Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Acrylic on Canvas Panel - 14x11

Through the heat of summer, I moved my studio from the garage into a spare bedroom, but that made it impractical to work in pastel.  As an option, I rediscovered acrylics that I had not touched in a long time.  

Working from a number of photographs of this particular path and tree, I developed this paintings in an effort to recreate my impression expectation about the path into the woods.  I was particularly drawn to this specific view because of the broken light that fell on a large wild plum tree in bloom and on the sudden disappearance of the path over a low hill.  The drama was inescapable.  I have limited the details in order to focus on the two main element - the tree and the path, and I deliberately used larger brushes to reduce my tendency to add too many details.

This view represents my own experiences facing a path in life that leads only a few steps that I can see and then disappears into the unseen future.  The sudden blaze of the plum tree reassures me that the path has unknown promise if I am willing to walk this way.

Waiting

Waiting

Oil on Canvas, 16x20

This painting is a view of Jax Beach at mid-day.  The tide is low and the long, flat beach is being washed gently by the incoming tide, and the seagulls wait for whatever the waves and the day may bring.

This painting was completed in 2011.  I had it hanging in my Sunday School classroom for years, but when COVID hit and the class was merged with others, I took it home, put it aside, and forgot about it.

I'm bringing this painting out of storage, and it is worthy of being back up on my wall.

Invitation

Invitaton

Acrylic on canvas, 11x14

In the summer, the waves often come in long, straight lines so close together that they seem to collapse at the beach on top of each other. As the sun rises to mid-morning, the light is behind the waves and paints the water as if it were lit from within by a green fire. The soft wind and the gentle waves offer their invitation to come and join them in the foam.

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#/