The Family Cabin

I have taken some time this week to enjoy the weather and do some plein air painting in the mountains around Crozet, Virginia. This is an afternoon painting of a family cabin near a fish pond on the grounds of a lovely local winery called King Family Vineyards. I will do a little more "finesse" work on this one before I call it done, but I thought I'd share it here so far. It measures 12x16" and is oil on canvas:

UPDATE: See the completed painting here.

Spring Finery

Here is a little plein air sketch I did the other day before going into the studio. This is a study of some sort of flowering (fruit?) tree blooming in all of it's spring finery right in my neighborhood.

 

Spring is definitely my favorite time in Virginia and it can be hard to come into the studio when the dogwoods and fruit trees are blooming.  When I'm called to both paint in the studio and paint en plein air, my compromise is to just try and do a little of each, even if it means just getting outside early in the morning. Eaaaarrrrly.

This painting measures 6x8" and sells for $325 unframed or $395 framed. For more information please contact me.

Simple Brilliance

Here's a plein air painting I did of a lovely little spot on Fleming Street. The bouganvellia is in full bloom everywhere. This is a beautiful time to be in Key West!

This piece measures 6x8" and is oil on canvas. For more information, please contact me.

The Window Above

It rained last night but by morning we had clear breezy air and bright blue skies. I wasn't sure what the wind was going to do, so we took care of some errands in the a.m. and then rented bikes to ride around the island. I am afraid I am not a very good biking buddy, because I kept yelling "STOP!" to Dave every 10 feet so that I could take pictures. That is only a slight exaggeration! Finally I couldn't stand it any more and I went back the room at our guesthouse and gathered up my paints. I left Dave to nap and swim in the pool while I found a nice shady spot with a big wide sidewalk to do a little plein air vignette. The whitewash on the fence and house proved to be a little blinding after staring at it for a while, but I got it down well enough I think. What drew me to this scene was the shadows on the very simple building and of course the vibrant bougainvellia and other tropical flowers and foliage.

This piece measures 6x8" and is oil on canvas. For more information, please contact me.

Key West Getaway

Well we have stolen away in the dark of night (actually very early in the morning but same diff!) for a little visit to one of our favorite places. Here in Key West we were greeted with a balmy 79 degrees. We spent the evening watching the sun set near the pier.  Big billowy clouds hovered  but never overtook the sky. If they don't obscure the light too much,  clouds can make the sunsets dazzle, and tonight was no exception. The sky changed in every moment giving us a dazzling array of color contrasts and brilliant combinations. Golden to orange to deep rose. We enjoyed the sky for some time as the sailboats came in, even long after the hour of sunset. The gold horizon lingered even as the sky softened and darkened to a deep velvety blue.

It's hard not to gush and mush after enjoying something so beautiful. But gushing is about all I have energy for right now! No painting tonight... we're pooped. But I did bring my toys, so if the weather cooperates I'll paint while we're here. If my computer cooperates I'll also post here on the blog during our stay!