Pat Snyder awarded my painting, Mossy Tree, first place in the miniature division at the opening for the Fourth Annual Miniatures & Small Works Exhibition. The show runs through July at the Art by the Sea Gallery and Studio.
Key Hole Rock 2
28 May 
Key Hole Rock
This is the first painting that I did of Key Hole Rock. It was done in soft pastels in March when there was a greater minus tide with more rocks exposed. This new painting below was done in watercolor on Yupo paper to capture the more intense colors seen when the sun streamed over the rock and hit the deeper tide pools. Mongo says there is a secret cove through this tunnel, though I have not been able to climb through to see yet. There was a minus 2.3 tide this morning which should have exposed this area again, but it was raining and the winds were up to 35 MPH which prevented our beach walk.
Key Hole Rock 2
Brushing Up
24 Apr
Alysha Beck, a photographer for the Coos Bay World newspaper stopped by to chat yesterday, and this picture was on their front page today. This was quite a surprise. Mingus Park was the first location for the Monday Plein Air Painter’s new schedule, “Ponds, Lakes and a Slough or Two.”
I moved to the Oregon Coast wanting to paint the ocean and beaches. But I am finding many more incredible places to paint with this group of painters who know the area so well.
Mossy Tree
20 Apr
I am delighted to find some seasonal changes here on the Oregon coast. March and April have brought some really nice days to get out and paint. The wildflowers are blooming, the flowering trees are blossoming and the tree moss seems greener and thicker. This was painted en plein air on an outing with our group. The sun filtered through the trees and highlighted this little mossy tree.
Sea Stars
5 Feb
This group of purple, red and orange sea stars posed in their close knit group on a typical pitted rock on Bandon, Oregon’s beach. The holes are great places for mussels, anemones and other sea life. At low tide the waves splash and keep the scene nice and wet. The Yupo paper allowed me to let the bright wet colors swirl around to capture the starfish and their habitat.
