Autumn Sea Oats

Pastel 9.5x14 on self-textured Gatorboard

Tom Christopher workshop - first studio piece.  Using Tom's instruction for texturing Gatorboard and emphasizing values, I developed this painting from a photograph of the sea oats on the low dunes at Jacksonville Beach.  My objective was to capture the textures and color of the sea oats on an early November morning.  The green of summer has been replaced with rust and gold in the early autumn light.
Photograph from my phone.  I will take another, more formal photograph after the workshop.

Off the Path

Day 1 Tom Christopher Workshop, Pastel 9x12

This is my first painting done in the Tom Christopher workshop.  I determined to do as much of this painting following the guidelines from his demonstration and personal instructions.  My challenge of working in the deep woods in Florida is to avoid being overcome by the color green.  The instruction Tom gave was to work with values first then color and to let my movements and marks be more free and gestural.  This is the result.

Marsh Colors, Autumn

Pastel, 9x12
My desire with this painting is to present the colors of autumn in the early morning.  In that brief moment as day waits before the sun climbs into the sky, the colors on the marsh seem to blaze with an inner fire.  The shadows are muted and indistinct, and the sharp details are diminished to bring the whole scene into a sense of expectation for the day ahead.

Marsh Vista, Study 1, Ps. 107:8

Pastel, 7.5x10 on Wallis

This painting is a composite of a number of views of the salt marsh near the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.  I have tried to capture the sense of space and calm that this vista inspires drawing my attention to the beauty of God’s creation.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalm 107:8

I executed this painting with different values of pure primary and secondary colors - very few grays were used.

I took a new photo and updated the image, October 28, 2015.
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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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Alpine Plantation - Gray and Breezy

Pastel, 12x9, Plein air

The First Coast Pastel Society held their monthly paint-out at the Alpine Groves Park.  This old plantation house has been restored, and the view of the back door and porch intrigued me with the dark oaks behind it and the huge dead tree covered in grape vines in the foreground.  The weather was overcast, cool, and a little breezy - altogether a perfect day for painting.

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Lake Ray, September Colors

Pastel 12x9 - Plein air

When I started this painting in the early morning, the sky was a slate-gray overcast.  As I worked, the clouds broke in patches.  The gray became lighter and the shadows lost their depth and mystery, but the colors remained gray and muted.  A light breeze kept the lake from being smooth making the reflections vibrant and soft.

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