A Triptych of Florida Birds

As long as I'm doing mini paintings I might as well do some for exhibit as well. I had this little frame and pre-cut mat with three 3 X3 windows in it. I like to stick to a theme when I do these things so I decided my theme would be Florida birds. I started out with the Inktense pencils but ended up enhancing them with gouache paint. The White Pelicans are common in our area in the winter and the Brown Pelicans are here year 'round. Although the Flamingo is not a native Florida bird, it has been associated with Florida for so long I thought it made a nice punch of color in the center of the group. I will be including this in my sale items at the Pine Island Art Association Annual Show and Sale. Our show is always the second week end in February. It's time for me to start deciding what should be entered.

Last of the roses

Our temperatures in SW Florida are running way below normal; our normal high is 75, today my thermometer is sticking at 56, and there's a mean north wind. It's not unusual to have a cold snap or an occasional light freeze but to have this cold (to us) weather last for a couple of weeks is unusual. I had two salmon colored roses left on my bush and I thought that with the wind and predicted frost they would not last the night.

I've always admired the way that Janet Rogers paints roses but I have not perfected her method, yet. She lays down a puddle of varied color, subtracts with a damp brush and adds a few darker areas and like magic a rose appears. So, with that in mind I painted another of my required minis. I think I need a little more practice.

More Mini's

I have to get the mini paintings done and handed in this month so it's time to get painting. Late last year I posted the 3 orchid paintings. Now I'm working on some tropical fish, but I love this crab. He is so "in your face". If there aren't a lot of people on the beach and you sit really still you can see them come out of their holes and scramble around and then dive back into the hole at any sign of a predator. Painting class is starting this week, too. I'm looking forward to getting out some pent up creativity.