Painting History

Does absence really make the heart grow fonder? Well if it is true, I must be well loved by now.  Even though I haven't posted lately, I have been painting up a storm.

Our little painting group spent several weeks painting nearby in Lake Helen. Some of these will be on display at Hopkins Hall in Lake Helen during the Christmas Home Tour December 5 &6.

Sunday Morning at Zion Baptist - oil - Leah Wiedemer

We painted several of Lake Helen's historic churches.

Vespers - oil - Leah Wiedemer

And the historic City Hall complete with sand hill crane visitors.

Breakfast at City Hall - oil - 11"x 14"

Then we took a break from Lake Helen and went to Lake Woodruff Refuge. This is one of my favorite spots in spite of the fact that the mosquitoes eat me alive.

Rainy Day at the Refuge - oil - Leah Wiedemer

The sun never made an appearance and eventually the rain chased us away. But this turned out to be one of my favorite paintings. I guess there is just something about a gloomy day that appeals to me.

I'm interested in what you think. Please leave a comment.

Caught In the Current

Why do I keep returning to the river? Water is always a great subject, but for me the considerations are more practical. Here are my top 6 reasons to get caught in the current.

1. There is shade. In the hot Florida summer sunshine this is a must for me.
2. Many times there is a gentle breeze. That's right, it's all about my comfort!
3. If I need a quick snack or break there is a restaurant directly behind me.
4. It's about five minutes from my house. So it's not just comfort but convenience plays a part as well.
5. The changing light and reflections are always a challenge as well as a source of inspiration. So it's not all about practicality - I am an artist after all.
6. It's just plain beautiful and peaceful.

Here is the progression of my painting on the St. Johns River last week.

toned the canvas and wiped out some areas

placed the dock structure

about midway done on trees and water

now to play with the light and reflections

And the finished painting...

River Bend - oil - 9"x12" -$370 - Leah Wiedemer

Join my list of preferred art lovers to receive important announcements  and special deals only available through email.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.

We spent a couple of painting sessions in the Garden District of DeLand. It's an area that experienced blight due to poverty, drugs, crime and a mass exodus of law abiding residents. Recently there has been a major effort to revitalize this area. Thanks to the vision of Michael E. Arth this area is making a come back with quaint homes, gardens, lots of white picket fences and even fountains enhancing the landscape.

 Three artists came out to paint  this day. Here are my progress photos.

At this point it was getting really hot, so I decided to finish up in the studio. Here is my final piece.

Garden Cottage 1 - oil - 11" x 14" - Leah Wiedemer

The following week we returned to the same spot, but turned our attention to the opposite side of the street.

We arrived at around 7:30 AM and were painting by 8AM. This time I chose a smaller canvas.

After a few studio tweaks, this is what I have.

Garden Cottage 2 - oil - 8"x 10" - Leah Wiedemer

Tomorrow we go to the St. John's river. Should be fun!

Painting Small Towns

Having a plein air painting buddy is a great way to push yourself to get out there, paint, and improve. Just knowing that someone is expecting me to show up adds a point of accountability forcing me out of bed when I'm tired, and making an effort to overcome my natural 'hermitiness'.

This week we met on Woodland Street again, but a few steps further north. This was my view.

"Rich Street" - oil - 11"x 14" - L. Wiedemer

I used a canvas board with super heavy gesso applied for added texture. I neglected to get in progress photos because I was hurrying in an effort to beat the heat. This time I just dove in sketching my design with thinned paint - no toning the canvas today.

By the end of our session I was baking in the sun. Next week we will try starting a half hour earlier.

I tinkered a good bit with this later in the studio. I decided to add some flower pots on the left, put a few birds on the wire, and deepened some shadows.

Expanding My Territory

We are finally getting settled into our new digs in Deland, FL. Moving is such an ordeal and this one seemed fraught with extra complications. Most of that is behind us now and I'm expecting delivery of my new studio/shed sometime next week. I'll do a whole post on that when it arrives.

We are located about a half of a mile from the St. John's River. So with most of our unpacking and organizing done I've managed to head out to Ed Stone Park a couple of times to paint the river.

This is the first one I did a week ago. I focused on this mossy tree with it's branches stretching down into the river. It's an 8" x 10" gallery wrapped canvas in oil.

I went out again today and chose a different view.  Here are a few pictures of my progress as well as the view.

I love the light hitting that small clearing

I toned the canvas and put in my basic plan starting with the darkest darks

"The Clearing" - oil - 8" x 10"

The Results Are In

The opening for the Mount Dora Paint Out gallery show was a few days ago. A huge crowd gathered to view the work accomplished that week. I was impressed with the turnout. Many times an opening is attended by mostly the artists and family members, but this brought in locals and visitors from all walks of life.
 Each participating artist could hang up to three paintings and most did. There was a lot of great work. I'm happy to report that I didn't go home empty handed. My painting "Lake Dora Boat Slip" was awarded one of two honorable mentions.

"Lake Dora Boat Slip" - 8"x 10" - oil - $280

Thank you judges!

I put together a "Got a Minute" progress video for my painting of "The Cannonball Caboose". By the way, it came out at exactly one minute! Don't you just love when the trains run on time? Happy viewing and please leave a comment.

Climbing Mount Dora

Did I say 'climbing'?! No, that's just silly. There are no mountains in Florida. Although the land does gently undulate in Lake County  where the charming little town of Mount Dora is located. What I meant to say was 'painting' Mount Dora.

For the past week I've had the pleasure of participating in the Mount Dora Paint Out. Driving back and forth was exhausting, but the time I had painting more than made up for it.




Day 1. I decided to paint Donnelly Street which is the main street in town. You can see from the photo that is was a beautiful day. Here is my finished painting.

"Donnelly Street" - 8"x 10" - oil - $280

. 

Day 2. Unfortunately it poured rain all day. The good news is that I snagged a spot in the parking garage where I had a great view of the train. So I was able to stay mostly dry. I don't know why everyone didn't do that.

The Cannonball Caboose - 11"x 14" - oil - $462

I'll do a separate post for my 'Got a minute' progress video of the Cannonball Caboose.

Day 3. The sun came back for another gorgeous day and I set up my easel by Lake Dora. The cypress trees make the water appear tea colored.

"Lake Dora Boat Slip' - 8"x 10" - oil - $280

Here is a shot of the hawk that kept an eye on us painting all morning. 

                                         

Day 4. I returned to the lake but a different area. There were a couple of swan boats on the beach that I didn't paint. I did use them in the title though.

Lake Dora Swan Depot - 11"x 14" - oil - $462

 

Tomorrow is the show opening at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts. I can hardly wait to see the works that my fellow artists painted during the week.

I'm learning so much by painting on location. There is still sooooooooooo much to learn! 

Please leave a comment or question below.

The Gazebo in the Park

Oh my, but it's been raining a lot here in central Florida. Clouds and rain kept me from making it out to New Smyrna Beach yesterday to paint with my group. So this morning when I saw actual sunshine, I decided to pack up and go paint close to home. This little park is about two blocks away and a favorite haunt for dog walkers, exercisers, and bicyclists.

Most of the passersby seemed pleased to see an artist painting and made complimentary comments as they walked past. One man gave me pause (and not in a good way) with what he had to say. You will have to watch the video to see his comment. It's only a minute 8 seconds.
I'd love to hear any interesting comments people have made while you paint or at art shows. Please leave a comment below.
In the meantime...     Got a minute?   Watch a minute video of my painting in process.