Everglades Palmetto

10x10 acrylic on Raymar panel
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Tree is this month's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge topic.
I've included the reference photo this was painted from.
It's easy to see that I edited the scene quite a bit, adding the clump of background trees and creating water in the foreground.
I painted this in acrylics, which I find that I really love working with.

Tools Too

Tools Too
6x6 oil on panel 
$125
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Painting these studio "props" was so much fun that I felt like doing this again. So I did. 
Check out my Gallery in Daily Paintworks.

Meanwhile, I had a great day today with my friend and Everglades painter,  JoAnn Sanborn.
We took a drive out to Fakahatchee Strand to stoke our painting mojo and take some photographs. 

JoAnn Sanborn, Everglades Artist

Palms

Everglades Palms

6x6 oil on panel

Had a sweet day painting by the Marco Island bridge yesterday. This is just a sketch of the shoreline at the edge of the Everglades.

It was a bit overcast and windy which is my favorite kind of Florida weather! 

Ruminating

JoAnn Sanborn Studio

I've been busy visiting with family, sweet baby Win, teaching and beaching. I'm in my Florida mood ;)
Today, I got some needed inspiration through a visit to my artist friends on Marco Island. 
JoAnn Sanborn, a wonderful painter of the Everglades and Betty Newman whose shimmering abstract work thrills me, have studios at the Esplanade, a waterside development of residences, shops and restaurants on Smokehouse Bay. 
I've been thinking about doing some new work but only have snippets of ideas as to what it might be. I call it ruminating, and we shall see where it takes me. 

Meanwhile, click on their names to enjoy the work of these two ladies.

Betty Newman in her Studio

Sunflower in a Jar

"Sunflower in a Jar" 

6x6 oil on board

I'm on a roll with the flowers but I will say that I scraped this entirely and began again. Scraped that one and began this one. Wasn't sure if it was a keeper or not but I posted it anyway. There's actually a point when you're too close to the forest to see the trees. I've learned that I am not the best judge of my paintings and no matter how I feel about them, one way or the other, I am not the viewer. 

Sunflowers 6x8 Acrylic

"Sunflowers" 

6x8 acrylic on gessoboard

I spent the morning painting with my dear friend JoAnn Sanborn at her studio on Marco Island and she broke me out by setting me up with acrylics which I haven't used in 40 years save for a little study a few years back. We painted some sunflowers which I brought as a little gift for her. She gave me some beautiful gardenias which smell heavenly and are sitting in the fridge so as I can paint them tomorrow.

I loved the feeling of the paint on the smooth board and I didn't use a lot of water either. I did rinse the brushes and wipe them pretty regularly and then mixed up some more color because acrylic dries quickly and ruins the brushes.  

Then she treated me to lunch on the Esplanade overlooking the Marina where we enjoyed some good food and some laughs. A perfect day.

Although it's been warmer than usual here in Naples this winter, the breezes off the Gulf have been plentiful and refreshingly cool. You never thought you'd hear me say that did you? 

White Dove

White Dove
6x6 Oil on Gesso Board

I've been at the pool recovering from my bout with value studies and my last wipe off.  But, I'm determined to get this dove right. The values still seem to be a tad off in the reflected light on the lower side of the bird, but perhaps I've been looking at it too long. Reflected light is deceiving and aways looks lighter than it is.
What do you all think?
Yesterday I went over to the Bonita Springs Art Festival to visit my friend JoAnn Sanborn who has painted the Everglades in all seasons for many years. She looked mah-velous and it was a beautiful day for the show. I'm looking forward to going down this week to visit her studio at the Esplanade on Marco Island. 

JoAnn Sanborn