Summer Porch

Summer Porch  
A porch is a great place to sit and watch nature and people and birds  and animals.  It's also a nice place to entertain friends or read or even paint. The days here are hot and humid right now but there is always a part of the day that's perfect for porch sitting.
6 x 6 in. oil on gesso board

Gardenia

Gardenia
Sultry as a summer evening and as intoxicating as an exotic perfume, the scent of gardenias settles like a memory onto your soul.
Gardenias originated in the Orient but are named in honor of a Southerner, Dr. Alexander Garden, an 18th-century botanist and physician from Charleston, South Carolina
Jazz singer Billie Holiday considered gardenias to be her signature flower and wore them in her hair whenever she performed.
Information from Southern Living Magazine.


6 x 6 in. oil on gesso board

Two Cups

Two Cups

This is a study for a larger painting and a taller stack of cups that I have already collected and tried as one of my setups.  I want to experiment a little bit with the arrangement and the final painting will be tall and narrow, probably 12" x  36".

6x6 in. oil on gesso board

Sailing At Oak Island

Sailing At Oak Island

This is from a photo that I took last week at the beach from our back deck.  There were so many boats out in the water that day, most of them were fishing boats, but when I saw this sailboat approaching I really wanted a picture of it. It was quite large which is hard to tell from the painting. My friends who have owned boats still say the two best days are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it.

6x6 in. oil on gesso board

Sandy Is Dandy

Sandy Is Dandy
Dogs love the whole beach adventure!  There's so much to see and so much to sniff,  but one of the best parts is getting covered with sand and salt.  The lucky dog being walked by the sea usually attracts a lot of children who can hardly wait to shower your pet with love and attention.
Then there are all the other dogs, some of whom ignore every dog they pass, but some who are eager to make new friends. 


6x6 in. oil on gessoboard

Hibiscus In Bloom

Hibiscus In Bloom
These are the days... and nights of glorious summer.  So much to take in and enjoy with all the wonderful sights, sounds, and aromas of life in the outdoors.  This is the largest bloom on the potted Hibiscus on the back porch.  Two more Hibiscus plants on the front porch are filled with large peachy flowers.  They are hard to resist as painting subjects, even though I know that there is no paint color or brush stroke that even begins to do justice to their magnificence.

6 x 6 in. oil on gessoboard

Mountain View Rocker

Mountain View Rocker

The morning was pretty chilly, a brisk 60 degrees for our 6:30 a,m. walk.Later in the day, the porch rocking chairs in the sun looked especially inviting and gave us time to read a bit and enjoy the vista of the surrounding peaks. It's a full house here in White Sulphur Springs and the atmosphere is lively and fun.

It's been a nice break from the heat. 

6 x 6 in. oil on gessoboard

Afternoon At The Greenbrier

Afternoon At The Greenbrier
I had a great opportunity to paint figures this afternoon as I watched people going about their afternoon activities.  This is one of my favorites, the hat was really perfect on this stylishly attired woman.
6 x 6 in. oil on gessoboard

Still Life With Onion

Still Life With Onion
This still life was fun to paint, especially the red onion!

SOLD

Bullfrog In The Fishpond

Bullfrog In The Fish Pond

The high temperature here today was 96 degrees.  I did some yard work early this morning and just before going in the house, I took a look at the pond where we have our koi and there next to the edge sat Mr. Bullfrog.  He looked extremely comfortable in the cool water of the shady pond. I heard him this evening making as much noise as ever.

 6 x 6 in. oil on gessoboard