Painting Location for December

Hello everybody - The West Coast Plein Air- Florida group will be painting in beautiful downtown New Port Richey for the month of December. We'll meet at 9:30 on Fridays - 12/3, 12/10 and 12/17 - in the parking lot of the old Hacienda Hotel, which is on the NW corner of Main St. and Bank St. in New Port Richey. Call Jenna's cell to find us on painting days at 727-457-6174. Hope to see you there and Happy Holidays!

Palm Tree, Dunedin

Plein air painting of a palm tree near the Pinellas Trail in Dunedin FL. I wanted to keep my brush strokes loose and energetic while I was painting this. It was a little windy that day and the palm fronds seemed to be playing with the wind.
Palm Tree, Dunedin
Oil, 11 x 14"
Contact me at jennastarfriedman@gmail.com for purchase information. Thanks for visiting!

STUDIO WALTZ October 9, 2010

Once again I will be painting en plein air for STUDIO WALTZ. It's tomorrow (Saturday Oct. 9) from 9:00 to 5:00. You can find me near the Pinellas Trail and Main St. in downtown Dunedin. Please stop by and say hi!

Flora

I painted this still-life as a demonstation for my Pastel Painting class at the Pasco Arts Center. The Center is in a really neat old cracker house in Holiday FL right behind the Centennial Library. The classes are held in what used to be the upstairs bedrooms of the house. Downstairs is a gallery and gift shop space, and in the basement is the pottery studio. It's got a nice artsy charm. Here's the website if you want to check it out: www.pascoart.org

Like most all art/cultural arenas around here, funding has been drastically cut from county budgets for the Arts Council and I was just told they are surviving only because of the money made from the art classes. The library was almost closed down last month because of budget cuts, but luckily that decision has been reversed - for the time being. We've been hit really hard by the recession around here. Sad to see businesses and people faltering.

Flora, Pastel, 10x8"
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Beach Palms

And here's another painting from Honeymoon Island. I like the simplicity of this composition and I also like the tropical colors in the water and the shadows. These colors are really there, to my eyes anyway. My plein air group will be painting here for a few more weeks. It's a great location for these steamy months because we get in the water and take little swims to cool off between painting and lunch. I know how lucky I am to live so close to this paradise.
Beach Palms, 8x10" Oil
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Honeymoon Beach

Another view from Honeymoon Island, this was painted on the beach near the North parking area. It's so hot at this time of year but we cooled off by taking frequent dips in the water. Yes, the water really has these beautiful shades of blue, turquoise and green, and changes color depending on the weather conditions. And we are so lucky that the horrendous oil leak catastrophe has not reached these waters. I do not take that for granted. While I'm so happy to have clean and clear water here, I am very saddened at what has happened to other areas of the Gulf.
Honeymoon Beach, 11x14" Oil
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A Shaded Path

My plein air group has been painting at Honeymoon Island for the last several weeks and this is a shady spot on a little path near the beach. Looking out across the water, you can see the city of Clearwater in the distance. I love this spot and will probably paint there again.
A Shaded Path, 9x12" Oil
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Inlet of Palms

Palm trees line the inner banks of the Pithlaschacotee River (more commonly known as the Cotee River), which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This is a large Impressionistic painting that I created from field studies and photos of a day in the James Grey Nature Preserve.
Inlet of Palms, 18x24", Oil
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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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