Watching the Waves

Here is the last plein air painting I did at the beach last week. It was a quickie, started around 4:30 or so and wrapping up around 6PM. Watching the waves is one of my favorite things to do when I'm at the beach.

"Watching the Waves" Water miscible oils on linen, 8x8" To purchase, please contact me!

What is it about the ocean that calls us so? I guess it is the mystery of it. Or maybe it's the rhythm of the tides? Or maybe it's just that it is the place where we all originated, and it's depths are still unknown. My daughter once asked me, "When does the ocean stop waving?" Exactly! It never does, though it never ceases in changing either.

Incidentally, as I was painting this little vignette of our neighbor with her blue striped umbrella, I was photographed by Hidden Outer Banks!

Check them out. It was perhaps the one time when I actually didn't mind having a picture taken in my bathing suit. ;-)

Sand Play

If you live in Richmond. Virginia and heard someone crying out in agonizing frustration this afternoon, it may have been me trying to bring this painting to a satisfactory conclusion.

"Sand Play" (NFS) Oil on Canvas, 12x12"

This was actually an experiment, and one of those "what would happen if..." paintings that I probably would have put unfinished in the "circular file". But my four year old daughter (who is the subject of this piece) saw it in progress.

"When I grow up to be a beautiful woman," she said, "I will give this painting to my little girl". (How cute is that?) Of course, after that, I had to finish it. I may add a little touch or two, but it is more or less done. When my daughter saw the final, she squealed with delight and said, "Thank you Mommy!" That made it all totally worth it! (And now the neighborhood can enjoy their Labor Day weekend in peace.)