SCARY MOTEL
oil
7" x 5"

Motel near Englewood Beach. Loved the way the sun hit the faded umbrella and lit the inside.

SCARY GATOR POND
oil
8" x 6"

Painted yesterday on a ranch outside of Punta Gorda, FL. Waterlillies were closed when I started and fully open when I finished. A joy to watch. Meanwhile, I was watched by a baby gator (its head painted bottom left). I wondered where the mother was. And someone warned me the area was known as "Rattlesnake Ridge." Sometimes, plein air painting can be scary!

IAN
oil
8" x 6"

Painted Ian at the Venice Art Center last week. Wonderful group of talented artists there!

OCTOBER IN FLORIDA
oil
6" x 8"

Just entered this painting in the First Annual October Facebook Painting Competition. Not many autumn leaves down here. Thought I'd paint a blue Michigan license plate as a sign of snowbirds returning, but discovered the blue plate isn't made anymore. What a loss! This umbrella was outside a seedy little motel near Englewood Beach. I added the flower-filled pumpkin from my imagination to illustrate October.

BEHIND PRESSLER'S
oil
6" X 8"

Chilly morning painting with plein air group behind Pressler's Deli/Gallery. Finished this on the spot. Cold for Florida, must have been in the 70's. Will need those gloves with the fingers cut out.

PORTRAIT STUDIO SKETCH
oil
8" x 6"

PUNTA GORDA FOUNTAIN
oil
8" x 6"

TRIUMPH
oil
40" x 30"

End of demo. Feel like I could paint the whole thing over again, but need to stop. Think I captured the ghost-ship feeling of this rusting hulk. Soon will be an artificial reef or sold for scrap. The cost of refitting this boat would be more than it's worth. At the end of its life, rusting away in an upscale marina... the only boat with character. I will research its history and report later. Really love the name...TRIUMPH!!!

TRIUMPH
oil
40" x 30"
demo day 3

Difficult to get a good photo of wet paint. I think one more day and one more layer of paint will do it.

TRIUMPH
oil
40" x 30"
demo day 2

TRIUMPH
oil
40" x 30"
demo day one

Roughed in with thin wash of paint. Can already see many changes that need to be made. This is a large scale studio painting I'm doing after many days painting plein air on site. Will be using small paintings and photos for reference.

CAROL
oil
10" x 8"

Portrait studio model has same structure as Fernando Botero's women.

ORCHIDS
oil
4" x 6"

Found these neglected orchids blooming in the grapefruit tree. Flowers usually last until Christmas, almost as good as plastic flowers.

SHADY LADY
oil
6" x 4"

CHARLES PECK
oil
10" x 8"

TOULOUSE AND JUSTINE

oil

24" x 18"

Justine peeks at her portrait while Toulouse takes a break. Painted for the Punta Gorda Visual Arts Center, Lautrec Festival, October 10 - November 21. http://www.visualartcenter.org for more info.

SUPERWOMAN
oil
10" x 8"

TRIUMPH 2
oil
8" x 10"

Painting this tug as many times as I can before it sinks. Laishley Park Marina, Punta Gorda, FL.

TRIUMPH
oil
10" x 8"

Rusty old tug painted at Laishley Marina, Punta Gorda. Overheard someone say, "and he only paid one dollar for it." Has lots of character, tons of rust. Plein air finished on spot except for lettering.