Clam Bay Marsh 110

I really needed a day like today. A day when all the stars align, there is enough coffee and plenty of patience to make something great happen. I started this painting with one thought and ended with another, which may be my only complaint. I initially planned on having the trees in all blues and violets, very somber and cold, and then out where this is light.... the water, the marsh grass, the trees on the other side, i wanted to make warm, vibrant and electric... somewhere along the way, i dropped that and went ahead with what I was doing, whatever that was. I listened to 4 Tom Waits albums, drank 2 cups of coffee (after 3pm) and painted like I hadn't in a long time. I am pretty sure that since I have been with daily painters, that has tainted me and my efforts to some degree. All my attention goes to that and checking the status of my painting and hoping someone will nibble on one.... blah, blah. That first week spoiled me, when I sold 2. I figured, hell, if I sold 2 in the first week, I should at least average one a week at worst or maybe 3 a month, right? Wrong. Lesson learned. I will paint what I want to paint and that is the end of the story.

Marsh, Jekyll Island 092

Thought I would give the new palette another whirl today. Practice, practice, practice! I am still not real happy with the trees, but the overall mood and the harmonies of the piece are nice... I am going to try my old palette tomorrow with the same reference and see if I can get what I am looking for. This palette is very hard to get dark, I was warned of the before hand, but there is a great deal I have to learn about painting marshes. These are by far the best I have done.

As of today, I have been accepted to dailypainters.com, an online community of daily painters from around the country plus a few. I found their site after Millie Gosch suggest I give it a whirl. After painting almost daily for 6 months now, I have been accepted to their community. I am honred. Some of the best in the business are there. I applied almost a mothe after I started daily painting, whihc was very premature, they suggested keeping a blog for almost a year. I was afraid they had passed me over, so much to my surprise, they sant an email e,ail confirmation tonight. So, welcome to those of you who founf me through dailypainters!

Monday, Jekyll Island Day 2: Marsh and River Study 086 & 087

Today started with a scouting run and a campfire breakfast with musquitos. Nothing better, really. We went to clam beach where I did a study of the marsh there. I struggled iwth this one for a bit but it turned out pretty well. I actually found a different view that I will do later as a larger painting. The colors were ok, and everything seemed to work well. I kept with the traditional brush and tried not to stray to the palette knife, so my brushwork is iffy at best. I also kept my palette very simple: cad yellow light, cad red medium, ultramarine blue, my mud and titanium white. I am trying to travel light but I am still not light enough. I have way too much gear.

The second painting was a quick one, before lunch. The haze was starting to burn off and I love the atmospherec perspective and the bright green off the marsh grasses. I did this one in about 5 minutes, so, not a whole lot going on there!

We ventured back for lunch and the out to Driftwood Beach to paint this beautiful wind swept oak was. The sun was at its peak and I had no umbrella, but I went for it anyway. I am not crazy about the study, but I know a larger painting will be great. Still fighting with the brush over the knife... my edges are screwy.

Driftwood Beach is anything but driftwood. It is on the north western side of the island where the beach has eroded and the maritine forest has been encroached upon by the salt water. It is a beautiful bone yard. I felt like I was playing umongst dinosaur bones. It was beautiful and sad. I love water and live oaks like no other tree. Most of theme are older than our country, now dried up and dead, washed over. Their root balls are amazingly large. The pines however, have such a long tap root, they mostly still stand erect but dead.