Dock Invader

"Dock Invader" completes the 100 days~100 paintings series! This watercolor is part of a demonstration for a student that is fishing up her class in watercolors. I have really enjoyed teaching her and I hope she has enjoyed the classes. In answer to several requests, I will begin teaching in November. Details to follow shortly!

I am still toying with the idea of daily painting and blogging still. It may not be a painting a day, but it will be lots of paintings because the sepias are selling rapidly. I also sold Rosetta's Jubilee I and II this week. It is still kinda sad when a painting leaves the studio, but there will always be more! Rosetta's Jubilee will live on as well as they are now in print. I have no less than 5 new prints to offer at the Festival and am looking forward to the results.

We are set up for the National Shrimp Festival as of this afternoon. The tent goes up easy as you please now. (Especially when you set it up that morning while checking poles and roof supports.) I am using the aluminum poles with the top and sides purchased a few years back. We use these poles because of the significant weight difference between the two. (One is Steel the other Aluminum) Our neighbors seem to be nice and there is an excitement in the air down at the gulf. The booth placement was extremely tight and we stayed to help our neighbor with a new tent that was very similar to ours. We also stayed in case there was a problem with the booth placement. The area where we are has several booths in a row and exactly 10 feet in which to place our little corner of the planet. My booth number is 119 in the fine art division. Maybe I'll see you there!

Dock Invader 9 x 12 watercolor on paper

Winged Landing

I love this bird! He was quite the camera hog and loved having his picture taken as long as I did not get too close! This Great Blue Heron calls the docks behind Sundown Condos in Pensacola, Florida his home. He appears out of nowhere, swishing in on silent wings, ready for his next free meal and posing for photos!

Winged Landing 6 x 6 Deep edge canvas Acrylic on canvas

Great Blue Heron

As I promised last week, there probably will be several paintings of the heron that called our dock home while on vacation. e really was quite the mooch, sometimes not even appearing until someone was on the dock fishing. Actually they did not even have to fish, they could be preparing to fish, coming off a boat, throwing a cast net. This gentlw giant would swoop in with a quietness tht scared one of the fishermen on the dock, as it walked up to him while he was removing a fish. I don't know if anyone refuses to feed this huge bird, especially when he stares down that beak at you. That is the most bizarre view I have ever seen, with him staring down that long bill, golden eyes focused on your hands, or whatever you have in them!

Great Blue Heron 6 x 6 Acrylic on canvas

Water ~ Water Everywhere

I taught a small class on Dauphin Island today that focused on watercolor. The class was at the Dauphin House, a lovely Bed & Breakfast on the Island. (Thanks Carol & George for opening up your dining room to us!) We had a great time, wishing the other students that wanted to join the class could have been there. The group promises to grow in number so we may have to move to a larger place for everyone to be able to spread out their paints on multiple tables. We all worked on this crab on the dock. My students never cease to amaze me, we can all start out with the same drawing, but end up with several very different paintings. Each person has their own style. Some are looser and others are more controlled and tight in their handling of the watercolor. That continued into the night class I taught for USA this evening, each student has their own style and sense of color! That is what makes art such a wonderful outlet~there really is no wrong way to create!

Sitting on the Dock in the Way II

The class I taught last night had me with a multi -colored palette of paint that I was loath to throw away. As I stared at the many colors of paint, I was wondering how I could use them for my painting a day challenge. Looks like a crab to me! I said this out loud and my students just laughed. I worked on this one for the better part of the day and into my class session at night here at the house. Between helping my students and painting, it was a very relaxing evening. Crabs never cease to amaze me, with their wonderful color and argumentive attitude!