Beach Parking

This was painted in plein air from Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs. We set up right off the side of the parking lot, which you can see on the right side of the painting. I like the way the composition breaks down into these neat areas with the sandy beach on one side, strip of natural plants and trees down the middle, man-made parking area on the other side, and water and sky straight ahead.
Beach Parking, 12x16", Oil
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Jenkins Creek

Another creekside painting, this one has a somewhat abstracty (I know it's not a word) impressionistic quality. I don't usually paint in a square format, so this was an interesting challenge.
Jenkins Creek, 12x12", Oil

Red Tree

I'm so far behind on posting my paintings and resolve (once again) to catch up. This painting has thick vibrant layers of oil paint. It was painted along the side of Brooker Creek.
Red Tree, 10x8", Oil
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Elizabeth Gilbert on being creative

Salt Marsh

This was painted in plein air off Bayou Drive, Hernando County.
Salt Marsh, 8x10, Oil
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Howard Park Beach I

Here's that view again, this time done in oil. If you click on the picture, you can see the thick layers and texture of the paint. The reflections of the clouds on the water are what originally drew me to this scene.
Howard Park Beach II, Oil, 11x14
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Howard Park Beach II

I painted this scene several times in a few different mediums. Here it is done in watercolor. I'll post the oil version also. I paint with several different mediums, including oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylics, and combinations of some of them. I like all of them although I think my current favorite is oil. That changes from time to time. I also teach classes in all those mediums, at Pasco Hernando Community College and/or the Pasco Arts Council. What's that saying? Jack of all trades, master of none? or something like that. Hmmm. Anyway, I certainly don't consider myself a master of anything yet, and I know I still have a lot to learn. But that's the challenge and the joy of painting for me - there's always more to learn.
Howard Park Beach II, Watercolor, 8x10"
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Beach Fog

Painted on a foggy day at Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs FL. We get a lot of humidity here in Florida, but foggy days like this are somewhat rare. I tried to capture the neutralizing grays created by the atmosphere. This painting is currently on view in the Contemporary Impressionists exhibit at the Tarpon Springs Cultural Center.
Beach Fog, 14x11, Oil
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Beach Path

This view is along the north side of Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs, FL. The beach had been closed for a year and a half while they rebuilt the causeway bridge. We missed it as it's one of our favorite painting spots. I liked the dreamy look of the beach and the sky and worked on the contrast of the warm and cool colors in the land and sea. Contact me if you're interested in this painting.
Beach Path, Oil, 18x24"
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Contemporary Impressionists Art Exhibit

I'm very excited about this show in Tarpon Springs FL that we just finished hanging. I have 30 paintings in it and there around 100 altogether. It will be up for two months and the reception is this Friday, April 9 from 6 to 8 pm. We're hoping for a crowd of art lovers to show up! Please come and help us celebrate!

Rain and Shine, Pastel, 8x16"

I liked this scene because of the 50/50 weather. It was raining out in the Gulf but sunny up on the shore. This beach is along the north side of Fred Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, FL. Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for more information or to purchase this painting. Thanks for visiting!

Bayou, Watercolor& Pastel

This mixed media piece is a view of one of my favorite areas to paint - the salt marshes along Bayou Drive in Hernando County. I used watercolor and soft pastels to create the painting. It's currently on display at the Pasco Arts Council, where I'll soon be teaching classes in Pastel.
Bayou - 9x12", Watercolor and Pastel
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Beach Flowers, Watercolor and Pastel

A view from Howard Beach, Tarpon Springs FL, of some cheerful flowers. This painting is a combination of watercolor and pastel.
Beach Flowers, WC and Pastel, 10x14
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A Trail Runs Through It, Oil, 11x14

Here's one of the paintings I did in preparation for the 17th Annual Studio Waltz, which was held in October. This is a view of the Pinellas Trail as it runs through the heart of Dunedin FL. This is the third year I've been one of the plein air painters for Studio Waltz. Several of us came out to paint for several weeks before the event this year. It was a lot of fun, although the actual day of Studio Waltz was unbearably hot -- heat records were broken! -- and painting outside from 9 am to 5 pm was pretty torturous. Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com if you'd like to purchase this painting. Thanks for looking!
"A Trail Runs Through It" Oil, 11x14

Green Key Palms, Watercolor

This is a watercolor painting of the little beach on Green Key in New Port Richey FL. I painted it a while back but don't think I've ever posted it. Recently I was going through some stacks of paintings in my studio in an attempt to get it better organized, and I pulled this one out. I like the bright sunny-day feel of it.
Green Key Palms
Watercolor, 10.5 x 8.5"

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

Mermaid Lagoon

Another painting in the Weeki Wachee series, this one is of Mermaid Lagoon. Oil, 11x14". Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for information about purchasing this painting. Thanks for visiting!

Captains Quarters

Another in the Weeki Wachee series, this painting is a view from behind the Captain's Quarters with the water slides and some umbrellas of Buccaneer Bay in the background. I'm trying to simplify shapes down to just the essentials. I like the light effects here. Email me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for information and prices. By the way, even though I don't post my prices here, which is something I often debate with myself about, they are very reasonable, so don't be afraid to ask. Thanks for visiting!
Captains Quarters, Oil, 11x14"

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!