Coffin Point.