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

26A001 - Line and Wash Beach Sunrise - ACEO

26A001 - ACEO

ACEO - line and watercolor on archival paper

This ACEO (2.5x3.5) painting is an original, line and wash view of the dunes and sea oats looking across the beach to the sea and morning clouds.  I love the freshness of the unmarked sand with the breeze from the water before the heat of the day.

I have included a photo of the painting in my hand and an image of the reverse with my signature and a Bible verse - "The joy of the Lord is my strength."  Nehemiah 8:10.

This painting is available on eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/327051540570 - copy and paste the link.  Thanks.

If you like my art, please subscribe so you receive a notification of any new work that I post.

I greatly appreciate your comments.  Thank you.

 

Pastel 12x18 on UArt

This painting is my memory and interpretation of a view of the estuary marsh in the late summer afternoon. The clouds are starting to build and rain will soon follow.

Let me know what you think - let's talk about art.

For full details, click on the link - thanks:

https://www.rickpetersenartist.com/.../expectations-ii...

Winter Rain

Winter Rain 

Pastel on UArt - 12x18

I was inspired by a painting I had completed a few years ago, but the design and atmosphere of the smaller painting inspired me to give it a larger treatment.  The original was done with warm grays for the approach of a summer storm, but since it is winter now, I wanted to give the painting a sense of the coming cold using a cooler, more blue palette.

My goal was to retain the loose, billowy clouds and add a touch of drama by using my strokes to indicate a sense of the on-rushing storm.  I wanted to contrast that movement with the perfect stillness of the beach by keeping the reflections on the wet sand smooth capturing the color of the clouds without the movement.

Here is the original painting for comparison - "Rain Coming" 9x12" pastel on UArt.

Rain Coming

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.

Cardinal and Blossoms

 Acrylic on Canvas Panel - 10x8

This cardinal is resting on a branch of apple blossoms that are just opening.  The bright red against the spring green is set off and accented by the pink of the blossoms and opening buds.  

This painting is acrylic on a canvas panel and is a composite of a number of photos from my collection with imagination.

Moon Rise on the Estuary

 Acrylic on Canvas Panel 8x19

In the quiet of evening in the late autumn, the moon has risen before the sun has set.  As the still moments linger, the dark pines catch the last rays of the sun as the moon casts its reflection across the dark water.

Ms Penny

Pastel; 10x8 on Pastelmat

This a commission painting for a dear friend's daughter.  Penny has such a beautiful coat - terra cotta under coat with golden, honey brown and shimmering highlights.  Her expression is all kindness, energy, and delight.

Standing Tree 001 - 2 Peter 3:18

Line and wash, 7.5 x 5.5

Line and wash on watercolor paper - study in a stately tree that has faced the tests of time and continues to grow an thrive.

2 Peter 3:18: but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Splash of Sunlight - Revised

Pastel, 6x6 on UArt paper

I found this painting among some old works.  In 2018, this is a small, plein air expression done as part of a First Coast Pastel Society paint out.  These fall petunias were on a bench in a covered display.  The sunlight fell in patches and streaks on the purple and green.

I retouched the original, added some crisper edges, contrasting light, and updated the shadows - just a touch here and there.  I wanted to preserve my original reaction to the light and shadows.

Surf in Dawn Colors

 Surf in Dawn Colors, 6x6 Pastel

I am always intrigued by the silver and lavender of the early morning surf on the beach.  A few gulls have joined the party looking for breakfast in the 

Marker Palm

Pastel, 9x6 on UArt

This lonely palm tree standing against the stiff breezes makes a special landmark next to the trail through the dunes.  When I would walk on the beach I always knew the way back by this "marker palm."
 

Late Showers

Pastel, 6x9 on UArt

This small painting captures the late afternoon on the marsh when the clouds build and the rain starts to fall.  The slanting light of the sun captures the green of the marsh against the lavender of late afternoon shower.

 

Gentle Wave Study

 Pastel 6x9 on UArt

For this study, I reduced the image to this one wave on the beach as it was breaking close to shore.  This is a study of color (bright green and blue) and simple form of only one wave.