Beach at Lake Perry

Beach at Lake Perry
Oil on panel, 9x12

As I looked through reference photos with today's painting in mind, I found this one taken while plein air painting at Lake Perry last summer.  The day was incredibly hot, from one of the hottest summers I can remember.  I think I painted in 105 degree heat this day - from the shade of a dense tree.  This beach was almost deserted on this day, which made for perfect photos.  I like the natural state of a time worn beach, complete with old uprooted trees.  It took me a little longer to paint this one.  I'm not sure why.  The mood of the day, and the sun high in the sky, made for a unique light that I wanted to capture just right.  So, it took a little more thought and a little more time to lay down the right paint.  One of my goals with all this daily painting is to get faster at painting, to get right to what I feel about a place - without even having to think about it.  I would love to get to the place where I can capture this in under an hour.  I wonder if that will ever happen.  Painting number 252 in as many days, Day 12 in Leslie Saeta's 30 Day Painting Challenge.