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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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