Dodecanese Blvd

 

The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs are so much fun for dining, shopping AND sketching!  We love having lunch at one of the Greek restaurants, and we have a few favorite shops to visit before I finally start to sketch.  While Mom is with Danny and Jacob, I pick the street where the sponge boats dock to sketch.  First, I sketch a boat I haven't seen here before and next I do the street scene.  I love adding these special places to my latest travel journal. Often, I wait until evening to write the day's events, but today I have time to do it all at once. What a treat this place is!  Now, I'm off to my favorite tea shop here!  Painting number 5115 in 5115 days. 

Cypress of Brooker Creek

I love returning to the Brooker Creek Nature Preserve to paint! The rich color of the Florida wildwood and the nearly black water of the creek are so inspiring.  This year, I've returned for their two day plein air event, with the work hanging until April 28th. I wish I could be there for the Artist Reception and Awards but I will be painting in Augusta at that time. If only I could paint multiple places at the same time!  Painting number 5114 in 5114 days. 

Sponge Boats

The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs are a "must paint" for me whenever I'm in town!  It's a great place for dining, shopping and painting sponge boats!! 

Cypress Stand

 

I love exploring the cypress trees rising up from the water along the Brooker Creek trail! I walked this trail before picking this spot, and again my focus is the cypress.  They do not rise from swamp water in Missouri, and the tropical foliage adds to their appeal. The hues and values change quickly as the sun moves, and i must paint fast.  The rich color fades and washes out towards midday.  The roots and trunks are so interesting, it's super fun to express their contours with brush and paint.  Who knows when I'll get this chance again. Painting number 5111 in 5111 days. 

Lifeguard Shack at the Beach

 

Another day, another beach! I love what they've done with the lifeguard shack! The yellow and red really pop against the blue of ocean and sky.  I'm painting this one loosely, with quick marks and strokes.  Though I've painted the umbrellas in their natural blue, I have the strong desire to paint them red, orange or yellow at the very least.  Since that paint is thick, I'll let it dry a bit first.  Then, I'm totally boosting their impact!  Painting number 5108 in 5108 days. 

Sunset Beach Afternoon

 

White sand and sun - what a perfect February pairing!! The gulf coast beaches here are so very light that it bounces right back into my eyes as I paint.  I chose this side of the peninsula for a little protection from the wind blowing out of the north.  The cold side lighting is completely different, too. The water is a very dark steely blue, choppy with foam, and the north sky is cooler and more ultramarine.  Comfort and color landed me here, and I wish I could have stayed for another.  It could not be since Mom was ready to head back for a nap. Painting number 5107 in 5107 days. 

Sunset Beach Pavillion

 

Oh how I love the days of sand and sun! If only the beach were closer to home.... ❤️🎨⛱️

On the Beach at Howard Park

 

On this windy day, I picked the quiet side of Howard's Beach to paint.  The rocks on the ridge sheltered me from the wind, allowing me to easily capture my scene with paint.  It is always fun to visit with passersby when I'm painting especially on a beach.  Everyone is happy and relaxed in such a place, soaking in the sun and sand of this paradise.  My models left the scene just as I was finishing up, and I believe they were from Iowa.  This is truly the best place to be in February!  Painting number 3698 in 3698 days. 

Afternoon at Brooker Creek

 

I'm honored this painting won the Brooker Creek Preserve Award in Tarpon Springs!  I loved spending the whole day here painting, watching the alligators in that water as I worked.  Still and silent, they glide gracefully through the water, barely breaking the surface.  The walkers along this trail assure me they do not walk the boardwalk, and so far as I've been here - they are right!  It's a beautiful place to visit, and paint!  I just couldn't resist painting another!  Painting 3697 in 3697 days. 

Afternoon at Sunset

 

Another gorgeous day on the white sand of Sunset Beach for plein air painting!  The sky started to cloud over as I began my initial block in. Working quickly, I marked my colors before loading in the masses.  I talked to some lovely people and visited as I worked.  The temperature went down as the clouds rolled in, and with Mom waiting on me, I had to hurry.  Feels so good to get my daily dose of sand and sun, exploring it all in paint. Painting number 3696 in 3696 days. 

Sunset Beach

 

The Florida sunsets are gorgeous on the gulf coast and I love painting them in ink and watercolor!  I've been painting in oils all week, so it is fun to switch mediums. I love how locals flock to the beaches, just to watch the sun dip down below the horizon.  I sketch quickly and lay in color as fast as possible.  The light is so fleeting, changing before my eyes.  Love spending these quiet moments on the beach. What a great way to end the day.  Painting number 3692 in 3692 days. 

Docked in Tarpon Springs

 

It's SO fun to paint at the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs - and the weather is glorious once again.  The sun felt so strong as I stood in it to get this vantage.  A boat to my right loaded for sponge diving tours each hour and a half, so I had no choice but to stand forward, in the sun.  This may be the most iconic strip in the area, with cute shops and Greek dining lining the streets, and I just HAD to capture it in oils.  This painting and 8 others will hang at the Tarpon Springs Cultural Center through next Thursday.  Painting number 3689 in 3689 days.  

Brooker Creek Preserve Morning

 

I am so honored to have won this morning's Quick Paint at the Brooker Creek Preserve with my painting of the creek.  On the back side of the trail that winds through the preserve, the bridge over the creek is a favorite spot to paint.  With a gorgeous, clear day, the blue of the sky reflected deep into the water.  I moved my easel 3 times on this bridge, landing on this spot right at go time.  I had to have this framed and turned in by noon, making this less than a two hour paint.  My painting companions today were a mama and baby young alligator, who kept popping their heads up and gliding through that water.  It's not every day I paint with alligators! I loved this place so much that I stayed to paint another! Painting number 3688 in 3688 days. 

Afternoon at Howard Beach

 

I LOVE painting on the beach as the sun dips to the horizon, golden light warming up the whole landscape.  Even the surface of the water changed in an instant, right as it was time to take a pic and clean up.  I can see why people migrate here in the winter - the weather is perfect, the beaches so welcoming, and no one is in a hurry around here.  Not even me.  Painting number  3687 in 3687 days.  

Along the Beach

 

It was another painting day in paradise, in absolutely perfect weather here on Howard Beach, in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  It feels so good to be painting with my oils again, especially in such a place as this.  It's lovely to visit with those at the beach, everyone is so friendly.  There's no better art therapy than at the beach.  Painting number 3686 in 3686 days. 

Howard Beach

What a joy to stand on this white beach and paint!! My very first spot upon check in was right here at Howard Beach.  A perennial favorite, my cares slip away with every brushstroke and lap of the ocean at my feet.  It feels good to be using my oils again, after focusing on my inks.  Rich and buttery, oils are so different from ink and watercolor.  I'm going to enjoy every golden hour spent along this coast, and relish my painting time completely.  I truly needed this art therapy time!  Painting number 3685 in 3685 days. 

Afternoon at Sunset Beach

Every painting has a story, and there is certainly a unique view behind this painting!  When I was first scouting the beach, I zoned in on this area, looking at the masses.  As I set up my easel, I realized there was something unidentified among the rocks, almost still, but moving slightly.  As I walked closer for a better view, there was a man, holding a plank on the beach, in a speedo, facing away from me. No wonder I had trouble identifying those round shapes among all that tan skin.  Haha!  I bet he wondered what in the world I was up to, as I painted, looking directly in his direction!  Just another plein air adventure!  Painting number 3218 in 3218 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.