Pond Pines

Pastel, 11x14 on drawing paper

I did this study on drawing paper with pastel pencils and NuPastels.  The subject was taken from earlier sketches on photographs of retention ponds near my home.  As I worked on this, the composition and materials began to look more like watercolor, and the image became more informal.  I left white paper to keep that quality. 
I am doing a series of views of these ponds to highlight the beauty and wonder of the small vistas that surround us and that we pass without notice.  What beauty could there be in an ordinary retention pond or roadside canal?

Cedars with Color - Revisited

Pastel on sanded Gatorboard - 11x14

This painting was started from beneath the Beach Blvd. bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.  It was raining, and the colors of the salt marsh were spectacular.  The part of the scene that attracted my attention most was the stark contrast between the dark, gray-green cedars with the marsh grasses and coastal shrubs that the rain had turned to brilliant green and gold.
I originally completed this painting in November 2011.  It received so much attention recently on Facebook that I had to give it another look.  I have retouched parts of it, and brought it out again. 

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"Standing Guard"

Pastel on sanded Gatorfoam, 11x14

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This solitary palm tree seems to stand guard over an old path through the dunes at Ponte Vedra.  Boardwalks have been built for dune access, and the old paths are "off limits."  It's as if this palm tree stands watch to keep beach-goers off his path.

This painting was done on gessoed and sanded gatorfoam.  I neglected to sand the gesso before I added the pumice sand gel coat.  This made the surface rougher that I expected, and I almost threw the piece out.  I kept going anyway, and I really like the effect of the undercoat showing through - especially in the sky.

We have an older pastel that I did a year or two ago that has this same motif and design.  Patty wanted me to do another one with brighter colors - so here it is.