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

 

Catskill Mountains Paint Outs

I've always been fascinated with the Hudson River School Painters and although their painting style was only "in vogue" for a generation and a half, the epic works of Fredrick Church and Thomas Cole still hang in the country's finest museums, many of which are works of epic proportions.   These two painters along with a group of painters known as "The Ten," made pivotal contributions to the American painting movement. 

This fall, we drove to the Hudson Valley, traveling through the picturesque hills, ravines and riversides that inspired Thomas Cole and Fredrick Church.  The Cole Homestead was modest but beautifully situated on a hillside where his veranda had sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains - inspiring scenes he had painted.  

We toured the home, the grounds and his studio.  Here we got to see the four 1840 studies he executed in preparation for the renown paintings at the National Gallery in Washington, DC that comprise the "Voyage of Life" series.

Thomas Cole Voyage of Life Studies in Cole Studio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

There is something special about standing in the same physical spot as a historical figure who lived, worked and touched the very work you are looking at!  

Thomas Cole's protege, Fredrick Church built his homestead nearby.   Not modest!  It was a hilltop mansion across the Hudson from Cole that was enormous by comparison. Church was a wealthy world traveler and collector.   The emphasis of his estate tour was more his status and lifestyle, but there were many beautiful paintings to see as well.   We painted from the location of Church's studio, a west facing vantage with views of his property leading down to the Hudson River.   

These two painters made their mark on the entire area.  When we hiked at the Kaaterskill Falls some of the trail markers had images of their paintings.   One Cole painting spot in particular was at the very lofty (scary!) overlook where we stood.  Great trip and of course, when we get to paint - even better!

  

Catskills View

Fredrick Church Studio View

Tybee Island Getaway

Last winter we visited Tybee Island, a barrier island between the Atlantic and Savannah, GA.    We drove from New England to this winter adventure. Traveling by car means we bring the "stuff" that would not make the cut if flying was involved.   For us, that meant our full complement of painting gear came along too.

I've procrastinated in posting these five paintings so I've decided to just share all the images in this one post, sparing you the details.     Potentially I would be making things up about the paint outs - since I can't remember a lot of details now that it is months later.

The exception is the painting with the angry looking clouds which was done from a photo I took.  We had taken a beach walk and we received alerts on our phones that there was a tornado watch (warning? see, I forget...the worser of the two).   It was so dark and stormy looking, and being from New England, we didn't know if it was something to be alarmed about.  I took a photo of the swirling clouds and dark water as we raced back to our VRBO - quite a vivid memory!   I felt it was worthy of a painting as the photo shot captured the beach, the sky and the water in various "unnatural" shades of green and gray.

 

Tybee Dawn from Deck

Tybee Pavilion Pier

Tybee Tornado Watch

Tybee Boathouse Tidal River

 

Tybee Lighthouse

 

 

 

Garden Tour - North River

Each year I am invited to paint at a property on the Garden Tour organized by the Cliff Rogers Library.   It is their biggest fundraiser and it draws an impressive number of people.   Who wouldn't want to stroll through the very prettiest gardens in the local area and support this lovely small independent library as well.    I look forward to tour day each year and getting to capture the beauty of these gardens. 

I was assigned an expansive garden in North Marshfield that abuts the North River.   The mature plantings were perfectly balanced with many of the specimens in full bloom.   I chose a border planting that had a black wrought iron fence and gate as a backdrop.   I included this lovely woman as she admired a very unusual clementis that had purple bell shaped flowers.  As for the painting, the thick paint application that I like works particularly well for lush and vibrant garden scenes like this one.

Garden Border Bells

Wollaston Yacht Club Plein Air

The Quincy Art Association organized and hosted this paint out and yours truly was the instructor/demo painter.   We arrived plenty early to get set up and it was a good thing.   We quickly realized (like boaters before a storm) that we needed more ropes (aka bungies).    The wind was gusting to 25-30 mph and it was the first lesson that was discussed regarding successful plein air painting.  The large tent next to me where the painting participants were working actually flipped over.  Equipment must be weighted down to the point were it will not budge!   In every photo, I'm gripping my easel out of habit, even though I was securely tied down.  The bright sun and warm temperatures (low 90s) were also challenging but the participants stuck with it and all came away with a work of art they should be proud of!

This is my painting from the demo, a depiction of the Wollaston Yacht Club and dock with Quincy Bay and some Boston Harbor Islands in the distance. 

Wollaston Yacht Club and Dock

 

 

Evening Paint Out After Rain

Evening Paint Out After Rain

 I recently painted en plein air along Littles Creek which is behind the JPH Organization in Marshfield.   It had been a very rainy day and it really did look doubtful that this paint out would happen at all.   As I set up it started getting brighter and brighter.   Clouds did dominant as you can see in the whitish sky.   The sun broke thru a bit however!   

It is interesting to note that when everything outside is wet, the dark values like shadows and underbrush are
very dark so that the value range just about covers the whole spectrum.   The wild June roses were spectacular so I pumped up the color in the painting.   Enjoy!

Beach Painter

Maureen Painting at Wollaston Beach

It's June and that means people want to be outside.   People were out in droves along the boardwalk at Wollaston Beach and were able to observe the first in a plein air series put on by The Quincy Art Association in collaboration with "Better Beaches", "Save the Harbor, Save the Bay", and Massachusetts DCR.   

This was my painting done while also watching a demo by Vincent Crotty.   The conditions were a little tough because of the gusty winds.   My gear was sufficiently weighted down to combat the wind which helped enormously.

Here is my painting of Vincent in action as he appears to pause, and contemplate his next stroke.  

Beach Painter

Cranberry Bogs Along Fuller St in Middleboro

Early Autumn Bog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gorgeous autumn tree colors, and the calendar say October, but the daytime temperatures would have you thinking May or September - warm and dry.   This is perfect weather for plein air painting.   The cranberry bogs are particularly pretty just before the flooding and harvest.  They get a distinctly crimson chroma, contrasting beautifully with the green bog fringe.   Of course the surrounding trees are often wildly colored and even clashy with the cranberry red color scheme.   But that's where a painter can even out the disharmony with a touch of cranberry color throughout.  See if you can spot where crimson brushwork softens the greens!

Golden Light at the Bog