Silver Water Marsh

Pastel on UArt 400

In the early morning before the wind comes up across the marsh, the water reflects the sky giving it a slivery sheen.  The broken, puffy clouds are the remnants of the morning fog, and hold the deep blue of the sky at bay for a few more minutes.  I wanted to capture that sense of stillness and silvery light by using cool greens and blues augmented with dashes of purple, red, and pink.  In order to keep the sense of stillness, I deliberately reduced the details in order to emphasize form and color.

Staying Put, Low Tide

Pastel 9x12 on Wallis

For this painting, I worked under the constant threat of rain.  The overcast broke from time to time giving sunlight and broken shadows on the marina.  The tide was low and going out further when I started this painting.  The first thing I did was sketch the basic masses of the cord grass and put in the water that was left.  When I finished with the basics, the foreground and middle ground were reduced to broad mud flats. 

This painting is about contrasts.  I wanted to show a contrast of the organic shapes of the grass with the straight line of the bridge and boat masts in the background.  I emphasized the contrast in colors between the light lavender of the sky, and water, the deep purple on the sandy mud, and red/brown of the grass.

This painting was originally done as part of a workshop with Kathleen Galligan.  The painting has been put away in a box for three years.  I got it out of storage last week, and today I retouched and adjusted some of the colors and values. 

"October Colors"

Pastel on gatorboard, 14x11

Available, click here

Painting will be part of Color the Coast - Ponte Vedra Cultural Center

The paint-out goal for today was Mickler's Landing Beach Park.  The center of the 40 acre property is a fresh water marsh.  The view of the palm trees on the other side across the marsh grass and open water caught my attention.  There were passing showers and a strong north-east wind, but I managed to put down the basics before the rain chased me in.  Pastel doesn't do well when it gets wet.

The bright sun against the approaching storm created the feel of color and drama.