WeekiWachee Boat House

Our plein air group has been painting at Weeki Wachi Springs State Park for the month of August. Very very hot and sticky weather! This is a view of the boat house for the Wilderness River Boat Ride. Everyone working at Weeki Wachee was very pleasant despite the unpleasant weather. A couple of my fellow painters and I took this boat ride twice while we there. The first week, we saw a mother manatee with two calves - one of them was 4 weeks old, the other about a year. The three were just relaxing quietly on the bottom of the river, occasionally coming up for a whiff of air. Because the river is so very clean and clear, we were able to see them quite well - a first for me. The blues and greens of the river are so beautiful, they don't look real and I kept wondering if they had put some blue coloring into the water to get it that way. The park rangers said no, that's just the way the water looks because it's from a deep natural spring. Amazing.
This oil painting is 11x14" with thick luscious colors. Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you'd like to know more about it. Thanks for visiting!

On the River

This Impressionistic painting was painted in plein air on the Anclote River right near the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. The black borders at the top and bottom show the digital formatting to size that is required when you submit an image to most major art shows today. I decided to leave them on for this blog post just to see how it looks. I really like the sunny feel of this painting.
On the River, 8x10", Oil
Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase it. Thanks for visiting!

WCPA paints at Weeki Wachi Springs

For three Fridays in August, 8/14, 8/21, and 8/28, the West Coast Plein Air group will be painting at beautiful Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, located at US 19 and SR 50 in Hernando County. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=weeki+wachi+springs+state+park&sll=29.363027,-79.859619&sspn=5.666772,11.634521&ie=UTF8&ll=28.515159,-82.562084&spn=0.089296,0.181789&z=13

We have gotten permission to paint on the grounds without paying admission, but artists must arrive by 8:30 to get in and set up before the public arrives. Because of the limited number of painters allowed, you must email me (jennastarfriedman@gmail.com) in advance to reserve a spot for this paintout -- more information, such as meeting location, will then be provided. Hope to hear from you soon about this great opportunity!

On the Bayou

This one was painted recently along Bayou Drive, one of my favorite painting locations. It's so hot now - August in Florida of course! - but there's almost always a breeze along here which makes it bearable for a couple of hours. In this painting, I like the trees back along the horizon line with their distant muted colors.

On the Bayou, 11x14, Oil

Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for information about buying this painting. Thanks for looking!

Along the Trail

This piece is a pastel I did for a show at Brooker Creek Preserve's Art Gallery, where it is currently on display until the end of August. If you have the opportunity, this is a beautiful show of pastel works well worth going to.
"Along the Trail" Pastel, 11x14. Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you are interested in this or any other painting. Thanks for looking!

On the Bay, 14 x 11, Oil

This is actually a reworking of a painting I did quite a while ago. I liked parts of it before but always felt I could have done better on some of it. So now I'm happier with the piece (at least for now). The view is of Tampa Bay, looking south from Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor. As always, you can purchase this by emailing me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com. Thanks for looking!
On the Bay, 14x11", Oil

First Place, Pava Show

This is the winning painting, "Kayaks at the Causeway", which you can also see in an earlier post in this blog. Not only did I win 1st place, but the painting is sold! Double-happiness!
SOLD

Art Show Winner

Here I am, the proud winner of 1st place(!) at the PAVA show at the Leepa Rattner Museum in Tarpon Springs.

Causeway Beach

I sat right on the beach (under my umbrella) when I painted this scene. There were some people walking around, but I didn't include them -- I usually don't want to put people in my landscapes. Not that I don't like people, but I want the focus to be on the natural setting, and once you have people in a painting, the eye immediately goes to them as the focal point. Anyway I first did this painting on the beach, but it got so hot and the sand was blowing around in my eyes and sticking on the canvas, so I finished it up later in the studio. I put the painting away for a while, as I often do when I'm not sure if I'm finished, so that when I take it out again I can see it with fresh eyes. I worked on this one some more and at last feel it's done. Does this count as plein air? Not in the plein air ultra-purist's eyes it wouldn't. This is something my fellow plein air painters and I discuss sometimes: to what extent does something have to be painted totally at the scene to be considered plein air? I understand when competitions need to have strict guidelines and specify what percentage of a painting has to be done outside to qualify for being defined as plein air in order to level the playing field. I have been in some plein air paintout events where I was pretty certain some of the painters were submitting studio work instead. That's deceptive and not fair to others who are painting by the rules. But when it's not a competition or judged event, and simply a matter of how to define a style of painting? For me then, plein air paintings would include artwork that is conceived, started, and mostly worked out in the field. Not that any of this matters much to most people at all! If you'd like to purchase this, or anything else you see here, contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for availability and prices. Thanks for visiting!
Causeway Beach, 11x14", Oil

Garden Paradise, 9x12, Oil

Another in the series of paintings done at a local nursery, Earthscapes, in Palm Harbor. The settings and plantings in the garden are exquisite -- the hard part is eliminating what's not essential to the painting. I've done so many here that just didn't work, but I like this painting a lot. It's currently hanging, along with some others, in their shop. Email me if you're interested in this painting at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com and you can pay with Visa/Mastercard through Paypal. Thanks for visiting!

Garden Views

Watercolors en plein air -- These little paintings were done at Earthscapes Garden Room. This is a nursery in Palm Harbor FL that has the most beautiful display areas I've seen in such a place. They are constantly moving things around, as well as getting new plants and merchandise, so each time you go it looks different. I wanted to paint in watercolor there so I could capture with immediacy the vibrant plants. These small paintings are available for $20 each unframed, or $30 with a frame. Thanks for visiting!

Kayaks at the Causeway, Honeymoon Island, Impressionist oil painting, Dunedin FL

As you travel west on the Dunedin Causeway to Honeymoon Island, there is a beach rental stand where they have kayaks among other things. I've always noticed the brightly colored kayaks on my way to Honeymoon, and last month went there to paint with my plein air group. This was one of those paintings that just kind of flowed out happily from my brush -- doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's an amazing feeling.

Kayaks at the Causeway
8x10" Oil
SOLD

Email me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you're interested in this painting. Thanks for looking!

Crystal Beach House

I started this painting during a workshop I took a few weeks ago with Larry Moore. He is a terrific painter and teacher - and very good at demonstrating how he works through a painting. The workshop lasted for three days and I'd gladly take another one from him. I always go through somewhat of a burnout after an intense learning experience like that, and I have to work through what I want to incorporate into my own work.
Crystal Beach House, Oil on board, 9x12. $100. Email me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase this painting through Paypal. Thanks for looking!

Brooker Creek Pavilion

Ok, here is the last (I think) of the Brooker Creek series of paintings that I'm going to post. This one shows a path to a picnic pavilion, and again I painted it because I loved all the colors of the flora there. You can see the Muhly Grass on the right, which is the common name for the pinkish-mauve fluffy plant, that I referred to in my previous post. I have added a link there also that will give you more scientific information about it. Now that I have most of these Brooker Creek paintings posted (finally), I'm going to have to get busy and get out my camera to shoot some of the more recent work I've been doing. I admit that I'm pretty lazy about keeping up with photographing and writing about my paintings for this blog. I'd just rather be painting all the time! I'm happy to report that I've sold a few paintings recently, which is always a thrill, not only for the bit of financial gain I get from it. If you're interested in purchasing this, or any other of my paintings, email me at Jennastarfriedman@gmailcom and we can arrange it with any credit card through Paypal. Prices are extremely reasonable. Thanks for looking!

Colors of Brooker Creek

An oil painting exploring the colors found in the natural plant life in Brooker Creek Preserve. This is another in the series of paintings done at this location. I've been trying to look up the name of the pinkish plant in the foreground here, but haven't found it yet. I used to know what it's called, but can't remember right now (this is happening more and more lately, unfortunately!)
"Colors of Brooker Creek", Oil, 11x14.
Thanks for looking!

OK, I just learned about this plant from the director of education at Brooker Creek, Jim McGinity, and am posting a link here, that will give you the actual name and some information on it. Thanks Jim! Click here to find out: http://www.floridaplants.com/post/nativeplants.html

Water Under the Bridge - West

Here's the view from the other side of the bridge in Brooker Creek. Water Under the Bridge - West, Oil, 11x14". Thanks for looking!

**SOLD**

Cat House, Pastel

This colorful pastel painting is of my friends' house - they are both artists and their house actually is painted in the vivid colors shown here. I started the painting during Studio Waltz last fall, painting en plein air on the street across from their house. I included their six cats - who are so much a part of the environment - later when I completed the picture. I had fun with this, because I got to be as colorful as I wanted. Thanks for looking!

*SOLD

Water Under the Bridge - East

Painted from a bridge at the trail's beginning in Brooker Creek Preserve. This was a gray day in fall, and I tried to capture the muted tones of the landscape. Also I tried to paint it in an abstract/impressionistic sort of way.
Water Under the Bridge - East
Oil, 11 x 14"
Please contact me at Jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you're interested in this painting.
Thanks for looking!

Late Afternoon

Another in my series of paintings done at Brooker Creek Preserve. I loved the afternoon shadows and light that filtered through the trees on this road in the Preserve. My friend and I painted there one afternoon and set up in the same place. Of course, even though we were painting the same view, our work came out very differently - something that's often remarked upon with surprise by passersby who stop to talk to our plein air group. Yes of course!, I think to myself, we are all different people who see and interpret the world in our individual ways. Our show in the Gallery at the Preserve is still going on until March 3.
Late Afternoon, Pastel, 11x14
Contact me if you're interested in buying it at Jennastarfriedman@gmail.com and thanks for looking!

Study for Tunnel Path

This little 8x10 oil painting is the plein air study I did for the larger one, "Tunnel Path" that is 18x24". I mainly was trying to get the values and hues I saw out in the field. I enjoyed painting it - I enjoy almost anything I paint outside - because I wasn't thinking about the outcome, just enjoying the process.

Tunnel Path

While at Brooker Creek Nature Preserve, I painted an 8x10 study for this larger painting. This one is 18 x 24 inches - much larger than what I usually paint in plein air. It shows an area in the preserve where the trees grow up and over the pathway making a tunnel-like covering, which is why I named it as I did.

Tunnel Path, Oil on canvas, 18x24"
$500 unframed

Please contact me at Jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you're interested in it.

Thanks for looking!

West Coast Plein Air Painting Days in February

Sorry for the late notice on this but we just got the details finalized. We are planning to paint in Tarpon Springs near the Yacht Club on Fridays during February. We'll meet in the parking lot of the Yacht Club at noon - although some of us will be starting there at 10:00 am if you'd like to go earlier. Click on the link below for directions. Hope to see you out there!
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Tarpon+Springs+Yacht+Club&sll=28.280417,-82.724597&sspn=0.010658,0.022745&g=8500+Green+St,+Port+Richey,+FL+34668&ie=UTF8&z=15&iwloc=A
--
Paint on,
Jenna
www.ArtofJenna.blogspot.com

Creekside, Oil, 8x10

This is another in my series of plein air paintings done at Brooker Creek Preserve. It's currently on exhibit at the gallery and will be there from Jan. 2 through March 1, 2009. This little painting shows an old tree by the side of the creek just past one of the bridges on the trail. Brooker Creek Preserve is a huge natural area that has been set aside by Pinellas County FL to allow flora and fauna to survive the constant development that goes on around here.
Creekside, Oil, 8x10"
$300 beautifully framed

Thanks for looking!

Trailhead, Pastel, 9x12

This plein air painting is one in my series of paintings done for the show at Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, FL. The exhibit will run from January 2 through March 1, 2009 at the Gallery in the Preserve. This painting was done with pastels on site. It took two days for me to complete. All paintings in the exhibit were done in plein air over several months at Brooker Creek Preserve, located off Keystone Rd. in Tarpon Springs. We are very proud to be able to put on this exhibit as the paintings demonstrate our love of natural Florida. The show is titled: VANISHING FLORIDA - PRESERVATION THROUGH ART, BROOKER CREEK by the WEST COAST PLEIN AIR PAINTERS. If you are in the area, please stop by to see the work by me and fellow artists of West Coast Plein Air.
Trailhead, Pastel, 9x12"
$400 beautifully framed
Thanks for looking!

Exhibit at Brooker Creek

Click on the picture for an announcement about upcoming plein air show at Brooker Creek Nature Preserve in Tarpon Springs, FL.

Old Sponge Building, Oil, 9x12"

I painted this picture off the side of the road in Tarpon Springs FL. Tarpon Springs is known for its natural sponge trade and authentic Greek fishing village. This sponge building is located near but not on the main road of the village. Unfortunately it is no longer in use.

Old Sponge Building
Oil on Canvas Panel, 9x12"
$300 unframed

Contact me at JennaStarFriedman@gmail.com if you're interested in buying this painting.
Thanks for visiting!

History of the Hacienda Hotel, New Port Richey, Florida

Click here for more information on the History of the Hacienda Hotel, New Port Richey, Florida

Hacienda, Oil painting by Jenna Star Friedman

The Hacienda Hotel is located on Main Street in New Port Richey, FL along the Cotee River. The Hacienda was built in the 1920's and has an interesting history which I'll insert in my next post. There have been various rumors about the next incarnation for the building but the hotel is not currently in use.
This is a heavily textured oil painting on an 11x14" canvas support. Contact me if you're interested in purchasing this painting. Thanks for visiting!

West Coast Plein Air Paintouts for November 2008

The West Coast Plein Air group will be painting at Brooker Creek Preserve off Keystone Rd. in Tarpon Springs on Fridays for the month of November. Meet in the last parking area (near the entrance to the Education Center) at 9:00 am on 11/7, 11/14, and 11/21. Click on the link below for directions to Brooker Creek:http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=brooker+creek+preserve+tarpon+springs+florida&filter=0&sll=28.138635,-82.71363&sspn=0.018284,0.103216&ll=28.16373,- 82.667656&spn=0.076274,0.181274&z=13&iwloc=FPaint on,Jenna www.artofjenna.blogspot.com

West Coast Plein Air in the News

My plein air group made the news! While we were out painting near Pine Island, a reporter and photographer from the St. Petersburg Times came out and interviewed us. The next day, Saturday, Sept. 27, this article appeared in the paper. Read here.

Palms at Green Key Beach

Painted recently en plein air at Green Key Beach, New Port Richey, FL. Our painting group, West Coast Plein Air (a chapter of Plein Air Florida) goes out weekly to paint the landscape. I painted this during our stint at Green Key in New Port Richey. This oil painting is richly textured and colored and reflects the lighting and my impressions of that hot day.

Palms at Green Key Beach
Oil on board, 9x12"
$300, unframed

Contact me if you'd like to purchase this painting with Visa/Mastercard at JennaStarFriedman@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting!