I have been neglecting this Blog.  Mostly because I've been out painting twice a week with some of Northern Florida's best painters.  They are skilled and knowledgeable, as well as being fun loving and supportive.  Add fabulous landscapes, cityscapes, old and historic buildings, and beaches galore, makes this little Heaven a total joy.  But now I have some news to share.

So it is now Spring in Northern Florida.  2019.

April 5th to April 27th.  My Washington, DC, actually they are mostly from Northern Virginia, friends who get together several times a year to recreate the fun and creative energy that is a Monotype Party.  The Arts Club of Washington, in James Monroe's former home, on I Street, NW, DC, is exhibiting what artists do with ink, paint, a solid surface, that rolls through a printing press, with the help of a fabulous lunch and wine.  The prints displayed are extraordinarily beautiful.  Each print has a presence all their own.  There are also 2 Bins with unframed prints from each artist.  The Arts Club is handling all sales. 



April 24th.  Flagler College is inaugurating the L.E.A.D. scholarship program for young men beginning their college education.  The College website will give full information about the scholarship.  But to help raise funds, Artist Martha Ferguson, a Flager graduate, has called on her many friends and colleagues in the Northern Florida art's communities to pull together paintings made specifically for this event.  Paintings of the exterior of the college buildings, such as Markland House. The Prespertierian Memorial Church, which healds several of the early college major events, like my graduation, as well as Mr. Flagler's tome.  As well as interiors of both the Markland House and Ponce Hall.  I did a painting(oil) of a small hidden corner in the Dining Room.  There are also a couple of views from the Solarium roofs.  AND there will be paintings of some of the fabulous cars in the Classic Car Museum, here in St Augustine, Florida.  Martha arranged a one day visit to sketch & photo some of these wonderful cars.  I fell in love with a little blue & silver 1960 Corvette.  This will focus on the heart of the car, the front end, as it dreams of times driving down the Highway at Sunset. 


April 23rd to April 30th.

Without taking a deep breath the St Augustine Art Association's 5th Annual Plein Air Paint Out will begin.  Eight days of Artist's outside and painting in St Augustine's many Historical attractions.  But wait StA offer's more than the Tourist attractions.  There are many small, and historic residences off on the tiny side streets that are in the Southern part of "Old Town."  You can watch the artist, or go to the Art Association's building on Marine St. and check out the "wet room."  The paintings a usually finished, but too wet to frame yet.  In May there will be a month-long Juried exhibition of the very best.  

but I still have to finish the Car.

I'll attach pictures as soon as I can, but life is very busy in the laidback little Southern town.

It's the end of May 2018
 the 
Now is the time to enjoy the Earth.  Although the Spring rain ruined my sister's visit to Florida, the growth of my new plants has been worth it.  But maybe not so much rain next time.

The FCPAP group show will open at the Wilson Center for the Arts, Florida State College, Jax, South Campus, on May 31, 2018. I hope to have 3 plein air paintings on display.

I'll be going out Flagler PA this Summer and any near by sites with FCPAP.  I have several paintings to complete and to revisit a number of places, mostly in STA  South, and Flagler Cnty.

My only excuse...

Is that I have been painting.

I've been out weekly, painting with one or more Plein Air groups in Northeast Florida.  We have so many great days to paint outdoors that I have been trying to take advantage as much as I can.  But not as often as I'd like.  My painting is a slow process, which is not how most plein air painters work.  So it's still try and error sort of thing.  I have no compunction about wiping out a days painting if the results do not appear worthwhile.  But that's alright, as I'm still in the "learning" stage of plein air.  I've had a few successes, and I believe that finishing up painting in the studio, is the only way I can achieve what I fell is a decent painting.  I'm now at a point where some workshops with experienced outdoor painters would help.  These will be mostly local workshops here in Florida.  It's the this landscape that I'm interested in learning and want to use.   

I've been showing work not only with the St Augustine Art Association, but with the First Coast Plein Air Painters, and the Flagler County Plein Air painters. 

Is it Winter or Summer?  It depends on which side of the clouds the Sun woke up on...

But it's February now, and very soon it will be our Florida version of Spring.  This season starts well into what everyone else on the planet calls Winter.  Confusing, but so nice to live in.

I've been painting with Plein Aire Flagler, and now this group has morphed into a varied group from as far away as Georgia, Hello Mary O!, to the wonderful group of painters in Palm Coast.  Radon Eddy has started her Tuesday get together, On the Road Painters, with some interesting sites. Last Sunday was not Sunny as promised, but it was still a great day to paint.  The Shrimp fleet of St. Augustine was the subject.  I even met a fisherman who worked in colored pencils in his spare time.  I can't say my attempt to paint a shrimp boat was a success but maybe with a few corrections it won't embarrass a sailor. 

I've nothing to show at the moment, a lot of not quite finished canvases, and much work painted over for a new beginning.  I've not really painted in the outdoors much.  I've only had one or two successes.  But I have painted a lot from my outdoor attempts and from numerous photos of places I've come to know by visiting often.  So I will keep working plein aire until I've succeed with a good painting I can show. So please forgive my long silence.  I promise I will show some completed work within a month or so.

But just to keep you interested, here's a drawing I put in last month's Black & White show at the StA Art Association.

Spring is wonderful!

It's cool and delicious.  The evenings are magic, and the days need to be bottled for a tonic.  Even the cloudy days are short lived and usually end with a lovely afternoon.

It was fabulous to be out painting.  I attended the annual convention of the Oil Painters of America, here in StA.  The artists were enthralled with the beauty and variety of our town and area.  We even had a whole day at Washington Oaks Park, in Flagler County.  Then we came back for a reception at the Art Association with a show of their permanent collection.  After Friday's painting trip, all the finished work went to Gallery del Mar.  We went to the Brilliance in Color gallery for the 1st Friday opening and awards ceremony for the annual exhibit.  Those paintings are available to see until the end of May, while the plein aire works went home with the buyers or artists.  It was great to meet so many wonderful painters who were generous with their time and advise. 

And I'm back in the studio refreshed and alive with so many ideas and projects.  Here is the beginning of a painting of a magical little corner I found at the end of Oneida Street.  I've blocked in the warms and darks. This spot had such wonderful views.  I will be back for other pictures.

It's almost Christmas...

The show Artomatic Takes Flight at National Airport will be coming to a close in January.  I have sold the painting of the Canal to a very nice person who has been to the area depicted in the work.  They have felt the same curiosity at what is that glow around the bend.  I'm so glad the work is going to a home where it will always be a reminder of a magic place of peace and wonder.

A Show in New York City!

I have sent the Monotype print, Canal Spot, to the Studio 26 Gallery, 179 E. 3rd St, NYC, 212-300-4725.  This will be a 2 month show.  The image of the work is below.  I showed it at the Art Association's Nature & Wildlife Show in August.  If you are interest in purchasing this work, pleases contact, Marina Reiter, at the Studio 26 Galley.

Have a peaceful, warm Holiday Season, and a happy and safe New Year.
Goodbye 2014!

Fall is just starting to show up in Northeast Florida.  

The nights are in the seventies and sometimes sixty degrees.  The sun is still strong and you can get a burn standing in one spot for too long.  No matter what they say the daytime temperature will be, it's still hot in the afternoon, thanks to the big yellow ball up there.  And for some weird reason it's warmer when it rains.

The St. Augustine Art Association will close for two months or more to finish up the construction work on the new tactile garden.  This just after the Tactile show closes.  For those not familiar with StA, the Florida Deaf and Blind School is a large part of this small city.  One of the projects of the 450th Anniversary of the founding of StA, is to have all historic and meaningful sites open to all.  So every statute, building or area of significance will have an updated plate with Braille as well as English text.  I'm not sure if other languages are include, but I'm sure of the English and Braille.

At the last show exhibition show of the StAAA, I included one of my larger monotypes.  It was of trees in Indiana.  There were so few trees, because every inch of land was used to plant the "industrial" corn they make a living from.  Those few and usually far apart trees are massive in height and width.  I found one spot where there was 6 to 8 trees in various shapes, sizes and health.  Some near, and massive, and some far, but still taking over the sky around it.  I call them statues.  Tall, silent, each with it's own personality and shape.  The print I showed was a tribute to their strength and longevity. 

Sorry, too much chatting and not enough art work!

This print is 6 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches.