Waiting

"Waiting"...SOLD
16"x20" acrylic on canvas

This docked shrimp boat on Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia was so still and peaceful and seemed to just be waiting... waiting for her owners to rest and return... waiting for her nets to be dipped into the ocean... waiting for her engines to break the silence of... waiting.

Update: This painting was chosen as "Art of the Day" on EBSQ's website for Wednesday Nov.4th. It was e-mailed to 11,229 AOTD subscribers! Wow... talk about exposure!

Exploded View

"Exploded View"
8"x24" acrylic on visual edge canvas

"Exploded View" is the name of this gorgeous thoroughbred racehorse that I had the privilege of working with for about a year. I was helping a close friend, Gayle Rawlins, whose duty it was to caretake the mares and foals on a small thoroughbred farm near my home. The fun part was handling the foals and getting them to trust people and have good 'ground manners'. The day pictured above was bittersweet... it was time to send "Exploded View", a two-year-old colt, to South Carolina to the training stables. Gayle and I had polished him until he 'was plum shiny' so that he would make a good impression. He knew something was up when the big transport trailer came to pick him up. He could hear and smell the other horses already loaded in the trailer from other farms. His days of growing up and playing were to be replaced by learning the ropes at the track. And we had three new foals to follow in his footsteps.

Alabama Cow

"Alabama Cow" SOLD
4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas

Karin said to have fun with these 'different stroke' images... so I did! A flat green background and lots of color give this bovine a whimsical feeling, yet the realistic drawing and brushwork prevent her from being cartoonish. I really like the feeling of the two treatments mixed together with this subject matter. M-M-Moo!

Little Blue Heron

"Little Blue Heron"
Art on the Avenue... SOLD
4"x12" acrylic on canvas

The whole family of herons and egrets is fascinating to me... their body movements, mannerisms, intensity and patience... then there are the many color variations! No wonder that bird watching is America's favorite sport.

Three Muscovies

"Three Muscovies"
8"x24"x3/4" acrylic on visual edge canvas

The reference photo for this painting was taken on the same day as the last three paintings posted here. It was such a clear, crisp day and the shadows were awesome. Ducks on water are always interesting subjects, but add that terrific shadow cast by a tree across them and you've got that extra depth and contrast that really makes them special!

Reserved Parking

"Reserved Parking"...SOLD
8"x24" acrylic on visual edge canvas

These seagulls had parked in the space next to my car. I think that they must have chosen the parking lot instead of the beach to help soak up some of the warmth radiating from the asphalt, as the reference photo was taken on the same chilly winter day that you saw in yesterday's beach painting. I can't help but chuckle when I see these birds with one leg tucked underneath because of my youngest nephew's comment to my sister. . ." Look, Mimi! Chicken on a stick!"

Forecast: Clear & Cool

"Forecast: Clear & Cool"
24"x36" oil on gessoed masonite

This is Panama City Beach on a very crisp, cool day in early winter looking down from the pier. The tide was low, leaving hard packed wet sand perfect for walking or hunting for shells. My goal was to capture the clarity of the air and the "temperature" of the beach at this time of year.

Jaguar

"Jaguar"

8"x24"x3/4" acrylic on visual edge canvas

I lucked up on a small exotic species zoo in Panama City one fall during one of my husband's business trips where I was able to tag along. I just had my Minolta 35mm and I'd already been to the beach, the pier, the shipyard... all the places you go with a camera. I only had twelve shots left, so I took all of them on the big cats. I've never been able to be so close to the cats at larger zoos. It was almost closing time, which must have been their feeding time, because they were all up and pacing close to the fences looking toward the center building.
There were two jaguars... this one and a black coloration. What impressed me most was the fact that, though not very large, these cats were extremely thick and muscular. I'd seen many images of the jaguar's lovely rosette coat but I was pleasantly surprised when this one showed me what beautiful patterning is on the underside. That contrast of black and white just POPS!

One Paw

"One Paw"
Art on the Avenue Gallery...SOLD
4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas

One Paw, the raccoon, lives at Dauset Trails near my home in Georgia. All of the indigenous species animals at the Rehabilitation Center cannot be returned to the wild, usually because of injuries that would lessen their ability to survive. In One Paw's case, he lost an arm but none of his charm! At the Nature Center, children are taught to preserve habitats and wildlife and to respect the animal's wildness... no matter how cute they are.

Congress Avenue Bridge Bats

"Congress Avenue Bridge Bats"
9"x12" acrylic on canvasboard

EBSQ's Member's Choice Award

The Congress Avenue Bridge spanning Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin is the spring and summer home to some 750,000 Mexican free-tail bats with up to 1.5 million at the peak of the bat-watching season. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America. Each evening around sunset the Congress Avenue bats emerge like a black cloud from the crevices under the bridge. Covering the countryside in search of food, it is estimated that the bats consume from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects. Giving birth in June or July, the bats and pups hang around til October when they head back south. Watching the nightly forays for food is a favorite evening activity, especially in late summer during Austin's Batfest.

This painting is my entry into ebsq's October Bat Show to raise awareness of truths about bats as opposed to myths. I chose to give the static elements crisp edges and hard colors in opposition to the moving bat's softer treatment, lending a friendlier feel to the often maligned little creature.

Feather Dancer

"Feather Dancer"
Art on the Avenue ... SOLD
9"x12" acrylic

The object of this painting was to capture movement, energy and color. This was one of the Indian dancers that I photographed several weeks ago when I was on an outing with my daughter. We had no idea a festival was being held at The Village at Indian Springs and they were doing their last dance when we arrived. The batteries were low in my camera and I was so afraid the pictures wouldn't take... I only got four! My husband and I went back this past weekend to their Indian Museum to have arrowheads identified and discovered that we have one broken projectile that is paleo-Indian... approximately 13,000 years old! Wow! They scanned, measured and cataloged information about it. They also suggested we might want to donate it to a museum later.

Black-eyed Susan

"Black-eyed Susan"
Art on the Avenue...SOLD
4"x6" acrylic on visual edge canvas
EBSQ's Patrons Choice Award

This sweet little painting is my entry into the ebsq 'Flower of the Month' contest. Normally, when rendered this up close, a butterfly takes center stage. I wanted the rudbeckia to be the main focus, so I muted the butterfly somewhat so that it would be more of a design element than an eye-catcher. The coneflowers in my yard reseed freely and this one popped up under a lavender butterfly bush. I really like the color combination.
Be sure to see all the entries this month at ebsqart.com and check out my fuller portfolio while you're there!

Sketching from live model

"Valerie"... nfs
14"x18" pencil on paper

I had the opportunity to sketch from a live model ... always a good thing since I paint a lot from photo references in my studio. Valerie was a wonderful model! I couldn't believe that she could maintain that mischievous twinkle in her eye. I've modeled before and it's NOT easy. Sometimes it seems hard to squeeze these purely learning/practice times in. Glad I got to this day.

Blue Ram

"Blue Ram"

4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas
EBSQ's "Art of the Day" Nov. 22, 2008

My reference for this Dall Sheep ram was typical winter grays against a busy rock backdrop of more grays. Knowing how brilliantly blue the upper sky can be in winter, I chose to pretend this proud ram was on top of his mountain overlooking his domain. With this small format, he is edited down to the elements that interested me most, which are the swirling texture of the horns and the intent expression in the eye. Limiting my palette to only four colors helps intensify the editing.

Buddies

"Buddies"... SOLD
8"x10" acrylic on gessoed masonite

Buddy is my son's part-Siamese rescue cat who has a delightfully smug expression. Sitting in bright winter sunlight in our south-facing windows, he is the perfect subject to explore all the lovely variations that can be expressed in the color 'white' and the shadows cast by such strong light. Sunlight shining through his ear gives a strong punch of warmth to an otherwise cool color palette. I used two poses of Buddy to double the fun, so the title has a double meaning, too.

Forest Floor

"Forest Floor"... nfs
11"x14" mixed media on paper

This painting is a combination of pencil, colored pencil, oil sticks and watercolor. I created an embossed effect by tracing around the leaves in pencil after applying the watercolor. I like the variety of textures the mixed media achieves which reflect the difference between the dead leaves and the ones that are alive. Nice!

Promo Work

I do have a half-finished beachscape on the easel, but the last 2 days have been used creating promotional materials for upcoming shows. The long weekend with my sister was GREAT... met some interesting people and saw some terrific artwork. The writers' workshop even rekindled my desire to publish a children's book that I wrote and illustrated several years ago and published as an illustrated poem within another book. So many avenues to explore...

Refilling the well

I'll be spending a long weekend "replenishing my soul" with my sister. We've got some interesting arts and writing events planned and a block of time unplanned, which is sorely needed. I'll have my camera and sketch pad. Later, 'tater...

Night Run

"Night Run" SOLD

30"x40"x1.5" oil on canvas

If you love horses and are into purple/blue/crimson... this one's for you! Painted edges on deep wrap canvas so framing is optional.

Wednesday

Well, today was spent doing the myriad things artists HAVE to do besides paint! Back to the easel tomorrow.