Memorable Day - St Pete Beach

 

Beach in High Key

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunset Over the Gulf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our winter getaway to Florida this year, we routinely took a long but leisurely bike ride each morning .  On this particular day we decided to walk the beach instead and what happened next made me so happy we did!

Along the shore there was a large group of plein air painters.  We stopped to observe and started chatting with one of the students.  She pointed out the teacher's painting, and I instantly commented to my husband that it looked just like Roos Schuring’s work.  Roos (pronounced Rose) is a painter from the Netherlands who I have followed for years.  In my dreams I thought maybe someday we would travel to the Netherlands and participate in one of her plein air workshops.  (Additionally I envisioned us visiting the homeland of Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer whom I admire so much.) 

Yellow Beach Umbrella Morning

Well here we were in Florida, and there was Roos in the flesh!   I was so excited that I had to approach and introduce myself.  Fast forward..we hit it off immediately and she generously invited me to paint alongside the class.  

I was mesmerized by her setup, process, colors and results.   It was truly a God-given gift to stumble upon the group and observe Roos and her students.   Although I was not an official class participant, I was welcomed by all and got to connect with my favorite "celebrity artist" who I now consider my friend.  It was an experience I'll never forget!

 

 

 

 

Favorite Hangout Area

 On St Pete Beach, there is a fun and funky place right on the beach that draws a big sunset crowd each evening.   It's an informal fish fry type place called Paradise Grill where you order at the walk up window then sit to dine at picnic tables or on the many colorful Adirondack chairs that are at the edge of the beach.   Both of the paintings in this post were done at this spot.   The first was an afternoon capture of the pretty tropical water as a backdrop for the two rescue surfboards that lean on a tall rack.   Fortunately they never moved as far as I could tell during the trip.    The orange life jacket popped out against the turquiose water which caught my eye immediately.   The board was actually a black underpainting and maybe that is why the colors look extra bright.    

Rescue Boards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The small but colorful sunset painting has a high key chroma for me and I'm going to say it took less than an hour.   My husband and expert consultant came over and implored me to stop right there and leave it as loose and colorful as it was.    I actually listened this time.  hahaha.   I do like the wild strokes and it has a nice tropical feel.   Hope you like it too!

Fans of the Sunset

 

Sunset And Shell Hunting

 

Sunsets are probably what Saint Pete Beach is best known for, and from what I’ve observed, shell hunting is a close second. So that’s why the first two paintings I did while staying there this February capture those two topics.

Each evening people are drawn to Florida's west facing coastline to enjoy the show, no two ever the same.  This fiery sunset happened from our closest shoreline, which was the Pass-A-Grille Beach. The high contrails and low horizon clouds were lit up in a full spectrum of orange, peach and yellow. As the sun sunk lower, the sky was more vivid and the sand and vegetation became cooler and bluer.   My canvas was a black board to start with and I was able to carve the shape of the figure with my scrape out tool, essentially leaving the substrate unpainted.   I feel like this is exactly the type of painting that will remind me of my favorite part of this getaway.

 

 

Fiery February Sunset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second painting was done at the 1st Ave Beach Access at the southernmost tip of the St Pete Beach barrier island.  A very popular spot for shell hunters, people wade in and out of tidal pools looking for the holy grail of the shell world (sand dollars and spotted junonia).   I'm more of a seaglass gal, but I can certainly understand the theraputic benefit of just wandering through sand and water looking for treasure.

  

Shell Hunting at the Sandbar

As for the painting, I was attracted by contrasting shapes of the barrel shaped palm, slabs of concrete and the humans on the sand. I probably applied 80% of the paint with palette knives leaving thick, barely blended strokes.   I intentionally left much more warmth in the undergrowth and vegetation to convey a tropical feel.

Snowy Stone Wall

Snowy Stone Wall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just before leaving for a warmer place, I painted this scene from a photo I took.    To me, the prettiest winter scenes happen right when the snow stops and the sun is starting to emerge.  That was the case here.  It was clean and bright with maximum snow and shadow contrast.