Art Sketch: Southern Welcome

Here is another watercolor/pen and ink sketch of yet another Key West conch house. One day I will paint something else when I'm in Key West! But for now I am stuck on these houses and I always feel that it is better to choose a subject that excites me:

"Southern Welcome" Watercolor/Pen & Ink on Paper Image size 6x8"

I am really enjoying these watercolor sketches. I have always sketched and have done little watercolor/pen and inks for a while. But I haven't shown much until recently because they were really for my own amusement, and, having been so immersed in oil painting these last 12 or so years, I never really considered myself a watercolorist.

At one of our recent openings at the gallery my husband said, "Why don't you show some of these? They're neat!" I have learned to listen to him (sometimes, and/or eventually), so I put some out (eventually). To my surprise they got a great response.

So in light of this I added a new section to my website for the sketches. I hope to expand these small, intimate pieces to include other mediums, but for now I am sharing the little watercolors. I will post them here on the blog as a first offering, and then add them to the website gallery page as time permits.

Art Sketch- Key West Hideaway

This is a little watercolor sketch of the conch houses that have become one of my favorite subjects when painting down in Key West. To me these little bungalows encapuslate that feeling of a tropical getaway. Many are relatively small simple structures but they are adorned with an abundance of tropical foliage that add shade and splashes of brilliant color. Unfortunately a fixer upper sells for around 1/2 a million dollars, so for now I just satisfy myself with painting them!

 

"Key West Hideaway" Watercolor/Pen & Ink on Paper Image size: 6x8"

Art Sketch- May in the Luberon

Today I present a watercolor/ pen and ink sketch I've done in preparation for a larger oil painting. This scene shows a small stone structure alongside a poppy-lined path leading to a Provincial farmhouse in the heart of Provence. The stone structure is one of many I saw while traveling through the Luberon valley. It looked to be a mini-borie. A borie is a stone hut commonly used in agricultural areas for storage or shelter. Some in this region date far back in history, but they have also been built in modern times. I don't know what use this mini-borie would possibly have held other than decoration, or even if it is technically considered a borie, but it did have the same kind of honeycomb or igloo structure:

"May in the Luberon" Watercolor and Pen & Ink on Paper Image size 6x8"

Spring in Bloom

Here is a recent painting done on location at the Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond, Virginia.

 

"Spring in Bloom" Oil on Canvas, 12x16"

The Tuckahoe is a small plantation that once was the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson. Today one can take a self guided tour and explore the lovely grounds and gardens.

I have painted this particular garden several times in the summer but got there a little earlier so that I could see some of the spring blooms. This painting is part of a my current exhibit entitled "En Plein Air", now showing at Jennifer Young Studio & Gallery.