First figure painting class

Stepping back I can see there was too much foreshortening..but I had lots of fun loosening up with this full figure sketch! And I loved the look of the vest!

     

While waiting for our model to show one day, the artists took turns modeling for the class. Here's a really fun pose which would be nice to finish, but I'd just like to keep the energy of all those squiggly lines!

 

Figure drawing class

My favorite ..Erin posing for an oil wash...

Thank you Erin! 

The figure painting class over at the Hollingsworth Galleries is so much fun! Audrey gets a live model for us each week, and the session lasts a full 3 hours, with 15 - 20 minute poses! It's a nice way to spend a Saturday morning!

 

an earlier sketch- same model

'Daisy' the Bulldog

Here is a small oil wash tribute of 'Daisy' the Bulldog, a dog with real personality and many talents! For example, After dinner, before running the dishwasher, Daisy's job is to check for any traces of food left on the dishes in the rack.  She is very thorough and checks each dish carefully. and does an excellent job..better than any other bulldog I know! Hats off to Daisy, a gal with an eye for crumbs!

'Mia' oil on panel

Suzanne's 'Mia' is a service animal, a cute little long haired Chihuahua with big bright eyes and a wonderful personality! I painted her in oils on a 6 inch masonite panel.  

'Baby Beagle' oil on 11x15"panel

'Angel the Pug' oil on panel

Angel, another service animal, is an adorable little pug in black and white!

Oil Painting of 'Sara' the Jack Russel Terrier

Some paintings take longer than others.

This one measures approx 10 X 16. and took 3 days.

This wonderful dog, full of personality, loves the beach, as can be seen in the contented look in her eyes!

' cute pugface#1' watercolor

#1 in a group of pug paintings. We'll see how well I follow through on this one.Some of these will be used in a line of silver pendant jewelry coming soon.

Panther sculpture in Linear Park- oil on linen mounted on panel..approx. 6x6

Don't eat the Ivy! Pastel on watercolor paper

Busted!

Princess Place Preserve...a great place to paint! especially in the summers here in Florida!

 Here's a charcoal/watercolor/marker painting of the scene just to the left of the rocking chair porch at Princess Place Preserve.  This is a favorite painting location for Florida Plein Air artists, and even during the hot summers, there's always a breeze coming in off the waterview,and shade under the amazing live oaks. And if you can find an empty rocking chair on the porch of the incredible old lodge here, you just don't want to leave!

Our little painting group for the day was Dale, Mary Lee and myself, with  Dakota, our Labradoodle pup !

'ENGRAVED'

A simple digital art piece using a graphics program.

Its been too hot to paint outside, or in my garage, 

and I've always wanted to experiment with a digital

paint brush. Using my hand as a reference, I created a

rough line drawing, and added some highlights, shading

and a message based on Isaiah 49:16

Catskill Wildflowers in a Snapple

Pretty wildflowers are everywhere in the mountains, along every roadside and hill, of every color and variety, growing in abundance according to the master plan!

'Bowl of Crape Myrtle' oil on masonite- 11x11.5"

Wildfires Afoot!

     I've read the reports, and that it's been another 13 yrs since the '98 Fire that everyone talks about. And read about the '85 fire 13 yrs before that too! Now it's 2011, 13 years later, and here we are in a city that has doubled in population, with the same evacuation routes as before. Watching the news, or even just the weather, makes you think God is creatively pulling this wayward country to it's knees! The unthinkable has already happened in places like Arizona and other states....and I know how Florida has it's typical fire season, but there's just something unsettling about this time around, possibly because we're here! Being from 'up north' we just know how to deal with ice storms and hurricanes, so the thought of joining a slow moving traffic jam to escape a fast moving fire is a little disturbing....
     It's the morning of June 13th and the dry smoky air outdoors smells like a dirty ashtray. Everyone and everything waits with bated breath for any sign of the 'Rainy Season'! Mid June is when it traditionally arrives, but we've had 3 or 4 days with 20-30% chance of rain each time with nothing coming down, except a few drops!!! The grass under my feet krackles like rice crispies as I wonder if deer and other forest critters can escape the White Eagle Fire in Seminole Woods 8 miles away.  Ants that usually carry off leftover crumbs left by our cat Maestro now gather around the water bowl instead! Random thoughts of grabbing hubby, cat and other essentials and escaping to the ocean run thru my mind. Yesterday we raked all the dry pine needles off the roof and watered everything again. As Ed stood out on what's left of our lawn, a poor emaciated looking dog almost ran into him on his way into the woods.
      Otherwise, Washwick Place looks normal except for a strange smoggy haze hanging in the wind.... 
 
 

Moss covered rock sculpture-watercolor on paper

No ticks so far from Washington Oaks....none that I know of that is!!!

Anyway, here is my watercolor and ink of a beautiful

little fish pond there!

'Fairchild Oak ' Watercolor and Marker

 Painted the famous oak tree while gathering ticks with other plein air painters at Bulow State Park. 

a Princess Place afterthought and chair

 In the final half hour of our Princess Place visit, after a frustrating attempt at a porch painting, I wandered off some distance from the main house, and just sketched the view with a Sharpie. Someday I'll paint that Spanish Moss swinging from those huge oak trees...someday. But here's my quick watercolor of 'A Few Palms on a Windswept Day at Princess Place.'or, call it
'Marge's Painting Chair'  

Rose, watercolor on paper

Searching for a place to paint at the Washington Oaks Rose Garden yesterday,  I was struck by the beauty of this one particular rose.  It stood out from the others and when I plopped myself down next to it, it seemed to stretch up to the sky. So that's where I stayed for the next hour or so, and painted its portrait.

plein air painting at linear park

Linear Park- a favorite spot

Click here to see our outdoor painting blog

A Tribute to Zoe Cooley

one of Zoe Cooley's watercolors

  I met Zoe Cooley once, a few years ago, when she displayed her amazing watercolors at our church's annual art show.  From what I've heard, she was as beautiful a person as the art she created. God rest her soul.

  Like the folds of the robe on a sculpture

the beauty of the hibiscus flower

seems to linger even after it dies.  

My 'Hibiscus Shrunken'-  watercolor and pencil on journal paper

Tribute to Zoe Cooley 

small scribbles and watercolors from recent plein air outings

 

Ravine Gardens Azaleas

PricklyPear Cactus at Gamble Rogers beachside

pencil sketch of Ed at the Spring Arts Festival

Hibiscus in Blue Wine  Bottle

 Drawings and watercolors from recent wanderings of our plein air painters group.(see The AirPlein Blog) 

Florida is coming to life now, and April here feels like July in NY. Air conditioning is back on, water bottles, cell phones, people or animals left in cars for more than 10 minutes will more than likely melt, sandals are now needed for walking on the hot sand from the car to the water, fire ants are biting, gas prices are way up, the hurricane predictions for 2011 are in, plein air painting needs to begin early, before the sun gets too high in the sky, snow birds have left the building, tourists have returned, jasmine and roses are blooming,

Jungle Rose from undeveloped lot Washwick Pl

 

the last orange has fallen from our tree, and all the new ones are beginning to grow! It's April, and I'm going to try growing tomatoes again this year! And like every other year, we plan to cut down the pines that shade the pool..so maybe this year! Also, once again we search and pray to find the News Journal Thief, but this year our optimism includes seeing a broken leg as an ID! So on a final note, before this becomes a list of new year's resolutions in April, I'm just resolving to have more daily painting entries for this PAD blog, starting tomorrow! 

 Saw Palmetto at Gamble Rogers

'Camelia Buds' and 'Pond Scene' ...plein air watercolors from Washington Oaks State Park

 

Our plein air group went to Washington Oaks State Park this week! It was another watercolor challenge for me, but this bud's for you if you want it...just get in touch!

 Camellia in Feb.

Here's the pond I attempted to paint

Click here to see more pictures of our plein air paintings 

A Painting Day: 'Watercolor Portrait' 9 X 12"

A Painting Day: 'Watercolor Portrait' 9 X 12"

'The New Car', watercolor and ink , 6.5 X 9"

or I should say, the 'good car' or better yet, 'the 3.5 hour brake job'!...The car just needed new brake pads, and now Ed could use a new pair of knees! 

voila....my plein air driveway painting...

 

'Watercolor Portrait' 9 X 12"

Eddie's guitar

'Leth's Auto Parts' pen and watercolor 6 X 9"

It's a long story, but after a long bike ride that I hoped would end at the park our group was painting at, I realized too late that I had the wrong directions, and returned home with my brushes and paints unopened. But later on that day, and still unable to contain that creative urge to paint, I decided to quickly sketch the scene before me while waiting in the car for my husband. It was an interesting mix of color and rusting metal...and so here is my plein air painting for Feb. 1, 2011!

'Hug' #4 , Ben & Maria's Grandkids- oil on 4" X6" paper

Thanks Ben & Maria for lending me a snapshot of your adorable grandchildren!

I loved painting this from start...

... to finish!!!

 

 

Welsh Corgi and Labs- oil on canvas

To see process for this painting, click here 

Paintings of 'Olivia the Welsh Corgi' and 'Two Labs'
Oil on Canvas

Plein Air Paintings by Dale Petruska

http://airpleinblog.blogspot.com/

 Three plein air paintings by Dale Petrusky, one of FCAL's plein air painters. I just love her eye for color and shape! We've been painting at several locations, each of which has been inspiring and enjoyable. There's nothing better than painting outside with like minded people!

 And thank you Mary Lee, for creating this plein air group! It is something I absolutely look forward to each week!