Dunes in Morning Shadows

Pastel, 6x9

In the late spring, my favorite time at the beach is in the early morning before the sunbathers and swimmers arrive.  The sun is not high enough to be hot and its radiance is low enough to fill the shadows with purple and blue.  The sea breeze is still quiet, and the reflections of the sun casts a halo of brilliance on the water all the way to the horizon.

Painting is available on Daily Paintworks.

Dune Passage

Watercolor over Ink - 5x7

In the early morning as I walk on the beach, I often turn to look at the dunes, and the bright light has painted the sand and grasses with broad washes of color in blues, golds, and greens.  This small path through the dunes was my passage to the beach - my escape from the "other world" of duties and troubles.

Painting is available on Daily Paint Works.

Down to the Pond

Pastel 8x8

In the full morning sun, the opposite bank of Lake Ray is flooded with bright light and dappled shadows.  The contrast between the warm sand and fallen leaves against the bright green of the spring foliage seems to call me to come to the water's edge.

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Cascading Foliage

Pastel, 8x8

Looking across Lake Ray at the Jacksonville Arboretum, the thick trees and foliage seem to cascade down the steep slope into the still, dark water. In the morning sunlight, the sense of the flowing river of green leaves is even more intense. This painting did make it to the "wet tent" for the paint-out display, but someone bought almost immediately.

Here Comes the Sun

Pastel, 9x6

After painting under a featureless, gay overcast all morning, the sun broke through for a few precious moments.  The bright light made the seen I'd been working on come alive.  This sudden burst of life, light, and color became the object of the painting.  It was purchased before I could sign it and take it to the "wet tent."

Expecting Rain, Arboretum

Pastel on Wallis, 8x8

Rain had been forecast and threatened all day, and the overcast painted everything in cool tones of blue and gray except for the forest litter of the seep bank which still held some of the warmth of the hidden sun.  Everything seems to be waiting for the rain to come.  This piece was executed from the new shelter at the Arboretum so that it would not get wet if the rain came suddenly.  This painting was purchased before I could even take it to the "wet tent."

Morning Light, Aroboretum

Pastel on Wallis, 9x6

I painted this scene across the lake at the Jacksonville Arboretum.  In the spring, green is such a dominant color that it is a challenge to represent a scene effectively, but this view is such a delight to paint with the early morning light blazing across the new foliage.

Palms in Early Light

Pastel 6x9

Before the sun peeks through the morning haze and overcast, the salt marsh is alive with color.  This moment of gold and green edged with lavender will soon be overwhelmed by the day’s brightness.

SOLD - Georgia Nick Gallery

Marsh Causeway

Pastel on Wallis, 6x9


I have often drawn and painted this view of Tidewater Preserve.  This view is particularly dramatic in the early morning and everything is washed in purple and pink light.  The tide is coming in and the palms along the causeway are reflected in the still, dark water.

Painting is available at Daily Paintworks.

 

At Anchor, St. Johns River

Pastel on Wallis, 6x6

From FCPS paint out at Green Cove Springs – I spent all morning on a failed piece and finally put it aside.  In the little time I had left, I completed this little sketch of a sail boat anchored about 150 yards out in the river.  I deliberately muted the values of the mid day using the boat and distant shoreline as the only design elements.

This painting is available on EBAY starting 2/24/16 - click HERE.

Marsh Palms III, Study

Pastel on Wallis, 9x6

This view of the salt marsh looks down a small bay with a large hammock out of sight to the right which cast steaks of light and shadow across the grass in the foreground.  The late afternoon sunlight paints the clouds with a blush of pink, lavender, and gold and drives deep purple into the dark foliage of the trees and undergrowth.

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