Wet Sand and Wet Feet

 Acrylic on Canvas Panel, 8x10

On the warmer winter mornings, the sea gulls and a few hardy visitors brave the cool, wet sands to watch the sun come up.  The new day is forecast by the reds and lavenders in the clouds, and the gentle fall of the waves as the tide goes out.

Dune Sweep

Ink and Watercolor wash, 7x5

The constant wind sweeps the dunes moving the sand ever and ever on, but the lines of sea oats hold the dune in place.  Their sculpted edges and shifting shadows are an ever-changing work of art.
To purchase this painting, click here.

Autumn Dunes

Pastel, 12x18 on UArt

In the autumn, the muhly grass seems to blaze with pink fire between the dunes and the sea oats are taking on their winter tones of burnished bronze.  The late sun paints the path to the beach with light and brushes the tops of the grass with touches of flame.

Dunes and Muhly Grass

First View - 6x6

Second View - 6x9

Third View - 6x9

Fourth View - 6x8

Dunes at St. Augustine Beach, October - reference photo

4 Pastels from one photo - various sizes.

These small paintings were the result of a personal project. I set myself the task to draw different compositions from one photo taking the liberty to add or subtract elements and color to support the composition.
The original photo is one of several taken the same day at St. Augustine Beach.  They were taken in October and the muhly grass was ablaze with color.  This particular view did not include the broad swathes of pink grass, so I took the liberty to add it in my own sketches for color and drama.
The results speak for themselves.  There are innumerable paintings in almost any photo if we take the time to dig them out and let our imagination run loose.

First Rays

Pastel, 9x12 on UArt

The idea and inspiration of this piece was the way that early morning sun kisses the tops of the dunes and paints the tallest grass with golden light. The air and the sand are still calm and cool, blue, and quiet, but the sun makes the promise of a bright, hot day ahead.

This painting is a rework of a previous piece, "Path 6."  I liked the first painting, but it had no clear central idea or focus, so I started reworking it.  I raised the horizon because everyone knows where the beach and surf lie.  I reworked the composition and cranked up the values and contrasts in color and temperature.  The more I worked it the less remained of the original painting - in fact the sky is the only element that seems to have survived, and that got a little more color.

Daybreak

Pastel 20x24 on UArt

The showers of the night are passing and the dark clouds begin to scatter.  Just before the sun breaches the horizon, the clouds cast their soft colors in glorious reflections on the broad, wet sand.

Approaching

Pastel, 6x9

As the storm builds and advances, blocking the setting sun, there are few people left on the beach to appreciate the color and drama.
This is a rework of an earlier painting.  My inspiration was the bright white that outlines the clouds when the sun is behind them and the brilliant colors that diffuse through them.
To purchase this painting, visit my web-site - "Approaching"