Visit to Charleston 2'14

I needed to deliver some paintings to the Charleston Artists Gallery.  The sun is out, the skies clear, and the temperature is pleasant for the first time in weeks.  The quality of light was perfect for taking reference photos of the Charleston's beautiful architecture.  Pretty sure this one will wind up as a painting soon.

St Augustine, Florida - Basilica of St Augustine 12'13

St Augustine Basilica

While windy and cold, the weather  looked like it would remain dry through the evening ,so we decided to do a walking tour of the old city of St Augustine.   I took my plein air equipment along ( just in case) . W e got there well before the golden hour so I had plenty of time to scout out a location.  While I got lots of good reference photos  It was the Bell Tower of the Basilica of St Augustine standing proud against the heavens above that really captured my attention.   

Below is my  rendition of St. Augustine Cathedral  (5" x 7" pastel)

St Augustine, Florida: Gypsy Cab Company 12'13

I have been breakfast and lunches every day, but every evening we are eating eaten out.  We've found some really good local restaurants.  Tonight we had some fabulous seafood  at the Gypsy Cab Company.

Loved the neon lighting on their facade

Actually the Gypsy Cab Company is  on the main drag in Anastasia Island just over the Bridge of Lions.  It features what it calls an Urban Fare menu ,with made-from-scratch items throughout the year.  Whatever it is called the food is fabulous.

The restaurant opened its doors in 1983 and has been winning awards for it's excellent cuisine ever since.    Even tat 4 pm, their parking lot was packed.  We arrived just in time to watch the neon lights come on..  That settled it... I just had to paint this little 5" x 7"  nocturne of  the Gypsy Cab Company.

Plein Air Painters of the South East Paint Shem Creek 11'13

Usually, I am the one in control of  a paintings progress, but at last Saturday's  paint out in Washington Square  I got a taste of what it is like to be on the other side of the easel watching someone  else develop the subject.  I have to admit I was  feeling very frustrated by  having to leave before I could  see the artwork through to completion.

I was delighted to learn that the fine artists of Plein Air Painters of the South East  were planning on painting  painting together again at Shem Creek.  

My friend Annette Goings and I left very early so we could insure getting to the Shem Creek Shrimp Docks  while the light was ideal and the artists were still in the early stages of the composition .  Even so, there were still  several early birds who  had nearly finished  one painting  before we arrived , and were about to begin another.

Frank May

Frank May and Diane Cruickshanks May were bundled up against the cold
 on an exposed boardwalk

Diane Cruickshanks May

  painting the "Sea Horse" upstream from where they were set up.

"The Seahorse"

Jim Richards

James Richards and Lori Putnam had set up inside a sheltered gazebo to paint the

 "His and Hers" and the "Capt. Tang"

Lori Putnam

 This is how the shrimp boats " looked from  their field of vision.  They had nearly finished their paintings and were about to begin another when I arrived 

His and Hers and Capt Tang

Jim and Lori  and had nearly finished their paintings, 

Frank May  and Diane Cruickshanks May( Foreground)

when Frank May and Diane  Cruickshanks May showed up to begin working on their  second paintings of the morning .

Mrs Judy Too and Winds of Fortune

 Within a half hour of our arrival, a dozen or more painters  had arrived and set up along the boardwalk.

Dee Beard Dean and Annette Goings

Dee Beard Dean  was one of the first to arrive.

Hodges Soileau and Dee Beard Dean

Hodges Soileau set up next to her 

Sea Horse from Hodges and Dee's viewpoint

Both artists had a similar line of sight of the  "Sea Horse", but each painting was unique

Sea Horse from Shannon's vantage

Shannon Smith had slightly different angle of view 

And an entirely different approach to the subject

One thing all of the painters had in common was that they each elected  to paint the shrimp boats as opposed to the marsh.   I am not sure if that is beacause it was a unique opportunity to do so for the many landlocked artists in the group, or if it is just because they felt that boats well better.  But it was interesting to not that almost everyone painted a shrimp boat as opposed to a marsh scene.

For More about the Plein Air Painters of the South East

Check out their website at: http://pap-se.com/

 or their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/papsoutheast

Little Red Barn 9 '13

Little Red Barn photo

It seems that when it comes to plein air painting I am a bit lazy.  Or maybe, it is that I just don't like having to hunt for something to paint. Why waste the golden hour scouting unfamiliar locals, when one can just drive down the road and find something interesting  to paint?  The majority of my plein air paintings has been painted  on or near Highway 17. And I have a huge stash of reference photos to remind me of promising subject matter that  I have spotted in my travels along  this major coastal thoroughfare. 

Little Red Barn painting

 Case in point: The Little Red Barn is located on Highway 17 in Pawleys Island (across from Hobcaw Barony) . It is less than five miles from my house.  Waking up early in the morning to a stormy sky, I knew there was a high probability the barn would soon be awash in really dramatic light. I managed to capture the lighting on the barn and foreground  foliage before a  passing shower sent me packing. 

Like many of my plein air paintings, it is not a perfect rendition of the actual scene. In my rush to capture the dramatic light on the main subject, I  hurried through the sky and the background. The trees on the right were not fully completed before I had to leave. They look more like oaks than pines.  I haven't decided yet whether I want to leave those tree tops as is, or reshape their tops in the studio.  Most likely, this  little 9" x 12" will become the study for a larger studio painting.

WIP Day 5: Ricefields on the Ashley 7"13

You are now looking at a photo of the finished painting: "Rice Fields on the Ashely".

"My Grocking" is done! This morning. I differentiated the bushy  foliage on the lower right of the foreground so that the willow is distinguishable form the tree behind it.  I also,  adjusted the saturation of the yellows in the middle ground (rice  fields grasses have more cad-yellows than before), and added a touch of blue to the sky just above the tree line on the horizon.  I even signed it (after I took the photo). At this point I consider the painting process complete.

The next step is to  wait until it is dry enough to have a professional photo taken of it*, then varnish and frame it,

* Note All of the photos for these mini lesson  posts were taken with a hand-held camera, under my studios ceiling lights, while the canvas was still wet..  The professional photos will  use a spots to give an even lighting over the entire painting, and a polarizing filter to ensure there is no reflective glare from those lights

See all four earlier posts of this process beginning with the post on July 16th

Come on Down 7 '13

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, SC) is a short detour off Highway 17 - so if you're a history buff, you should check out their History Fair scheduled for 6 July 2013. I'll be there with the Charleston Artist Guild. Look forward to seeing y'all. It looks wonderful! For more information: http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/history_fair.html

Long Shoals SC 11 Roadside Park

Great reflections

 Surprise surprise. This beautiful little river run is right next to SC Highway 11.   Only a  small road sign, "Long Shoals Roadside Park" and a  small pull off of gives any indication that there is anything special to see.

Great color

The water was low so I could stand on dry rocks in the middle of the stream and take photos

Endless composition opportunities

Can't wait to get started painting some of these scenes.

Waccatee Zoological Farm 6'12

  Looking for a good place to to sketch exotic animals or are  looking for a place to photograph birds ?  The  Waccatee Zoological Farm is a small family run enterprise  that is run  entirely on private donations. 

 

  The zoo houses thousands of animals and over 100 species.
The first to greet you are the Peafowl (aka peacock).

 

 They are both beautiful to look at and good security.  At the least small disturbance these lovely creatures  begin  screaming ear piercing alarm calls, alerting  the staff and everyone else that mischief is afoot.

 From the road you see herds of buffalo and zebra roaming the open sunny grassland, but most of the zoo is located within 500 acres of private, carefully preserved, wooded property.

Some of the larger herd animals like the ( North African sheep above) are given  large tree sheltered enclosures. . Many of the animals are located in relatively small enclosures,  making them very easy to see and sketch.  

 But fair warning while clean and well fed, it did not seem entirely fair to keep such large animals in such small spaces. I was especially uncomfortable with the  cats and other predators. The zoo's website brags that  "big cats like the leopard, lion, cougar and tiger eye you up close".  It is true that one can get close.  I could get within a foot of this  little serval cat, but  it  wouldn't meet my eyes.  A  large lioness paced endlessly back and forth  between the cinder block walls of her  rooms.    It left me feeling guilty and sad to see these beautiful animals caged like this.

One are that I did find enjoyable was the raised wooden walkway that winds through the  wetlands .   A raised wooden walkway winds through  the

Located where the Waccamaw River, Intracoastal Waterway and Socastee Creek  join, Waccatee Zoo is a natural wildlife sancuary and breeding ground for many species of migratory birds.  At several times of the year it's not uncommon to see thousands of beautiful native egrets or heron in one small spot.  

The birds were everywhere, posing like photographers models

 The egret above had built its nest right over the walkway,

while a heron below posed on a branch beside the walk. The difference between the birds and the other creatures in the zoo is that the birds are free to come and go as they like.  If the zoo area does  not please them, they could simply fly on down the river to another site.

There's a lot more animals than I have shown, so if you are into wildlife art  check it out at: The Waccatee Zoological Farm 

 8500 Enterprise Rd

Myrtle Beach, SC  29588

843-650-8500

Introducing My Fine Arts America Website

I have created a website with Fine Art America specifically for those who are interested in purchasing reprints of some of my original artworks.  Check it out at:

http://cecelia-campbell.artistwebsites.com/

Crab Cake Lady to Move

9" x 12" Oil by C Campbell

The Crab Cake Lady  is famous for her mouth water spicey and plain crab cakes made with locally  caught crustaceans.  A newly erected  sign outside the building announced that the CC Lady is moving out of her classic low country cottage. There goes another local landmark...   See it while you can on US Coastal 17 in Murrells Inlet.

Little River Light House Aug '11

I had seen photos of a light house along the Little River in South Carolina, so today Bruce and I went looking for it.  It turns out to be a  replica of a light house that is used by a condo community  to store its pool supplies.  Functional or not, the clever camouflage has become something of a local landmark to boaters on the Little River, SC.

Lirchfield Tree Allee and Plantation House

The Teeters came by to pick up their new painting of the Litchfield Tree Allee and Plantation House.  They were thrilled to have such a lovely reminder of their honeymoon  and wedding site.

New Paintings on my Website

I finally got around to posting the past two months worth of new paintings on my website.   There are new oils paintings in the "Local Landmarks" series, and in the "State Parks" series.  And  you can check out some of the new work I have been doing with Golden's Open Acrylics in the "Nocturnes" and "This Side of Paradise" Series.  Enjoy.

Angel Oak Tree Aug 8 '10

Today we visited the Angel Oak Tree on John's Island, SC. 
Charleston art galleries say paintings of this icon of the South are very popular with tourists.

The Angel Oak Tree is a Southern live oak located in Angel Oak Park, on Johns Island near Charleston. The Angel Oak Tree is estimated to be in excess of 1500 years old, stands 66.5 ft tall, measures 28 ft  in circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet. From tip to tip Its longest branch distance is 187 ft. There is no way these facts can do this ancient giant justice.  Only when I was standing beneath its gnarled arms did I appreciate just how magnificent and special this tree is.

 The Angel Oak Tree is thought to be one of the oldest living things in the country. Standing below it  one gains a sense of how god must view time. The land where the Angel Oak Tree stands was part of Abraham Waight's 1717 land grant.  The Angel Oak's name can be traced back to the original owners Martha and Justis Angel. The tree and surrounding park have been owned by the city of Charleston since 1991. The Angel Oak is located at 3866 Angel Oak Road on Johns Island, SC

 Development is beginning to encroach on the site of the Angel Oak. In 2012, plans to build a 500-unit apartment complex that would be as close as 160 yards (150 m) to the Angel Oak. While the Oak is not in danger of being cut down, arborists caution that  the surrounding forest protects itst giant root system, shelters it from storms, affords if moisture and drainage, and filters out harmful pollutants before they reach the trees roots. The proposed development will be challenged in court by the  Coastal Conservation League, based upon concerns about the construction's effect on available groundwater and nutrients . 

Murrells Inlet at Night 5 '10

What do you think of this photo ( Above) as a basis for a nocturne ?
It was  taken in the early evening at Murrells Inlet, SC

Georgetown Watercolor Society at Dunn Acres 5 '10

The activity for the monthly meeting of the Georgetown Water-media Society was plein air painting at Dunn Acres. Out hostess, Pam Dunn, and her husband Max opened their lovely restored rice plantation manor (below) and all of its gardens for us to paint in.

 The manor sits on bank of the Black River with beautiful views in each direction

( Above: looking east) ( Below: looking west)

The front of the manor faces a series of aquatic gardens that Max has constructed out of what was once an alligator infested jungle of swampland. Max told me that when they bought the property, the grounds were so overgrown that it took a bulldozer to reach the manor house. He has turned it into a series of aquatic gardens that any public arboretum would be proud to own. (I my eyes, it was more beautiful than most public gardens).

From the manor house, well laid out paths and bridges lead off to the cypress ponds which right now are lined with several colors of blooming iris. At other times of the year, Azalea, and roses bring welcome color and contrast to the dominate green.

 

In addition to the cypress gardens, there are several beautiful waterlily and lotus ponds.

There were so many beautiful spots it was hard to know what to paint.I finally focused upon a lovely little statue of a little girl sitting on a cypress stump.

You'll be able to see the  two finished paintings on my website as soon as the paint dries enough for me to photograph them. (See also follow on posts about   plein air pain(t) ing.)