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.

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.

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.

We returned to Spruce Creek Park this week. I decided to set up on the dock  this time. The sun was intense, but the light was beautiful.  We saw a pair of eagles while we were there. Always nice.

Enjoy the one minute video of my painting process.

What do you think? What would you differently? I'm not sure where we will be painting next week, but I hope you will come along and enjoy discovering plein air painting with me.

Painting at Spruce Creek Park

I packed up my gear and headed out this morning to join a plein air group painting in Spruce Creek park. It sits close to the border of Port Orange and New Smyrna, Fl.

I chose this view on the path just for a change from the usual water and marsh that I seem to gravitate to.  I did a thumbnail value sketch and toned my canvas.

A word about toning the canvas. In the past I used a mixture of paint and a little odorless turpenoid. After reading a lot about the toxic nature of any turpentine solvent including the odorless variety I decided to look for an alternative.  I came across Lavender Spike Oil on the Jerry's Artarama website. The bottle says that it is an historic alternative to turpentine and has a distinctive non-toxic lavender scent. I'm very happy to have found a non-toxic alternative to my odorless turpentine, but...  Let's talk about that distinctive scent. In a word it's POWERFUL! I mean knock you over with a lavender brick and then have it inserted in your sinus cavities powerful. It is very, very, strong. At first whiff, not unpleasant, but it just gets stronger so don't leave it out opened. The other thing that I'm trying to adapt to is that it doesn't move the paint around as easily as my favorite carcinogen. It dries and holds its ground very quickly. Since I just wanted to tone my canvas and hadn't planned on wiping my design out it was ok. Just be aware that it doesn't work exactly like turpenoid.

If you have been reading the previous posts, you know that I am a novice at plein air painting. I have a lot to learn and hope that you will learn with me. Last spring I painted outdoors 3 or 4 times, but I'm counting this as my first official painting in my plein air adventures.

Until next time... Happy plein air adventures!