Wrap Up of the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out

My wall of paintings at the Canaveral Paint Out

Merritt island National Wildlife Refuge

18x24

Landscape Paintings

Notes From My residency Journal

Happily, the visitor's center at Canaveral National Seashore was packed with patrons tonight. Lots of paintings were sold and I sold two for the week. Thanks to my two collectors who supported me with their purchases. I am very grateful for their support.

The food was lavish. So many tasty tidbits I lost track of them all. A few I remember were clam balls, paella, BBQ chicken and pulled pork sliders, meatballs, chicken wings, sausage and sour kraut, chicken wraps, subs,rare tuna, eggplant, and array of desserts I never got to. There was wine and soft drinks as well. It was a packed house and I'm so happy for the artists who sold well and for the committee. All of their hard work payed off in the end.

It has been an exceptionally nice event and a challenge that everyone met with gusto. Thanks to all of the businesses and sponsors who helped to make it possible. I am grateful to everyone, especially Pat,Dick,Nancy and their crew. I love New Smyrna Beach. It is a unique community. Thanks to my sponsors Donna and Mike for giving me their lovely condo for 8 days.

I'll soon be back at beloved Fair Oaks. I have missed it this month as I've been traveling.

More to come...

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 8

Notes From My Residency Journal

Today is the day!! It is raining and overcast with biiigggg waves. The sea is hitting the seawall at high tide so there is not much beach to see. This morning I started out at C's Beach Diner for a breakfast of ham, eggs, hash browns and sliced tomatoes. Delicious!! it was nice to be remembered from the day before and I got wonderful service. I'll have one more breakfast there tomorrow before I head for home.

I arrived at the Canaveral Seashore Visitor's Center greeted by the chaos of hanging a show. Artists were coming in and out. Committee members were moving ladders and helping the artists. I'm sure by 4:30 for the pre-patron party, all will be calm and beautiful. I managed to get all of my work on the wall and I am ready.

I'm back at the condo watching the rain, cozy for the moment out of the wind. I must send kudos to all of the artists and the committee for this paint out. We have been through a thoroughly challenging event without whining or complaint, so I am proud to be a part of this effort. Please support this beautiful park by coming tonight to the Gala. If you cannot attend, you can purchase the art via email or phone calls to Pat Skirtic at 386.235.4810 She will be glad to send you photos of the art through email and take your purchase on the phone. You may also send a check for purchasing.

View from My Condo

Red Cedar at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

18x24

Landscape Paintings

I'll have a wrap up report for you tomorrow and thanks so much for following along on this really exciting Paint Out.

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 7

Notes From My Residency Journal
Last night was the Sunset Paint Out at JB's Fish Camp. I always enjoy that so much. The wind was bad, so I set up my box on top of a big trash can and went to work. People stroll up and down the dock to watch us paint, so it is a bit like a carnival. They give us a big discount on our dinner, so that is nice too. I had a fried shrimp dinner with hush puppies fries and slaw. Yummy!.

No photos today because the wind is too strong to hold the camera. WOW!! We are being hammered by tropical storm Sandy. Yesterday was tough because I had to do a demo on the beach. Today is completely wild. There is no way I could work on the beach today.

I started out this morning with breakfast at C's Beachside Diner. It just opened and happily, it is right across A1A from my condo. It has everything from an extensive breakfast menu to soup,salad,burgers,and meatloaf. The interior is quite nice, though it could use a couple of my paintings on the wall. ;-) It has a clean contemporary decor with neutrals and dark tables and chairs. I liked it. Each table has a vase filled with coffee beans and nice colorful flowers, a nice touch. There is also outdoor seating on the patio, though no one in their right mind would do that today. My server, Melissa was friendly and very efficient. She was knowledgeable about the menu too, well trained. The coffee was fresh and good. The food was ample and hot. She was willing to make a substitution of sliced tomatoes instead of toast for me. I enjoyed crisp good hash browns with eggs and corned beef hash. I met the owner who was very friendly and nice. A nice bonus to have him come out to greet me. They only issue I found was the selection of music.It was a bit young and rock and roll for a restaurant in a community with so many senior citizens. I think a smooth jazz station would have been a better choice.  The restaurant gets an A+ from me. It is located at 4166 S Atlantic Avenue and the phone number is 386.663.3915

I headed on over to the Eldora House and set up my paint box, doing an 11x14 painting with palette knife this time, on the back porch. it was quite windy so I made a headband out of two tiny bungee cords to keep the hair out of my face. I actually enjoyed it. I have one last canvas to do a nocturnal of the swimming pool tonight.

They are moving the event to the new visitor's center today, so I had to pick up all of my paintings. I'm waiting to find out when I should deliver them. I do hope people will make the effort to come out and support us, even in this weather. We have worked in terrible conditions for the last two days and the committee has had so much to deal with.  I am hoping for the best. Painting in a tropical storm is a new experience and one I won't soon forget. It is all very exciting. More to come.......

Bagworms in Red Cedar Trees

One of my readers asked me about Bagworms in Red Cedar Trees. I'm passing this along for anyone interested. It came from E How.

Identification

• Bagworms are the larvae of the bagworm moth (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). These insects feast on foliage and spin silken sacks covered with the scales of the cedar. This provides the bagworm effective camouflage from predators. The moth's eggs overwinter in a silk bag produced by the female. The bag also contains the body of the dead mother.

Life Cycles

• The eggs hatch in April or May and the larvae immediately begin feeding and producing their bags, which eventually reach a length of more than 1 inch and hang from stems or twigs on the tree. The female bagworm begins transforming into an adult in August with males emerging later that month or September. The males fly from bag to bag searching for wingless females that remain inside their protective covers.
• 
  

Description

• Adult males possess a black, hairy body and a wingspan of approximately 1 inch, while the females are similar in appearance to maggots. They are yellowish-white in color with no wings or legs and only a small circle of hairs at the end of the abdomen. The bagworm larvae claim a brown abdomen and a white head with spots and eventually grow to 1 inch in length. The female bagworm lays several hundred white eggs and produces one generation annually.

Management

• Bagworm larvae are capable of completely defoliating trees, a dilemma that has the potential to kill the cedar. As the silken bags are easy to spot hanging from the tree, the simplest bagworm eradication method is to inspect the cedar in winter, remove the bags by hand and destroy the eggs inside. Conduct chemical control through spraying in June when all the larvae have emerged from their bags. Spraying before that is ineffective as the bagworms are too well protected inside their silken homes.

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 6

Waves on Flagler Avenue

11x14 inches

Landscape Paintings

My Sky Painting Educational Board

Notes From My Residency Journal

Today has been a true adventure so far. I started with breakfast at the Beacon, where someone opened the door when a bird decided to fly into the restaurant. The poor thing knocked himself out trying to go through a window. The wait staff scooped him up and placed him in the flower bed beside the restaurant. Luckily, he woke up after a few minutes and went on his way, I'm sure with a nasty headache. I'm so glad he recovered. Sometimes when we get away from people who think like we do, we get a little shock. There were two women in the table next to me who made fun of the whole thing, wondering why anyone would care about a bird? I pity them. All creatures deserve a good life and respect in my opinion.

After breakfast, I headed on over to the Flagler Avenue beach front pavilion. Last year when I painted there, the weather was beautiful and it was a wonderful place to paint. I chose it for that reason to do my demonstration for the paint out. How would I know we are now in the path of a tropical storm? I think I should win the prize for the most difficult demo this week!! The wind was at least 35 MPH with gusts as well. Sand and salt sprayed me to the point that I had to stop to clean my glasses to see. It was exhilarating ! About 20 brave souls showed up to watch and most of them stayed with me through the entirety, which I was grateful for. The sky was not pretty at all, so I made up most of the clouds as I went along. I think most everyone enjoyed it despite the extreme conditions. After all, location painters have to work in adverse conditions, so they may as well get a taste of that. They asked lots of good questions and took notes. it was all good fun for me.

I still have three canvases left, so I will do one tonight at BJ's for the sunset painting and two tomorrow at the park if it is not pouring rain. I am beginning to battle with fatigue at this point in the event. I fear our opening may be ruined by the bad weather, but I hope people will turn out and purchase paintings. The artists and committee have worked so very hard to help the Canaveral National Seashore. I hate to think it would be for naught. Yay for fresh BJ's seafood tonight!!

More to come.....

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 5

Weinaug Mangroves

Landscape Paintings

Mary Sue

Bill

River from the Weinaug's Dock

Patio Party Location

Notes From My Artist Residency Journal

Yesterday I was hosted for the afternoon by Bill and Mary Sue Weinaug, old friends. They own Wekiva Island in Apopka, FL and are the major sponsors for the Wekiva Paint Out. I painted the afternoon away on their covered dock. I was very excited to have two Manatee visitors, close enough for me to touch, but they quickly moved away before I could get a photo of them. Bill leaves a hose running for them to get a drink, as the river is brackish water.

 The scenery from their dock is very beautiful. It has a second story platform for viewing too. The house is incredible, full of art from their collection. I was proud to see one of my large paintings over the bed in one of the rooms. By the time I finished painting, it was too late to leave and come back for the party, so I enjoyed sitting on the patio, watching the birds and fish jump out of the river.

The party started at 6:30 and it was posh indeed. There was live music on the patio with lots of beautiful lights. The catering staff strolled around with shrimp cocktail shots, clams casino, and bacon wrapped sea scallops, an endless supply. The buffet offered an array of fresh fruits and cheeses, melt in your mouth prime rib chunks with wild rice, and jumbo shrimp in a sauce, along with a mixed green salad. Dessert was tiered on turntables, tiny delicious and beautifully decorated petitfors. ( I don't know how to spell that.)

Of course there was a full bar and bartender. This was a gesture of kindness from the Weinaugs, to give the artists and their friends a lovely evening after long days or work. There were about a hundred people there and I saw many old friends from New Smyrna Beach. I've never enjoyed an event party more and the Weinaugs have set the pleasure bar very high indeed. 

This morning I set out after breakfast at the Beacon for Flagler Avenue to paint. There is an abandoned building there that faces a lovely scene of palms. I've always wanted to paint it, so I decided today was the day. I enjoyed painting it but the sun was fierce and there was no shade to be had. The glare was so bad that I'm surprised that I got anything painted at all, but I kept at it until I finished. This afternoon, I will paint a wave painting.

Tonight we are off to the Arts on Douglas reception with Chef Sue's lovely catering, so I know I will enjoy seeing lots of people there. More to come.....

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 4

                                                     Beach at Canaveral National Seashore

Stop Sign

8x10 inches

Mangroves at JB's Fish Camp

8x10 inches

Notes From My Residency Journal

This morning after breakfast at the Beacon I headed out to JB's Fish Camp. it is a wonderful place, rustic and busy with fishermen and boats coming and going in the early morning. It serves lunch and dinner and the seafood is superb and reasonably priced. It is always packed. On Thursday, we get to go there for a sunset paint out and an auction of paintings. They feed us dinner on Thursday night after we paint. They have outdoor and indoor seating, all picnic benches. It is a fish camp, so no luxuries but great food. I enjoyed painting by myself there today, listening to the birds and painting leisurely. I will go back there to paint in January for my next residency.

I want to brag about the park rangers at Canaveral Seashore. These are the nicest people, thoughtful, well informed about the park and its history and who work very hard. They always have a smile or a hug for the artists and frankly, I get away with going to places that are off limits to the public. They are very good to us.

I am also a huge fan of Chef Sue. if you live in the Daytona or New Smyrna Beach area, you are very familiar with Chef Sue. She is an amazing chef and caterer. Her food is a cut above most chefs I have met. She always remembers me and is always thoughtful and kind to the artists.

I have 6 canvases left, so now I must begin to think about what I wish to use them for. I would like to do a nocturnal, and Friday is the only night we don't have an event so I will save my last canvas for that. I might want to do it at JB's or down the end of my driveway here. There is a beach light there and it would be quiet.

Tonight we have been invited to Bill and Mary Sue Weinaug's river front home in Edgewater. Mary Sue and Bill are amazing. They own Wekiva Island in Apopka and are the major sponsors for the Wekiva Paint Out in March. They are so generous and support so many artists. i am so grateful to them for all of the paintings they have purchased from me. I am excited to see this house. their other home is really beautiful. This one has a dock on the river and I am going over after lunch to do a painting there before the party tonight.

I am the luckiest woman in the world, because I know and am supported by so many people who believe in preserving Florida and in supporting the arts. The committee for the paint out has done everything to make this successful and spend countless hours to make this successful.

More to come....

Canaveral Paint Out Day 3

 Canaveral Sky

11x14 inches

Landscape Paintings

Canaveral Sunrise

Notes From My Residency Journal

For some odd reason, my day started at 5:30 AM today. I am not a morning person. I usually get up about 8 AM and drag myself to the coffee maker. The above scene greeted me from my condo balcony and it was beautiful. I headed on down to the Beacon for breakfast and then out to the park. I decided to head out to the point at the end and paint the lovely cloud formations. I found a shady spot on the turn around and got right to work What a great way to spend the early morning!!

Did you know that the Canaveral National Seashore benefits directly from the sales of our paintings? You can also purchase the paintings by email to me or calling Pat at 386.235.4810. The Friends of Canaveral will be happy to take your credit card purchase over the phone or you can send a check. I can ship paintings to you.

This afternoon, I will be painting in one of the parking lots inside the park, where there is nice shade. I love the old trees there and the jungly feel to them. I am saving back a canvas to paint on Friday here at the beach in front of my condo. I can look out and see the guys who are sailing across the water with the sails attached to the surf boards. The beach is incredibly beautiful with white puffy clouds sailing across the turquoise sky. I can certainly understand why so many people love Florida. We live in such a beautiful state.

Tonight we have Porkie's BBQ for dinner at the Clay Gallery. You know how I love BBQ!! I can't wait!!

More to come.....

Canaveral Paint Out Day 2

Canaveral Seashore Dunes

Landscape Paintings

Sea Grapes at Canaveral Seashore

Notes From My Residency Journal

This morning I headed out to the Beacon Restaurant on Flagler Avenue for breakfast. It is the best breakfast I have found in New Smyrna Beach. I had corned beef hash with eggs and home fries. Yummy!

 Fueled up and with cool weather for a change, I headed out to the park to paint the early morning dunes. I have found that lot number 4 has the best dune view. It has a nice platform for painting and viewing. I so enjoyed doing this little 8x10 painting there before it began to get hot. Most of my time at residencies is spent in research and exploration. I do paint, but usually on the patio of the condo or home where I stay.

 Studio work is my best work and the plein air work I do is for study most of the time. At paint outs, I do a lot of paintings in a short time. They are fresh and loose, done in less than 2 hours. Because of this, I don't compose as thoughtfully as I would in the studio. Some of my collectors like the loose spontaneous work so it is all good fun.

I'm taking a lunch break now and will go out around 2 PM to do a Red Cedar tree I found yesterday. I like the way it looked and it is in the quiet place I found yesterday, with shade and no wind. After that, I will head to Eldora House to meet up with the painters and organizers for a dinner from Stavros Restaurant. That is a favorite restaurant for me. I always love to eat there when I'm in town. They have a splendid Greek salad and excellent pizza. Their pasta is good too. 

The condo I'm staying in is wonderful. it is on the 5th floor with a beautiful ocean view. It has a nice balcony for relaxing. The kitchen is fully equipped, so I made my own dinner last night. They have all the little convenient products out like lotions, sunscreen, bug spray and so forth, a nice and thoughtful gift. It also has lovely original paintings which is always special to me. Nicely furnished and decorated with a very comfy bed and good sized bathroom too. Outstanding and my sincere thanks to Donna and Mike for their sponsorship.

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out Day 1

The beautiful view from my residence for the paint out.

Mosquito Lagoon

Landscape Paintings

Notes From My Paint Out Journal

It's about a four hour journey from my house to the Canaveral Seashore. I arrived and moved into the condo around 2 PM, then headed for the National Seashore. This is the third time I've done this event. This year I am hunting out little places in the park where others don't go to paint. I found this little view of Mosquito Lagoon off one of the parking lots. Nice shade and no other painters around. I am not inclined to group painting at these events, so I find little known areas. This lagoon is often painted at the Eldora House, which is the main place for the paint out. Lots of people there hanging around, so I was happy to find the north end of the lagoon instead. 

I brought one finished 18x24 framed painting to put up right away, and 12 small canvases to do during the event. If I do two or three a day, i will be able to goof off at the beach on the last day. I don't ever paint on the day of the gala opening, as I want to be fresh and ready to meet new people. 

Tomorrow morning I want to go to the park and paint the dunes, since the sun will be behind me and I'll have a good view of the Inter- Coastal dunes. The rest of the painters will be going south to some place, can't remember so I'll have the park to myself for a day. Yippee!!

More to come...

Canaveral Seashore Paint Out

Artist in Residence Project Paintings

Bird Island Light

Notes From My Residency Journal

On Saturday I'm off to the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out and will be comfortable in a cozy condo, provided by sponsors Mike Hull and Donna Gentile-Orlando, FL. Unlike my other residencies, my time will not be my own so I won't be doing any research on the area, but I'll be going back in January for a real residency, so I'll have a lot more information for you about that part of natural Florida.

Paint Outs are all about promotion and sales, so it is a very different atmosphere than the thoughtful, careful paintings I would do for a residency. I am with a large group of painters and promoters for this event and the purpose is to make money for Canaveral National Seashore with our sales. We do a number of paintings during the week and sell them at the Gala event for visitors.

I'll have a report when I return.

Wrap Up of my Bird Island Mini-Residency

Palms at Bird Island

Notes From my Residency Journal

I'm back in the studio again for a few days between adventures.

Bird Island is a truly magical place and I love it so much. It has a good diversity of trees, and plants as well as wonderful sea and marsh views. Yesterday afternoon I took a walk around the perimeter of the island, across the boardwalk on the marsh side. There is wild Rosemary growing along the marsh and the Oleander and Sea Island Sunflowers are in bloom. I gathered a bag full of sunflower heads. I will dry them and then give them out to visitors to my studio. Everywhere I look I see great beauty. There are massive palms and lovely old Cedar trees on the island. I've not seen a snake there so it is pleasant to walk through the tall grasses. On the marsh side of the island there is a long boardwalk presenting a wonderful view. I also stumbled on a platform with a wood ladder. The rungs were broken and I thought about climbing up, but decided not to take the risk. 

Our hosts Patsy and Warren make life very easy. They are charming and relaxed hosts, always ready to help and are a wealth of information about the island and the town of Horseshoe Beach. Sitting out on that front porch, watching the sea and listening to the mellow wind chimes, invites visitors to rest and let the stress of the modern world fall away. When I can get the chance to download more photos I will have lots of beautiful images to use for more paintings of this lovely island.

I found the group to be full of fun and enthusiasm, all very easy to get along with and eager to please. It was a wonderful weekend. Next Saturday I'll start a week in Canaveral National Seashore.

 I am blessed by all of the people and businesses who support this project. Thank you to my newest corporate sponsor, French Canvas.

Bird Island Mini Residency Day 2 and 3

Notes From My Artist Residency

Day 2

I did three small paintings today and I'll have lots of photos as soon as I get back to the studio.

Today was perfect in every way. The biting flies that plagued us on Friday were gone and it was a warm breezy day.  For lunch,Warren took two boatloads of our group to the Horseshoe Beach Cafe'. I succumbed to the temptation of fried Mullet with hush puppies and fresh cole slaw for lunch. The restaurant was clean and very nice. The staff was very friendly. Our server, Amanda was charming and extremely efficient. I rolled myself out of the cafe and on to the boat.

After returning to Bird Island I painted almost until sunset. I like to walk down the sea boardwalk just before the sun goes down, taking reference photos at the perfect time of day. The palms turn pink and red just at that moment, so beautiful.  I go back to the dock and watch the big red ball quickly slip into the sea. It happens in an instant and I don't imagine I could ever tire of that view.

We enjoyed marvelous baked beans and hamburgers with salad for dinner. Patsy treated us to homemade key lime pie for dessert. After dinner we strolled down to the dock for our nightly sky watching on the bean bags. We were thrilled to see a fabulous shooting star go right over us. It looked close enough to reach out and touch.

 Just before it was time to go in, we began to hear some splashing under the dock. We thought it was fish but when the dock lights tree turned on, we discovered a young Night Heron caught in fishing line.  Warren lowered Margaret and I down on a gizmo that hauls boats up and down. We were armed with scissors and a scoop net. It was a little scary being lowered down  to that dark place but also pretty exciting rescuing a wild creature.  We cut the line and got the fish up on the dock. Fred put a towel over the birds head and he and Margaret got busy trying to unwind him from the fishing line. It took some time to free him from the line, which gave me a bit of time to observe him closely. What a beautiful bird.  It was a bit of excitement for us and I hope he went on with his life after the trauma, unscathed.

Day 3

Early morning was all about gabbing with my roommate while we played with our smart phones. It's nice to make a new friend. Now we are sitting around the dining room yacking and eating this morning. I had fresh steamed shrimp and fresh pineapple for breakfast and now I'm drinking coffee. I don't know if I'll paint today but I've had a marvelous time. This group is so kind, fun and entertaining. It has been a real privilege and pleasure. We will probably head back to land when the tides are right and I will be posting some photos from this wonderful trip.

Bird Island Mini Residency Day 1

I am on Bird Island for the weekend. I have no way to show you images yet, but I'll do that when I return to my studio.

I am here as a guest with 9 other painters, from the Oak Hammock Plein Air Group. We arrived by boat yesterday with lots of painting equipment. Warren and Patsy Nelms, our hosts, have a big rolling cart that goes down the dock to haul supplies to the house. It is a big rambling cozy home with lots of space.

We had a great lunch of cold cuts and fruit.  With peppermint ice cream. I headed out to paint right away, doing a painting of an old Cedar with lots of tiny limbs. Great fun and practice.  My second painting for the day was a bunch of sea grapes. I love them and don't get the opportunity to paint them very often.

Dinner was spectacular, with smoked mullet dip, blue crabs, steamed shrimp, Greek salad and grits. I was in heaven. We hauled bean bag chairs down to the dock after dinner and lay in them staring straight up at the stars. I could have stayed all night if I had a blanket.

This morning we started the day with fried grits,bacon,sausage,pancakes and fresh fruit. Lord I love the South!!!

I headed over to the west side of the boardwalk to do a little painting of a large Oleander bush and the sea behind it. Soon we will leave for Horseshoe Beach to have lunch in a cafe, meeting other artists. All of the painters here are terrific.

The island itself is wonderful. I got very good news. Patsy and Warren are going to give me a week residency at the island in April 2013. I will be dropped off here and enjoy the luxury of spending a week on a private Island. I expect Captain Jack Sparrow will drop by for cocktail hour each night. ;>)

A Short Residency at Bird Island

Landscape Painting

Bird Island

Bird Island

Notes From My Residency Journal

I'll be off on a short adventure to Bird Island on Friday, October 12-14th. Bird Island is a privately owned island on Florida's west coast. It is lovely and peaceful with views of the gulf, the town of Horseshoe Beach and the marshes, my favorite. It is accessible by boat only. I've been invited as part of a painting group by the owner's family so I am looking forward to the opportunity. I got to go there for a weekend in 2009 and I loved it. In October the wild sea sunflowers bloom so I will be able to gather seeds to give away to visitors to my studio. There will be several painters there, so I will spend most of my time taking reference photos and doing small quick paintings. I'll use that to do some larger paintings back in the studio in 2013. This is a special privilege that I look forward to.