Anastasia Dune Escape

Anastasia Dune Escape

Line and Wash on paper, 7x10 inches

I often return to some of my favorite photographs because they bring back memories that I can capture in a painting.  The photographs that inspired this painting were taken on a plein air outing to Anastasia State Park.  The tallest dunes separate a broad expanse of marsh and low dunes from the beach itself, and those dunes often look like a wall holding me back.  When I “escape” through the dunes by the hidden path, I come out on the broad expanse flat beach, ocean, and endless horizon.

As I look again at these beautiful dunes, I ask myself what adventures wait for me when I escape the dunes to the beach beyond.

This sense of expectation is what I wanted to capture with the solid growth of new sea oats and the suggestion of a white, sandy, path through the dunes.

Windy

Ink and watercolor wash, 7x10

I am trying out a new Mixed Media pad from Artist Loft. I thought it would be a good surface for line and wash and a good size for plein air sketches.  No wet-in-wet, so not a complete test.

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.

Dunes Series

Dunes 1 - 4x6 Pastel

This is the first of a series of dune and beach approaches.  In this painting, my goal was to create a sense of late afternoon light and shadow with the stiff sea breeze moving across the dunes.

Dunes 2 - 4x6 Pastel

December is a good time to see the sunrise at the beach.  The light is spectacular, the colors are warm, and the air is crisp.

Windy Oats, Studies

 

"Windy Oats, 1" - Watercolor & Ink, 6x4

 

"Windy Oats, 2" - Watercolor & Ink, 6x4 

In these two paintings, my goal was to capture the freshness, the wind, and the freedom of the summer sea oats as they dance with their golden seed heads on the ocean breezes.

I painted these two small studies to be a pair.  They will be available separately on eBay until 1/31/16.  Click here to see Windy Oats 1, an here to see Windy Oats 2

Dune Expressions

 

Original photo - problem with the camera and setting

  

Second photo with better camera and more precise colors

Pastel, 6x9

This painting is a representation of the view through the dunes to the beach.  The sun is bright and the wind is brisk.  The clear light turns all the colors up a notch.  I did this small study to test my design and color selections for a larger painting.

To purchase, visit my entry at Daily Paintworks.

Beach in Dawn Colors

Pastel, 6x9

Even in the winter, the rising sun paints the sky and the beach in radiant color.  I have tried to capture those colors with this view of Jacksonville Beach just before the sun comes up.  In the chilly days of February as the rain passes and day begins, the sense of stillness and color is exceptionally vibrant.  The dampness deepens all the colors of the winter grasses, and the rising light paints the shadows on the sand with deep purple.

To purchase, click on Daily Paintworks

First Light, Jax Beach

Pastel 6x9

When the eastern sky begins to show color and the light of the coming day rises, the dunes are suffused with color and contrast.  The deep shadows retreat and are replaced with lighter, warmer colors washed across the sand and grasses while the waves and wet sand are painted with the pink and gold of the first light of the dawn.  In this painting, I have tried to catch the glories of this moment when the world moves from deep, cool night to warm, brilliant day.

White Dunes, a Study

Pastel over watercolor and ink on paper, 5x7

In the early morning, the dunes reflect more of the blue and gray of the sky, and at times they look like snow.  As the sea breeze gains strength, the air is clear and bright accenting the colors of the sea oats.

Invitation

Pastel on Wallis, 13x20


This view of the beach through the half-buried boardwalk bordered by winter-bare sea oats presented an irresistible invitation to come and walk on the wet sand.  I took several photographs of this scene of the beach on a calm, brisk morning in December, and I chose this particular view because all the major lines point to the single breaking wave as the main point of interest.

Dune Shadows

Dune Shadows 

9x12 Pastel on Multimedia Artboard

This is my first painting on Multimedia Artboard.  The surface holds layer after layer of pastel, which I like.  Because the surface has some texture, I can render interesting nuances of tone and personality.

Dunes Ascending

I started with three pencil design sketches which I reduced to 2-value sketches.  Now I need to decide on one and proceed to a small color sketch or two to decide on color and temp.  I'm working from a couple of photos and memory.

Dunes at Sunrise

Pastel on Wallis, 6x9

This work is a color and value sketch with the anticipation it will become a larger, more formal piece.

I began with a pancil sketch to which I added value markers and notation lines to indicate the movement I wanted to achieve.

After that, I did a watercolor underpaining to indicate basic color and value relationships.  Loved the bloom that happened in the sky. 

From that I added the basic pastel color scheme for the sky, the ocean, and the sand.

 

 

The next step was to emphasize the deeper values, and added the structure of the bushes and grass.

 

I'm pleased enough with the result to use this for a larger work.

 



Summer Sea Oats

Pastel on Wallis, 12x9

The view of the Gulf of Mexico through the dunes at Cape San Blas provides a perfect state to display the aqua of the Gulf against the white sand of the dunes through the ever-changing tangles of sea oats and beach vegetation.  This view holds a special attraction for me because of the fond memories I have of coming here to fish in the surf with my son and father-in-law

As a painting, I find a great challenge to balance the deep shadows of the dune shrubs and grass set against the blazing white of the sand.  Beyond the sand and grass, the turquoise of the Gulf presents its own emphasis and statement of presence.

Thru the Sea Oats Again - Sketch

12 Colors for 12 Minutes (plus one burnt sienna pastel pencil for stems)
Pastel on Richeson, 7.5.5

Sketch from notes, photos, and drawings of the beach at Cape San Blas.  I like this composition and the color sketch in broad terms.  The 12 color limit shows my need for a broader range of blues for the water and sky, more yellows and warm greens for the sea oats, clearer colors for the sand with a broader range of lights blues and lavenders.

Stay on the Path

And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16a

Pastel on Self-sanded Arches, 15x11

I am always inspired by the beach and the dunes in the early morning.  The air is still and bright.  There is the promise of heat later, and the sea breeze will come, but for these special few moments, all is cool and quiet.

Beach conservation has come a long way, and most people stay on the old paths through the dunes.  The footprints from the previous day remain, but most of the dunes are pristine and untracked.

I developed the basic design of this piece for a 10-minute sketch.  I completed it with memories of experiences and a combination of a number of reference photos.

Dunes 3 - 10-Minute Study

Pastel on UArt, 9x6

I did another study of a passage through the dunes to the beach using a photo for reference.  When the 10 minutes were up, I was ready to throw the picture out.  It was a true disappointment, but when I looked at it this morning, I saw some chance of salvation.  After about 20 seconds and a few minor strokes, I think this is a good start for a larger work.

Beach Vista - 10-Minute Study

 

 

Pastel 9x6, UArt

On this study, I tried to keep within the 12 color limit, but I found that a handicap more than a challenge.  On future studies, I may up that number to 15 or possibly 20 depending on the complexity of the the colors I need to represent.

I need to concentrate on variations and contrasts in value and temp as much or more than the nuances of color as shade.

Light Calls - 10-Minute Study

Pastel on UArt 400, 9x6

Working quickly with a limited palette of 12 pastels. I find that I would like to add a few different colors and values, but I'm going to learn to stay with my original choices.

Every day in every way....  Who can tell.

Dunes 2 - 10-Minute Study

Dunes 2 - Pastel on UArt 400, 9x6

10-Minute study of another shot of the dunes at Jax Beach.  I'm working with a different photo that includes more of the dune face - experimenting with composition.

Today's notes - the greens are too dull, need more shades of blue and purple.  I like the composition, but the values need to be deeper, darker on the left and right.  I realized when the time was up, I had not used the deep brown which I had planned to push the values.