Newest Addition to Beach Scene Series

"First Watch" 6"x12" Oil

Lifeguards have started re-appearing on the beaches of South Carolina.  . Sometimes I think they must wash in with the gulf stream.  Their high lookout stations sit empty all Winter and for most of  Fall and Spring; then one day, the waves turns warm and their they are, all brave and bright in the brilliant sun. I couldn't resist adding  a painting of one  to my beach scene series

First Paintings of New Series on Beach Scene

After a week of rousting through my references photos and making notes on all possible subject matter for a  series I am starting on Beach Scenes, I finally gave in and  picked up a paint brush.

Team red white and blue taking a break

My first attempt was  to paint a set of Red White an Blue beach-riders I had seen resting  against a  beach fence last week.  The subject excited me, but the execution was painful.  Even after drawing the bicycles a dozen times in my sketch book,  the painted rendering looked off- kilter to me.... I wiped down the canvas and repainting the scene twice before I  felt it was okay.  Even, so, I may still elect to edit portions before I put a coat of varnish on it.

"Hot Flash"

 As usual , the second painting went a lot more quickly, and with far less grief than the first.  I love the way the colors gave the sense of how warm it was on the beach that day...

McClellanville Art Gallery

McClellanville Art Gallery

I  stopped into McClellanville, SC  for a visit to their Art Council. .  For a rural small town, McClellanville has a surprisingly large population of  visual artists, writers, musicians!  The town's commitment to  arts is  evident  in  their charming  Art Center/Gallery  (it is right in the center of town on Pickney Street), and in  the long list community art events and children's art  education programs they sponsor.  Check them out at http://mcclellanvilleartscouncil.com/

Mark Kelvin Horton speaks at Charleston Artist Guild Meeting

Mark Horton

Landscape artist Mark Kelvin gave a presentation on ways of finding inspiration at the Charleston Artist Guild’s General Meeting last night ( 4/10/12).  He emphasized:

The importance of sketching regularly

Mark and some small pencil sketches

 

Regularly analyzing all your recent works together as a set to gain insight into what is working for you and what is not

 And he gave tips on plein air painting while traveling.

Mark is the co-owner of the Horton Hayes Gallery in downtown Charleston  . You can learn more about Mark and his work at

http://www.hortonhayes.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=284

On my Walls

Inspired by the reference photos I've taken at local beaches,  I've been working on a series pastel paintings of of the low- country dunes .  I decided to let them hang on my living-room gallery wall  for a few days before I let the Island Art Gallery sell them all .

I may even have a little gallery showing for the neighbors before I send them off.

( Heh!  Works for me.  Any excuse for a party!)

New Paintings at Charleston Artist Gallery

B.B. Kingfisher I

Yesterday evening was change-out at Charleston Artist Gallery. Swapped my spring flower paintings for ones of marsh birds