Barns on the Hill

What a special treat it has been to paint such a special place!  Right down my alley, this lovely jersey cow farm is home to Cool Cow Cheese. The barns and manor home are situated artistically on the hill, and so very paintable!  After a walk through the property to scout around, I came back to this spot where I began.  I love the dramatic view, pitched on the hillside with the gentle cattle lining up for milking.  There are paintings in every direction here among the rolling hills, and oh how I wish I had more time here!  The lunch was amazing and I would love to return to paint again!  Painting number 3198 in 3198 days. 

Autumn Reflections at Peaceful Valley

What a lovely morning to be painting at Peaceful Valley Lake!  The autumn color is just beginning, and the reflections on the water just had to be painted!  I had scouted this new area for quite some time before returning here to paint, so I was starting later than expected.  The golden hour soon fades, and getting a good photo with strong back lighting is hard.  I walked out to this spot to paint the beach, but instead decided on this creek full of moody reflections. The weather was perfect, breezes light, and the day delightful, just another fabulous day at the office!  Painting number 3197 in 3197 days. 

Old City Hall

What fun to get to sketch this newly restored Old City Hall building in the heart of the Tarpon Springs historic downtown district.  Starting early in the morning to beat the heat, I still tried to line up with the shade of a small ornamental tree while inking and applying watercolor.  The sun is stronger in Florida and the heat more intense on the pavement so this subject was best painted early in the day.  By the time I finished I was ready to seek out white sand and waves - which I'll never get enough of!  Painting number 3196 in 3196 days. 

Tarpon and Safford

The historic district of Tarpon Springs is simply wonderful.  Old train depots are a favorite subject, and this one is right in the middle of town!  I noticed the same positioning in Dunedin, too.  No spacing away from other businesses as is often found in the midwest.  It is so very interesting to get to paint all these wonderful places!  Making a family trip out of this painting event, my mom has joined me to visiting my brother and his family.  So, I have been painting each morning and returning for family time in Palm Harbor.  I'm so lucky to get to get to do this every single day! Painting number 3195 in 3195 days. 

Day at the Beach

I love everything about these white sand beaches!  The color is so fun to explore with paint - and a challenge!  It is long between paint outs at the beach for me, and I forget how the powdery sand blows onto palette, painting, and skin, slipping between toes as I move to and from my painting.  The sun bounces off water and sand, burning my eyes a little as I work, and still I love everything about it.  It is sheer joy to put to paint what I see before me, and I'm learning the nuances of the beach in the moment.  I know when I go home I'll have sand in all my gear, and I'll probably be painting sand into my next paintings as I work out all out of my brushes and paint!  Painting number 3193 in 3193 days. 

Palm!

I don't get to sketch these babies everyday!  The palm trees here are so varied - and it has been fun to explore them a little with paint this week!  After a morning of shopping and lunch with family, this palm tree was calling my name.  I love the look of the fronds splayed out, so with a quick sketch in ink, I then filled in with watercolor.  I work wet on wet, letting the colors mingle as I drop them in, coming in with just a little more ink at the end.  There are 5 different varieties of palms within sight, but I only have time to sketch one!  Painting number 3192 in 3192 days. 

Howard Beach Morning

This morning's quick paint could be any place within Howard Park, and after a quick spin through the area I headed to the end of the peninsula.  I seldom get a chance to paint white sand beaches, so I am taking every opportunity to explore the local color. I find it challenging to get the sand color as light as it is on these white sand beaches, and still make sense in the painting.  Just behind me, hundreds of birds gathered on the beach, standing in and out of the water, chattering away.  I did have to stand in the full sun to capture this scene, which I try to avoid. It's hard to get accurate color with the sun washing out the landscape, and messing with my eyes.  I never quite know what I have in this strong light until I bring the painting inside.  It's funny how the colors can change so much in artifical light. This was about an hour and a half paint, giving myself time to frame and turn in. I think I'll come back here for another after lunch.  I'll long for these beach days in the middle of winter!  Painting number 3191 in 3191 days. 

Sponge Docks

Mom and I came down to the sponge docks today, after I turned in three paintings.  We walked the streets and shopped before my brother and his son joined us for lunch.  When I saw this boat with loads of sponges up and down the dock, I knew I would have to paint it.  One man was stringing some together, while others were bagged in nets.  Many large cylindrical ones were loose in piles - until they were also bagged.  I found a place in the shade, and started the lines of the boat, adjusting as I worked.  This was so fun to sketch - and paint, unlike anything else I've done.  I have painted a sponge boat before, but it only had a few strings of sponges, not the overflowing amount here!  Just docked, these men worked 31 days of 34 out to sea, and I'm sure they were eager to get home.  Imagine being away from your family for long spells.  I learned that the sponges grow back after they are cut, which I love.  What a cool day spent in Tarpon Springs!  Painting number 3190 in 3190 days.  

Morning at Sunset Beach

After yesterday's battle at the preserve with Florida's biting yellow flies, today I thought a day at the beach was in order.  After framing two earlier paintings, and turning in one, I headed to this new beach on my way to another favorite, wanting to check it out.  Well, I stayed for two paintings and didn't make it to Howard Park at all.  I first walked the beach, stepping through the warm gulf coast water, sand between my toes as I wound through the palm trees.  This Sunset Park is lovely, and so very paintable!   I set up in the shade of a palm, listening to the waves lap at the shore, visiting with others as they enjoyed the beach.  There are many birds here, more than the other beaches I've painted this week.  The breeze was calm and the temperature perfect for the entire process.  This painting has truly been a day at the beach!  Painting number 3189 in 3189 days. 

Brooker Creek

Some paintings are a hard won battle - and this is such a painting.  After a walk along the boardwalk, I selected this location on the bridge for my preferred composition. It was in dappled shade with very little breeze, but I was in for the hot and humid conditions here in Tarpon Springs.  The giant resident alligator slapped the water hard while grabbing a fish - which we heard from the trail.  He then went on to glide through the water with grasses on his back, to lay like a log on the opposite bank.  Fish were jumping, a large white bird snagged food from a hole in a tree top, and it was a lovely afternoon of painting, until the sun came out and the biting flies found me!  I've never seen such large bee flies - looked like bees but have a hard bite! The only way to keep them off me was to keep moving, they did not mind my sprays in the least!  So I tried to work faster, dance around to avoid them, and yelped as they drew blood - but I did not leave that spot until I finished.  Plein air is not for sissies - I gave up a little blood for this one!  Painting number 3188 in 3188 days. 

Oldsmar Beach

My brother suggested this beach to me this morning so I came to scout it out.  The Mobbly Beach Park is on the trail less traveled so I was able to paint this place in it's natural state.  The tide pulled out a I painted, revealing so much more of the beach as I worked.  It was fun to try to capture the colors as they changed with the light. It seems the ocean is always changing in hue and value, so I jump in and try not to chase that light as I go.  I think I need many more beach days to study all those shifting shades!  Super fun to explore this new beach with paint, it's all about the process after all! Painting number 3187 in 3187 days. 

Howard Beach

The sand between my toes, sun on my skin and coastal breezes are probably what I love best about Florida!  After driving through torrential rain last night, the very first thing on my mind this morning was relaxing on the beach!  After a not so quick spin around Howard Island in Tarpon Springs, I decided on this shady spot on the beach to set up. Though the breezes were strong, the heavy duty tripod I got from my dad held my pochade firmly. I sketched my composition out with my brush, and leisurely let the painting unfold.  I didn't do an ink sketch first, and I probably should have.  I already have a slightly different composition in mind for the next one.  I enjoyed painting such a peaceful coastline and visiting with others soaking up the Florida sunshine.  Time slips away when I'm painting on a beach, the sound of the surf mesmerizing me.  I'm absolutely going to bask in every moment here.  Painting number 3186 in 3186 days. 

Pumpkins and Birdhouses

This sweet little scene was right outside the cabin I stayed in while in Fairfield.  Loving the cheerful birdhouses and festive pumpkins, it caught my attention first thing in the morning.  It took me a couple of days to get to it, but I finally caught it in the perfect light!  I painted the whole thing while catching up with my youngest daughter on the phone, sitting at the picnic table outside the front door.  I love the sounds of the woods, birdsong and squirrels chatting all around me.  The leaves are already falling, and heavy nuts are dropping on roof and ground, adding a little drumbeat to the song.  Life is sweet, indeed.  Painting number 3185 in 3185 days. 

Night on Main Street

 I love painting the gorgeous Fairfield Main Stree at night!  At dinner I tried to talk several of my artist friends into painting a nocturne with me, but I got no takers. So, I headed to my favorite spot on Main Street to capture this amazing scene.  People visited with me as the painting progressed, and soon I was finished.  I absolutely love painting at night! This painting will now hang across the street at the bank. Painting number 3184 in 3184 days. 

Camp Ondessonk Covered Bridge

Love how this covered bridge is nestled in the trees, and is the entry point for all young campers to Camp Ondessonk.  This iconic place just had to be painted - especially since I've just come off my Indiana covered bridges tour!  I love the style of this one - arched windows and overhanging entrances, complete with hanging baskets!  So beautiful, I just had to sketch it in ink and watercolor.  As I worked, there was even a group of campers dropped off from a school bus, who crossed through this bridge to gather for orientation on the other side.  It really made me long for childhood and camp adventures anew!  Painting number 3183 in 3183 days.

Pumpkin Barn

This place is another perennial favorite of mine - Bullard's Farm Market!  It simply is not autumn in Fairfield unless I get to this place to paint!  I had 30 minutes of paint time to capture this 6x6 for the silent auction, so I worked fast.  I sketched with my brush and painted as fast as I could, laying in the central colors first.  When time is of the essence, it works best for me to mark all my masses, getting that panel covered.  Before I knew it, the painting was finished and I got back to the fairgrounds with 3 minutes to spare!  Super fun - and I'm happy this painting went home with the highest bidder!  Painting number 3182 in 3182 days. 

Dawn at the Cabin

I've been waking so early - hours before sunrise, wishing the sun to arrive.  Normally by 3:00am, I know it's nearly dawn, only to find I've hours longer to wait.  So on this day, I hopped out of bed anyway and enjoyed a couple of mugs of hot tea with lemon as I leisurely readied for the day.  At the very first streaks of light, I got out there, picking the perfect spot to capture cabin, pond and woods as the warm dawn light washed over them.  Serenaded by crickets, frogs, and bucks crashing through woods, I finished this early painting immersed in the landscape.  What a beautiful way to start the day!  Painting number 3181 in 3181 days. 

Windmill at Willow Creek

This windmill caught my attention as I scouted the property.  Lured back here by a wonderful old truck against the tree line, my eyes soon found many wonderful painting subjects!  I had one small paper and one small frame left from my 4 plein air events - so I used them for this!  Choosing pen and ink, I sketched most of the lines before I started on the blades.  The wind was blowing, making it very hard to see them!  I focused on one blade at a time, following it with my eyes as I sketched. It made me a little motion sick to concentrate on a spinning object! It was worth the effort - I do love windmills and this drawing found a new home, too!  Painting number 3180 in 3180 days 

Pumpkin Truck

I saw this place when I first drove into town, new since I was here two years ago.  I didn't know what I wanted to paint this morning, until something popped up on my feed about this place.  It was exactly what I felt like painting, so I headed right over! Decorated with pumpkins and all things fall - it was the perfect subject!  As I painted, several stopped to talk and one man pulled off the highway just to take photos - loving the truck as much as I do!  Love immersing myself in autumn joy while painting!  Painting number 3179 in 3179 days. Bonus - this painting already has a new home!  ❤🎨

Behind the Grain Bin

 

I came back from turning in my morning painting, intending to do another great old truck in the back along the tree line.  As I headed to that spot, just look what I stumbled on!!  SO COOL!!  Switching gears, I instead  focused on the farm machinery behind the grain bin.  What fun!  I love when a beautiful painting jumps out at me from the landscape!  Painting number 3178 in 3178 days.