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.

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Off-Shore Wind

Pastel on UArt 400 6x9

This painting started as another test of UArt, but when I finished the basics of the main wave, I stepped back to check my progress thinking to add detail in the waves in the foreground and horizon, but I stopped. I was captivated by the contrast to the wave as it is and the almost abstract minimum of detail that remains.
This painting will not be offered for sale - I plan to keep this piece as a reminder to myself of what I can do with fewer details.

Painting can also be seen on Daily Paintworks

Palms in Early Light

Pastel 6x9

Before the sun peeks through the morning haze and overcast, the salt marsh is alive with color.  This moment of gold and green edged with lavender will soon be overwhelmed by the day’s brightness.

SOLD - Georgia Nick Gallery

Marsh Causeway

Pastel on Wallis, 6x9


I have often drawn and painted this view of Tidewater Preserve.  This view is particularly dramatic in the early morning and everything is washed in purple and pink light.  The tide is coming in and the palms along the causeway are reflected in the still, dark water.

Painting is available at Daily Paintworks.

 

Spring Wave

Pastel on Wallis, 6x9

In the spring, the weather builds some huge waves, but when the wind dies, they rise almost mysteriously from the calm ocean.  When they break on the wet sand, they cast their reflections on the calm, shallow water.  The old sea oats are just beginning to show some color after the long, brown winter.

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Fresh Tangerines

Pastel on gray Canson Mi-Tientes

I was delighted with the color and form of these tangerines I cut from the neighbor's tree just before the prediction of frost.  The background is a playful contrast to the orange of the tangerines.  I did this work to take another look at Canson Mi-Tientes paper using semi-hard pastels.  I cheated with a few touches of Terry Ludwig and Unison in the broad areas of the background, but the fruit and leaves are completely semi-hard pastels.

Photo was updated and name changed from "Before the Frost" on 4/12/15.

Painting is available on Daily Paintworks.

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.