Trees and Seas

Vivid greens of early spring-- this ended up being more Van Gogh, less Monet than I intended. I got carried away with the strong shadows that slashed through the soft pastel greens. 

A larger rendition of sunset in Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West. 

I rather prefer the colors in the smaller one, but it's 8 by 11, vs. 16 by 20. My son now wants a really large version for his guest bedroom. More practice! 

Odd Trees

Some of the trees here are different because of the climate, such as these pines:

Others, like the kapok, used in Indonesia to make everything from furniture to insulation, are exotics. 

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/kapok.htm

The strangler fig is also a distinct tree that reminds me of jungles, ruins, and the futility of trying to slow nature down. 

Key West Inspiration

This island off the coast of Florida is a lure to the sea.  Everywhere you look, palm trees sway, colorful shops and cottages brighten the town, and pale aqua water begs for company. 

We've eaten breakfast at Blue Heaven, dinner at Sunset Pier, supper and Kelly's Grill.  We've shopped at Earth....something. I forget. The art is wonderful.  There are those street artists offering character sketches, tiny tile prints with palms, and also more serious art galleries where the Caribbean scenes are still fun but overlaid with Van Gogh type interpretation. Or a side of Monet. 

Then there are the wall murals. 

I love these giant sculptures placed on Higg's Beach.  

Sketching on the Fly

I'm on Spring Break, and it's a perfect time to sharpen up my people skills. Not relating to them--I'm an extrovert. That is not a problem. But drawing them? Another kettle of fish.

This is a very nice set of people shared by an Internet artist. I'm not sure who-- will be glad to search again later when Pinterest doesn't wink out when I attempt to reach the source. 

This is what I did yesterday:

We went walking, saw stunning posies, decided to use my Inktense pencils in order to "paint" while away from home. However, nice, new pencils do not help me to draw people any more skillfully. So I will take the challenge today! 

I'm working on a few souvenirs to take back home.