February 2023

Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island

The plein air hibernation period is almost over! Spring is springin’, redbuds are buddin’, daffodils are daffodilin’, cabin fever has almost subsided. We’re gonna make it after all :)

I spent this month working on my drawing skills, completed several 40 brush stroke challenges, painted some flowers, and got two paintings in a show at Colony Square. The main event was last week’s painting retreat on Jekyll Island. It didn’t start out as a painting retreat. We we’re supposed to compete in the inaugural Jekyll Island plein air competition, which, unfortunately, was cancelled. We had a choice of forfeiting the deposit or going and making the most of it. We chose to make the most of it. 

I drove down on Wednesday with Maria, then Preston drove over from Homerville on Thursday morning and we painted for the next several days, got home on Sunday afternoon. Here are some snaps from various locations on Jekyll and St Simons:

Painting a shrimp boat near The Wharf / Jekyll Island Club Hotel
Note the bottle of Australian Gold bug spray - the no see-ums were horrible … swarms!

Driftwood Beach near Clam Creek Campground

The bait shop at Clam Creek Campground

Finishing up my bait shop painting under the picnic pavilion so that I didn’t have to paint in direct sunlight (never paint in direct sunlight!)

Painting the oaks at Gascgoine Bluff, late afternoon

Laughing and painting with Preston

PS. Have you ever noticed that I always wear the same pair of gold hoop earrings when I paint en plein air? My grandmother, Be, gave me these earrings many years ago. She was a painter, too. I feel like when I wear these earrings I’m taking her with me on every outing so that she can see me in action. She died in January 2016, and I started painting full time in January 2017. 

Painting near Jekyll Harbor Marina

My paintings started out a little rusty, but I warmed up after the first day and found my groove. On Saturday afternoon we visited The Anderson Gallery on St Simons and that was very inspirational. I loved seeing Roger Dale Brown’s massive landscapes up close. He is definitely a master of his craft.

I still have some finishing work to do on my paintings from the retreat, but overall I’m pretty pleased with how things went. There is so much value in spending time doing deep work. I didn’t have to worry about laundry, dishes, cooking, docenting, running my plein air group, errands, bills, and various obligations. I came home with a bajillion bug bites, six paintings and a TON of color notes, reference material. Well worth it!

MORE WORK FROM THIS MONTH

Painted en plein air in Virginia Highlands

Stonington, Maine

Met up with the Southside Sketchers at Starr’s Mill 

Half Mile Farm in Highlands NC

40 stroke painting

Finished, varnished painting of Stonington Ice Cream

  

  

Lots of drawing practice: Delta Flight Museum (above) and Ponce City Market (below)

 

Lots of flower paintings 

Drawing of the covered bridge at The Bascom Center

  

EXHIBITION UPDATE

I have two paintings up at the Spring Fling exhibition at Colony Square. The show is up through May 13th. 

PERSONAL

Scott and I spent a weekend in Highlands. It was a cold but really beautiful weekend. Of course no trip to Highlands is complete without stopping by to listen to Cy sing at The Hummingbird Lounge. I also painted at Half Mile Farm.

 

READING

I *finally* finished The Louvre. I learned a lot but ooof, it waas painful to read at times. Right now I’m re-reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite books.

COMING UP IN MARCH

It’s time to start preparing for the Olmsted Quick Paint competition on Sunday, April 23. The VHPAP group will be painting at Atlanta History Center. I’m going to Macon to paint Ft Hawkins on Saturday, March 25 and I’m leading an expressive abstraction painting workshop on March 10-11 at the South Cobb Arts Alliance. Lots to look forward to!

OTIS and JULIUS

O-doggie keeps me company while I watch painting tutorials

JuJu loves dry cleaning

I always show you pictures of Juju from the front, but he’s also quite booty-licious

And you know JuJu bear cannot resist fresh flowers

Morning treats with Dad

I have no idea who reads this blog or why … and that’s okay. I write it for myself so that I can go back and recall what I was thinking, painting, reading, etc. Artists don’t see improvements from week to week. We usually need months or years to see growth. If you are an artist or want to be an artist, give yourself time, be patient and never let a bad day of painting stop you from getting up the next day and attacking that easel with all the enthusiasm you can muster. Keep swingin, keep painting, keep trying and the results will happen. 

See you back here in a few weeks!