Day 1 of 30

Ankle Deep

12 x 12

Acrylic on Doorskin

My first post in a long while and inspired by Leslie Saeta's annual January 30 in 30 Challenge.  I find this month long painting a day exercise invaluable as a kick start to the New Year,  helping me to find some sense of discipline in picking up the brushes more often,  finishing the work and posting it.  Every year it gets easier to accomplish the feat and I'm able to paint a little bigger as well!

Day 9 of 30

Dunes of Pismo

8 x 8 

Acrylic

This was a fun little piece to paint.  There is so much color in the dunes and scrub but a lot of grey as well, evidence of a harsh shore life.

Day 8 of 30

Moro Bay

8 x 8

Acrylic

On our trip south in the fall we discovered a gem of a place called Moro Bay.  It is a very magical diverse area with so much to offer, beaches, wildlife, birds, marshes, parks, fishing village, artsy community and a good climate.  I could easily live here and definitely want to go back to do some more exploring.  Enjoyed painting this in the good company of my plein air painting pals indoors as the weather here is not so good as Moro Bay.

Day 4 of 30

Horses on Pismo study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Very rough and unfinished but meant only to be a study.  Guess I chose a difficult subject for a 2 hour practice session but I really enjoyed the process.  In the fall we explored the coast of Oregon and California and I immediately fell in love with both Pismo Beach and Moro Bay.  There is just something about the freedom to have ones dog or horse on the beach as well as bikes, cars, you name it.  I even had a semi truck drive by me one day.  So long as everyone behaves of course.  These riders were out enjoying the last rays of the sun on a beautiful day.

Paint what you know or where you go?

Pismo Sand Dunes

12 x 9

Acrylic 

We have spent several months in the last year or so down in Arizona and California and though there is an amazing diversity of landscape I'm often hesitant to paint something unfamiliar to me.  Maybe it's a little more challenging to paint the unknown.  However growing up on the east coast and west coast I am definitely drawn to the sea and the harsh shorelines.  This is a little study done of the wind whipped trees and shrubs and the struggle to survive above the tideline.  In the evening we would sit up in the dunes to watch the sun set over the Pacific, a perfect end to a beautiful day of beach walking, bird watching and exploring the landscape.

Day 17 of 30

Australia Shoreline study

6 x 6 

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

A much photographed cove featured gorgeous rock formations and the oh so sandy beaches of east coast Australia.  We spent several weeks exploring the coast from Sydney up to Noosa north of Brisbane most of it swimming and playing in the waves.