After the Storm

Pastel on sanded Arches watercolor paper

Size - 29 x 21 1/2

Completed 9-8-2009

I have this painting on a bedroom wall - it's been there for years.  I have brought it out for reference and inspiration for work I'm currently doing.  Photo was updated 9/4/2026.

In May of 2009, Jacksonville Beach was hit with an unusually intense storm. After the storm had passed, I made a few sketches and took several reference photos of the waves. When I had done a preliminary pastel paining, "After the Storm - a Study in Waves" which pleased me very much, I rendered this work on a full sheet of Arches paper.

This scene intrigues me because of the complex directions and patterns of the waves, the subtlety of the veiled sunlight on the stormy water, and the churned sand near the beach.

While this is not at all a daily painting, I have listed it for reference.

Rick Petersen

Morning in the Dunes

Morning in the Dunes

Acrylic on canvas panel 8x10

Behind the beach at Talbot Island, the dunes march away one behind the other.  No clear path through them can be seen.  In the early morning, the pink and gold colors of the sky push back the lavenders of the night. The dark cedars and scrub brush begin to awaken to the day.

Pablo Creek Guardian

 Ink and Wash, 7x5 on Paper

This old, knotted sweet gum tree sands at a bend in the headwaters of a creek that flows into the Pablo River.  It marks a change in the direction of the water and the edge of the salt marsh.  I have painted this tree a number of times intrigued by its dramatic stand half in the water and half on the bank.

Estuary Memories

Pastel, 14x24 on Lux Archival paper

NOTE - the first photo above is the reworked painting. The original was too gray and blue. It needed some life and color. This morning, (6AM, 6/30/26) I reworked the clouds with 6 pieces of pastel - yellow, orange, pink, and lavender - and added new life into the scene I that inspired me.

The summer afternoon has fallen into stillness as the sea breeze has died, and the tide has just started to fall. In this quiet expectation, the afternoon clouds begin to form and grow with the promise of rain to come.

As I look at this scene, I remember the golden afternoons I’ve spent fishing out there on the water with family and friends. I love to paint scenes that evoke strong memories.

Follow the link for more information.

https://www.rickpetersenartist.com/workszoom/6575424/0596-estuary-memories#/

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.

26A003 - Dune Breezes ACEO

ACEO - Dune Breezes

Ink and Watercolor on Archival Paper - 3.5x2.5 - ACEO

This bright, little ACEO painting captures a view of the dunes that stand next to the beach.  The sea breezes keep the long seed heads dancing as the clouds and seagulls race past on the wind.

This is an original painting, not a print.

ACEO - Patty's Cassia

26A002 - ACEO, Patty's Cassia

ACEO - 3.5x2.5 - Acrylic on Watercolor Paper

Every autumn, the cassia bushes put on a spectacular show of bright yellow flowers against clear green foliage.  A spray of these in a small crystal vase brings the sunshine inside.

Painting is acrylic on archival paper, 3.5x2.5 inches.

Original art, signed by the artist on the reverse.

I will praise the name of God with a song.
I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30