"2012 Forgotten Coast Plein Air Event"

Painting "She' all grey", 8x10

We just returned from our third year at the "Florida's Forgotten Coast Plein Air event. It was fun as usual, an the strongest show since I have have attended this event. It has become a reunion type of affair, and we look forward to seeing friends that we have made at this great paint out.

My wife, Marilyn, goes to these events with me, and she takes tons of digital shots of pretty much everything that happens. If not for her documentation of some of this, I would have no record of any of this.....and certainly no material for this blog. All I do is paint when I attend something like this. She helps me on these trips in more ways than just taking a bunch of photos. I shutter to think what might happen if I were left to my own devices....I probably would leave the hotel each morning without my wallet and heaven knows what else. Thank you Marilyn for spending your Mother's Day, in your usual unselfish way....helping me do my thing.

Finished painting, "She's all grey".
I found this old dump truck at the Marina.

This is my Quick Draw effort, "Rollin Stone".

Shot of the entire Quick Draw participants.

My friend Ken Dewaard, who won the quick draw and the artist choice awards this year, chatting as I painted the shrimper at Scipio Creek.

The Shrimper, early morning.

Painting the "Crystal Starr"

This was painted on the St. George Island side of the bridge.

"White Sail at St. George Island".

Demonstration day at Mexico Beach. "Red Blanket"

Some new friends sat patiently through most of my demo day.

Thanks for the support.

This is the "Barber's Seafood" in East Point Fl.

12x16 oil on linen.

Each event has a student day, and each artist is given a student

to guide through a painting. This is my student doing a a very nice little landscape

in oil for the first time. This is always a fun day for everyone.

"The Apalachicola, Florida Maritime Exhibition" April 7th-29th

"Early Morning" 9x15 oil on linen will be one of my four paintings to be exhibited in the Exhibition in Apalachicola in April. There will be a reception on their second Saturday maritime celebration, April 14, from 6 to 8 pm.

"Mates" 12x16 oil on linen is another one the pieces that I have going into the exhibit. All paintings from all the participating artists (who are all ASMA members, American Society of Marine Artists) will be for sale at the Center for History, Culture and Art Center.

Both of these paintings are subject from the area around Apalachicola Florida.

"From Field Sketch to Studio Painting"

"The Oyster Boats"

This studio painting (above) is a result of painting a small piece (below), “Oyster boats” 6x9 oil, on location and taking information and reference to the studio to develop a larger work, “The Oyster Boats”, 15x30. The small sketch below was obviously painted at a different time of day and light, but it is the same location. There are things about studio paintings that are not achievable in Plein air because of the time restraint, but again, I try to treat them as similar as possible……my method does not change from field sketch to studio. I touched on this in a previous blog, “Plein air, Style or Process”. Plein air is not a style of painting, but the act of painting outdoors in open air.

"San Blas"

"San Blas" is a studio effort that evolved from the little Plein Air sketch below. I painted the study (6x9, oil on linen) last year at the Forgotten Coast paint out in Apalachicola, Florida. The studio painting is 12x24, oil on linen. It is very similar in feeling.......particularly the light. The energy and spontaneous brushwork in the sketches are often, for me, difficult to duplicate......so I don't necessarily try to do that. If it happens, then that's great, but each painting is a different painting, and the studies on location help me use the reference properly, and not just copy photo imagery. I try to pretend, or treat the studio paintings the same way, if possible, that I do the field sketches. The most important thing about painting on location or from life, for me, is the knowledge the camera cannot see what the eye can see. The camera will give you excellent information about structural details and such. The Plein air or life sketches give you a sense of place, accurate shadow value......things that have a tendency to get inky or dark in the photo reference......may it is just my poor photography!

Thanks of listening to may ramblings.