Lake of the Woods-plein air, alla prima, Florida landscape

"Lake of the Woods", 12x9, oil on canvas

I painted this little study of a lake in my neighborhood recently, before the weather turned bitterly cold! We Floridians do some physical adapting when we move down to Florida from the north- our bodies learn how to shed heat effectively so that we can better deal with the hot subtropical climate. Unfortunately, when we get cold snaps like the present one, our bodies are less able to adjust. I have been wanting to do some plein air painting, but it looks as though this week is going to be another rough one for my thin skin!

The above painting was done in pure color with a palette knife only. This is definitely one of those impressionist paintings that makes absolutely no sense until you step backwards a few yards! I made the reddish/pink roof the focal point in what was otherwise a low contrast painting that was done in mostly mid value range and used color to turn the planes. I finished it in the one hour and although the light had already changed from when I arrived, I made certain not to meddle with the first notes and that way I kept out of trouble. When I got home I wanted to work it some more in order to refine the shapes and details, but I resisted the temptation in order to keep the freshness and spontaneity of the alla prima painting. So I signed it and called it done. I'm looking forward to more plein air painting in warmer days to come!

Here was the scene that I painted in my southwest Florida neighborhood:




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"Cloudy Day at Sharky's on the beach", 12x9, oil on Raymar panel, Venice Florida, plein air, alla prima,sand dunes, sea grapes, sea oats, stormy skies

SOLD"Cloudy Day at Sharky's on the beach", 12x9, oil on Raymar panel

This was the scene that greeted us this morning as we arrived for the second day of Hodges Soileau's annual workshop in Venice, Florida. The weather was freezing (by November Florida standards) and we all kept adding layers of clothing as Hodges did his demo.


As you can see from the photo above, the light temperature was very gray, with a cool light and limited value and contrast range. What was very cool about this day, however, were the whitecaps on the water, (an aftermath of Hurricane Ida), which are atypical for the Gulf Coasts' typically serene aquamarine waters.

When painting plein air, I happen to love days like this, when you don't have to chase the light every fifteen minutes, and deal with the enormous range in values that you can get in Florida on very sunny days.

Although this was a three day workshop, I will unfortunately miss the third day, which is the part I like the best and learn the most from-portraiture. That being said, this was the fourth year that I took a workshop from Hodges and I feel very fortunate that I have had these opportunities with this incredibly talented artist. The very first year that I took his workshop I had only just begun to paint and barely knew how to hold a paintbrush. I was totally out of my element and scared to death of everyone in the class. Nonetheless, Hodges made me feel comfortable and was very sensitive in all of his critiques.

Thankfully, I have grown a bit since then, and I have finally been able to absorb a little bit of the finesse that Hodges employs with his painterly approach, and sensitive brushwork. I used an earthy palette to obtain the above result and I must confess that even though I consider myself a colorist, I now realize the importance of limiting the range in which one must go in order to "push" color.

Whether or not my collectors will approve of this new subtlety in my palette remains to be seen, but I have to admit that I was very happy with the outcome of this painting which was an attempt to be both painterly, and also replicate the cool color temperature of the day to the best of my abilities.

Please contact Leah Sherman at Collector's Gallery and Framery in Venice , Florida, at 941-488-3029 if you wish to purchase this painting.

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"Lake of the Woods, Autumn vista", 16x12, oil on masonite

"Lake of the Woods, Autumn vista", 16x12, oil on masonite

I took yesterday's quick plein air study and applied it to today's more refined piece in the studio. I was very happy with the result. This painting is definitely moving in the direction that I wish to go- which is after my true love-Classic Impressionism. Here is the scene that I painted which is in my very own Florida neighborhood. You can read about the study here.



I'll be headed off to Denver to the American Impressionist Society's 10th annual juried show at the Saks Gallery this Friday the 23rd. The reception is 5 to 8PM, and I do hope that my Denver collectors will join me there for a special evening of gorgeous art! In addition to looking forward to being inspired by the magnificent works of the top Impressionists of today's world, I also am planning a trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park for more inspiration! I can't wait! Jeez.

Life is good. Amen and thank you Lord!

If you wish to purchase the above painting, please send me an email. Thanks!

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