Grassy Path, Fatio House

"Grassy Path, Fatio House" pastel 8x8

"Grassy Path," is a depiction of the herb and salad garden against an old coquina wall at the Fatio House, Aviles Street, in St. Augustine.  This garden is behind the buildings.  The path to the wooden gate which passes beneath the dense foliage of a fig tree made a delightful combination and contrast of cool shade against the bright, midday sun.

Romanza on Aviles, 2015

Grape Arbor, Fatio House

To purchase "Grape Arbor, Fatio House" follow the link at Daily Paintworks.

Grassy Path, Fatio House

Both of these plein air paintings were done as part of the Romanza on Aviles, St. Augustine, Florida.  The participating artists drew a location from a "hat," and I drew the gardens at the Ximenez-Fatio House.  This was an ideal place to spend the day painting.

The first painting, "Grape Arbor," caught my attention with the combination of organic forms in the wall, shadow and grape vines which contrasted with the arbor itself and the old stoneware pot and stand.  The bright red of the geraniums was a big plus!

The second painting, "Grassy Path," is a depiction of the herb and salad garden against the old stone wall at behind the buildings.  The path to the wooden gate beneath the dense foliage of a fig tree made a delightful combination of cool shade to escape the bright, midday sun.

Winter Rain

Oil on linen 10x8

May be a work in progress

I had planned to take my French easel out today, but it rained all day. I have long been intrigued by the corner of my landscaping with a statue of a little girl feeding some ducks. It is overgrown and waiting for spring cleaning, clearing, and trimming.

The view I selected is from the front porch across the driveway. Everything is wet, and gray, and golden brown. The shadows are deep, but the values are muted by the rain and overcast sky.

This painting may need to be touched up or elaborated later. The wind came up and started splattering rain onto the easel and the painting. I discovered that when water gets on the oil, painting over pulls up the original layer of paint. That could make for some interesting effects, but it's not a good surprise.