I tend to work in series and now I keep going back to painting shrimp boats. The source for the one posted here comes from a visit to St. Marys, GA a couple years ago. This is a combination of sketch book and memory and depicts what I remember of sunrise there.
On our recent sojourn to Florida, I had occasion to paint on location with my friend, Captain Lumpp. However, what I needed to make it work better was a convenient way to transport my painting gear with minimal items to carry. In the Meth-Cor resale shop in New Smyrna, I found what has turned out to be a valuable aid. On display was an old molded briefcase that was in good shape and deep enough to handle watercolor blocks, containers for water, drawing implements and brushes and a full palette of paint. I snapped it up and am I glad I did. It is ideal for making painting on location painless which means I'll do more of it.
Just a day or so ago, I posted some watercolor sketches I did while visiting the community of New Smyrna Beach in sunny Florida. While there I had a chance to visit the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Kennedy Space Center and witnessed the launch of the last space shuttle from here.
If ever in this area, and you are at all interested in the arts, the Atlantic Center for the Arts needs to be on your agenda. The center sits on 67 acres of jungle midst many more of preserve. Accessed from US Rt. 1 on the north edge of New Smyrna Beach, the center provides residency opportunities for artists in visual and performing arts, music and composition, and writing including fiction and poetry. Self contained with housing and feeding facilities, the site holds studios scattered among saw palmetto and other growth.
Visitors can get a taste of the quality of work at the Welcome Center that is staffed with knowledgeable volunteers and decorated with the work of the residents.
Comfortable walking paths and large scale sculptings connect studios across the center grounds. Check out their website www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org for a much more detailed description of what is going on here and how you might get involved.
While in the area, we had a chance to combine on-the-beach socializing with the best of old friends and catch a glimpse of the shuttle launch on February 24.
Just got back last night from a month away which included a painting stint in New Smyrna Beach. I had the pleasure of not only painting in a most pleasant environment but sharing painting time with Captain Robert Lumpp...and some social time with both Bob and his nice wife, Sally.
Posted here are some watercolors done on-site there...with many sketches in a folder that I hope to spend more time with back here in the studio.
These Beach Birds are everywhere...high tide or low, working right on the edge.
The first day in NSB, our good friend,neighbor and artist, Jean Thagard, took us for lunch at a place called Hidden Treasure. Some local shrimpers tied to their pilings made for another visual adventure.
I called this Hidden Treasure and have another sketch similar in subject called Lunch Time.
I have a book full of pencil sketches of surf fishermen, I did this following sketch as a watercolor.
Most of the time spent painting with Captain Bob was in a secluded historical spot on Mosquito Lagoon known locally as Eldora. At one time, over a hundred people made their home here. They must have had a fun time swatting those skeeters.
This is Eldora Boathouse, the next one I called Eldora Palm, same scene different focus.
Lots of fishing done here, too. From a pier...
and from boats as well.
Ponce Inlet had painting opportunities on both sides. This first is of a sportfishing boat coming in after a day trip and backing into a slip right in the shadow of Ponce Inlet lighthouse.
and cleaning the catch after.
From the other side of the inlet, beach walkers can see the famous lighthouse rising over the dunes.
and from nearly the same spot...
and, caught by the visual of sea oats twisting in the wind...
and, boats lazing through a Ponce sunset.
Another great painting spot is the marina operated by the city of New Smyrna Beach. The staff was most congenial and there were benches conveniently placed shoreside of the docks...not sure they had painters in mind but they worked. This is a view from a picnic table very near the Berry bridge.
Some of Florida's best painting opportunities are away from the saltwater and back in the brackish creeks. Our good friends, John and Merrilee Clark took us to a place along Spruce Creek where we spent a half day cruising the creek and enjoying the wildlife. There was one heron there that consumed my attention and ended up in two different but similar paintings
and..
The last piece to show here is a quick impression of a house set a block back from Flagler Avenue, the main drag of the beach community. My hope is to dive into the sketches I made here and develop a series on figures in all kinds of activities from walking on the beach to the farmer's market...I'll post them when I can.
Off Flagler.
Petunia tells me that some folks were asking the whereabouts of the bluegrass painter. Glad somebody was interested. The fact is that we've been on the road for a couple weeks and are now hanging out on the edge of a swamp in sunny Florida. Kind of cool down here but no snow to shovel.
The drive down was a visual delight, particularly through those rolling hills of southern West Virginia.
While down here, have had a couple of fun evenings picking some tunes with Ron and Peggy Rogers from up near Terra Alta WV and plan to do that some more. Stopped in Indian Trail NC and attended the fundraiser for the Armed Forces Museum and Archives of the Carolinas. What a great turnout. The VFW Post there has a large hall and it was packed. As we find out about more of these concerts we'll post them here.
The bluegrass painter is stretching a bit...but not too much. The core of my painting inventory has been built for a great part on my passion for Appalachian music and things related to it....it is reflected in the various series on our website (appalachianstudio.com) and has been the base of our gallery exhibitions.
So much of our Appalachian heritage (and, consequently music) is rooted in the music of Ireland and Scotland. Consequently, adding some of my paintings that are based on sketches made in Ireland seems to be a natural step for the Bluegrass Painter. I currently have a series of paintings of Ireland that I continue to add-to These are watercolor sketches (about 9" X 12") . At the same time, as time permits I'm using these sketches as a base for paintings of larger formats...both on conventional paper and on canvas. I'm going to use this blog to roll them out and I invite your comments...yea or nay.
This, The Last Rose of Summer, is the first of the series and is based on a session at a pub in Adare. I apologize to the owner and the local music shop owner who invited me to sit-in for a lapse in memory regarding names. It was a fun evening. One memorable moment was when one of the musicians asked me, "tell me friend, do ya know any Johnny Cash" from which point the session turned country and bluegrass. A real surprise for this yank.
This print comes matted and signed and is ready to place in an 11"x14" frame (not included). The image area is approximately 7"x9"
$50.00 plus shipping
Please visit our Ordering Information page for details on shipping and other information.
The original Brown Trout is available for purchase. Please email us at info@appalchianstudio.com for more information.
Imagine this. Sitting with Tim Stafford and Claire Lynch as they share their expertise as top shelf songwriters, listening to them illustrate their points with real harmony and watching a humpback whale roll his tail at the same time.
That's only one of many such moments that I had last week as a participant in the annual Cottage Music Alaskan Bluegrass Cruise. Now you've got to understand that I'm a reluctant cruiser at best...an avowed resistor.That is until the Queenbee and her friend Judy signed up for the "bluegrass" cruise. I gave in along with Judy's Ed and had a great time.
I sure learned a few things from watching and talking with the members of Blue Highway, the Claire Lynch Band and the Infamous Stringdusters. I noted a lot of detail but that was packed in my luggage which hasn't arrived home yet. So I'll be adding to this as I get it. But anyhow here are a few of the photos that I took as source for what else but some more bluegrass paintings.
Boarding our plane to Vancouver where we will meet the Norwegian Sun and fellow bluegrassers.
Ed and Judy just chillin' out till the next concert. Did I forget to mention that Alaska is a REALLY COOL place...sorry 'bout that.
