I  recently completed the commission of these pastel portraits of two darling sisters.  Working on their sweet faces added a welcome cheer to the doldrums of winter.  

Seashells in the Dead of Winter

This was a series of limited palette 6x6 daily paintings done in the January cold.  Two shells and a rock. I enjoyed the smooth surface of the gesso board and the quickness of the study.  I tried it several times and completed the top version to my satisfaction.  

I'm Back!

For the last fifteen years in October, nine college friends meet together on a beach in Florida.  We wait for this weekend all year long.  Raising children, the teenage and college years, celebrating weddings and then babies, suffering losses...we have shared it all.   This scene captures how we feel not only when we hit the beach for the first time, but that feeling of celebration when we all step off the plane.  

Moments in the Waves

While spending time on the beach, I find it inspiring to see families and friends enjoy nature.  In this digital age when kids spend so much time with screens, it is refreshing to see children gleefully engaged with nature.

Catching the Sunset, 3

That brilliant September sunset was over and the sun was almost gone. The cars were heading back over the bridge.  All that was left was the violet glow.  I was attracted by the lavender hues of the sky, water and pavement. 

Catching the Sunset, 2

This scene is the second painting done from that beautiful September sunset!

 Catching the Sunset

Beautiful sunsets on Duxbury Beach are a never ending source of inspiration.  One evening in September of last year, a blue moon was scheduled to be present.  I, in the company of many, headed out to the beach.  The moon wasn't much to see but the sunset leading up to it was remarkable.  Our town has two beaches back to back, formed on a strip of land which forms a thin peninsula. One side is the bay of our town and the other side is the open ocean. We are on the east coast so the sun sets behind the outer beach.  The beach fence in this scene is protecting the beach grasses on the outer beach so it is being illuminated by the warmth of the setting sun in the west.