52 Sea Grape Paintings

In the Limelight is my latest painting.  It is also, by my uncertain count, the 52nd painting of sea grapes I have done.  Number 50 was Tropical Grapes, the next to last painting I posted on my website.  Both have image sizes of approximately 11 x 14", however, Tropical Grapes was a more complicated painting.  It now resides in Holmes Beach, FL with the couple who bought This Way, one of the Hillsborough River Ibis paintings.  A 5x6 painting of red leaves was number 51.  Small paintings like it are not posted on the website because they come and go too fast.

The painting was taken from a small section in the lower right corner of the second photo.  This wall of sea grapes is at the Eastern entrance of Maximo Moorings in St. Petersburg.  The strong light and shadow patterns are what first attracted my attention to this hedge.

Paintings of sea grapes continue to be popular at the art festivals and street fairs I display at each spring.  So I keep painting

them.  So far all but one has sold.  My most popular painting of sea grapes has been  Spring Sea Grapes.  Reproductions of it continue to sell.

Tropical Grapes

This is my latest painting, just finished Monday and

framed today. It will be going to the Sarasota Main St Fine Arts Festival this coming weekend. The grapes were on Manasota Beach, south of Venice, FL. My husband and I were there for a rare "beach day" two years ago while camping near Myakka State Forest.

Fairytale Morning

Fairytale morning is my rendition of a steep, roughly cobblestoned alley in the river town of Joigny, France in Burgundy. As you can see by the original photo, all the shutters were brown but I chose to paint them a cereulean blue because nearly all the shutters I saw in France were that shade of blue. The day I was there it was the usual early autumn morning overcast but I thought it would look better with some sunlight. Artist's license. The painting is hanging at Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Fl in the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society exhibition. It will be there until April 18.

Hanging Out in Burgundy

I have painted several small scenes from my Burgundy trip last year. But I just completed the first large painting today. This 30" x 22" full sheet is of the pot of geraniums half in shadow, half in bright sunlight, hanging from a spike in a rock wall in Maile-le-Ville goes to the Englewood Art Center tomorrow to hang in a show until Jan. 29.

Another large Burgundy painting will follow soon. I have about 1/3 completed of a painting of the cobblestone alley in Joigny, France. See the picture in the Sept 20, 2009 blog. Much tree trimming has been done to reveal some of the Burgundy countryside. I have also added an old lady carefully walking down the alley. Some say the old lady looks just like me.

Ibis Find a Home

The first of the Hillsborough River Ibis have flown my studio. The original painting, "This Way" has found a home with a couple from Anna Maria Island that fell in love with it when it was hanging in a show at Art Center Manatee in Bradenton last winter.

Journey of the Hillsborough River Ibis

Since last November I have been doing a series of paintings that depict the journey of a flock of Hillsborough River Ibis seeking access to the River. First in the series is "Which Way." This was actually the second painting I did. The first is "This Way." I just completed the 3rd painting of the group "Thru Here." I followed this flock as they meandered along a line of very old cypress trees on the bank, looking for access to the river on the other side. Soon they will join up with all their friends in the water.

Contenders for Paintings from France Trip

We've been back home for more than 2 weeks and I have had plenty of time to evaluate the 800 pictures I took. Here are the top five contenders for inspirational sources for paintings.

My favorite is the sunlit pot of hanging geraniums. A lot of the wall would have to be cropped out and I want to keep the exposed stonework in the top left. This ws from Mailly-la-Ville, Burgundy.

My second favorite picture is that of the buildings will the blue shutters at the top right. Some rearranging would be necessary to make a good composition. It was rainy when I took this so I would have to be creative with the light source. This was in Roussillon, Provence.

Next comes the curving downhill side street in Joigny, Burdundy. Couldn't you see an old woman cautiously walking down this steep street. I can. Me. The trees would need to be trimmed back to reveal the rooftops and the countryside beyond.

The rainy day market in Carpentras, Provence brought out this umbrella seller. Nice potential here for contrast with grays and the bright color of the umbrellas.

Lastly, this was my view of the church at Gurgy, Burgundy as I ate dinner one night. Gurgy is the snail growing capitol of the world. Somewhere around here is a farm for free-range snails. Imagine that. I liked the shapes, shadows and colors created by the setting sun. Notice the gargoyle downspout.