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. 

Fred Howard Park in Watercolor

Even an overcast day is amazing at the beach!  This ink and watercolor was the third painting of the day, and the light was almost gone.  When the colors are fading or dull in the landscape, I turn to ink for my subjects.  Drawing can be done anytime, values are king here, then once I am finished I can decide whether to wash in some color or not.  Watercolor is perfect for this.  I would not normally turn to my oils for the subtle scenes.  Perhaps this is just my intuition.  I try to always listen to it and rely heavily on it when painting.  It is almost like I am a channel through which the landscape pours on it's way to my surface.  Painting number 2621 in 2621 days.

Sunset on the Beach

What better way to end the day than a sunset paint on the gulf coast of Florida?  Pretty amazing light in this part of the country!  It is amazing to me how much my palette changes from one region to the next, and I love exploring the full range with my oils!  One day soon I will return to the cold to await those days of spring.  Painting number 2617 in 2617 days!

White Sand and Sun

After several beach paintings, I finally feel like I have a handle on the color in this landscape!  Depending on the sunlight, this sand appears peachy pink to full out warm white - and all else shifts likewise with the sun!  The clear water also changes drastically from a warm yellow turquoise to a slate blue gray with heavy cloud cover.  I could paint here every day and each painting would be so different.  Perhaps I should stay here until I have completely mastered this beachscape?  I think I'm going to need LOTS OF PRACTICE.  LOTS AND LOTS.  Painting number 2615 in 2615 days.

Beach at Fred Howard Park

I spent all day painting on this sliver of land, three different sides and views.   A pair of dolphins swam nearby, and many different birds stopped by.  Visitors came by and a starfish was found on the beach, a little girl put it in the water to see it come back to life.  All of this soaked in to my painting as I laid down those strokes of paint.  It is as important to slow down and really take the time to observe my landscape as I paint.  It happens naturally here, with the rhythmic waves, sound of gulls, and gulf coast breezes on my face.  I think I could get used to this, especially in February!  Painting number 2608 in 2608 days.

Boardwalk to the Beach

The boardwalk at the Anclam Beach is a yearly stop on the painting trail.  The curving line of sand and rocks reaches out into Lake Michigan, offering ever changing views of the coast.  This one was a quick paint as time was short  - often the story in this artist's life!  Painting number 1719 in 1719 days. 

Gulls on the Beach

Gulls on the Beach
Oil on panel, 7x5
Lake Erie, Ohio - purchase here

The winds were blowing hard as I set up on the beach today - the strongest waves I've see all week.  The sea gulls were dotting the sand, rising and setting with the waves.  Michael grabbed my gear from the car, and picked up a smaller panel for me - so I chose this as my subject du jour.  It was so windy, I sat on my towel, with my easel sitting flat on the ground. Unwelcome side effect - sand blew into my easel, and probably my palette.  THAT will be fun to clean up - or maybe it will be just a little organic pumice.....painting number 948 in 948 days.

Lake Erie Beach

Lake Erie Beach
Oil on canvas panel, 10x8

Beginning the day with biking, then moving to Lake Erie for some beach fun, I finally got in a painting before heading back to Mom and Dad's.  While Danny, Jacob and Michael kayaked back to the vehicle, I set up my easel and painted this whole seascape before they returned!  I love the sound of waves crashing against the coast - and the color changed from steely blue to gray to green! I don't think there are many artists painting around here - the locals looked at me kind of funny - or maybe it was that I was painting in my swimsuit!  Painting number 947 in 947 days.

Beach Path

Beach Path
Oil on panel, 8x10
Anclam Park, Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin
purchase here

Bailey’s Harbor is on the “quiet side” of the Door County Peninsula - all the locals will tell you so!  This path heads off down the beach at Anclam Park, where they have newly planted grasses on the dunes, and added boardwalks.  Last year, it was under renovation, and is hardly recognizable as the same place!  Only the long rocky pier remains the same, as well as a few established old pines.  I set my easel up under one of these trees, as it was already heating up for the day.  Since I was running low on panels to bring, this one happens to be an old winter landscape beneath this new beach scene!  You just never know what secrets are lurking beneath the surface!!  This painting makes 942 in 942 days :)

on location

Clouds Over Maumee Bay

Clouds Over Maumee Bay
Oil on panel, 6x6
Maumee Bay, Ohio

Each summer, my family vacations near Lake Erie, meeting my brother and his family as we join with our parents.  We love to go to the beaches around Lake Erie, swimming, riding the jet skis, and the kids burying each other in the sand!  On one of those afternoons, this beautiful cloud bank pushed in from the south, and I was able to snap a few photos.  The rhythmic sound of the waves and soaking in the sun with nothing to do - is so relaxing!  Perhaps next year, I will take my paints and capture Lake Erie's beauty en plein air.  Only my second cloud painting all year, this is painting number 308 in as many days.  Now back to yard work!

Beach at Bailey's Harbor

Beach at Bailey's Harbor
Oil on panel, 6x8
Door County, Wisconsin

Three other artists and I arrived on this deserted beach early one morning.  As we walked around, looking for the perfect painting spot, one of the girls looked down at the sand.  Lo and behold, there were bear tracks right at our feet!  On further inspection, they were all over the beach!  I did not think bears would be wandering around Door County!  So, I changed my original position from the thick of the bear tracks to a spot with my back to Lake Michigan - facing the thick woods (just in case Mr. Bear decided to join me)!  Quite a few people strolled onto the beach in the next two hours, as well as a couple more artists we knew.  It turned out to be a lovely painting day with no bears in sight!  Painting number 212 in 212 days :)

Yikes!  Bear track on the beach!
(one of many....)