Still working on this one

I've colored in my beach painting.  I'm happy with the water, and am learning more as I go about painting the figures.  After taking this photo, I used a palette knife to scrape the excess paint off of the mom and girls.  I want to paint them over again.  Plus, I forgot to put in the seagulls. 
This is oil on 8 x10 inch hardboard panel. 
A little side note....  the day I was at the beach taking pictures, it was very bright and sunny.  I couldn't see the image on the cameras viewfinder very well, I just pointed in the general direction and clicked the button.  When I got home, and looked through the images, I was surprised to see the little girl in the middle had turned to look at me in this one!  and I thought I had gone unnoticed.. ha!   That's why I chose this particular one to paint.

work in progress

Today, I decided that if I was going to paint this picture of the beach, then I had better go back to the beach and figure out the actual colors of the sky and water, and sand. So, I packed up a few tubes of paint, (blue, red, yellow and white), a paint knife, a disposable palette pad, and a few other odds and ends and headed out.  The painting I had started with a sketch(using thinned terra rosa paint) a few days ago was dry and I took it along too.   It was a warmish sunny day, but super breezy out on the sand!! A big difference from the light breeze at home.  There was no one else there.. hahaha... nobody except one person wind surfing out in the water.   I fought with the wind, trying to mix up some colors, and hang onto things so they didn't blow away.  I was sitting in the sand, and low enough where the wind was blowing the sand into the paint on my palette, and it collected on everything... then it clouded up, and once the sun went in, it felt very chilly... I just laughed, and thought of all the artists, past and present, who had probably dealt with these same kinds of things.  How do they do it?!!

It was a good experience tho, the colors I mixed were nothing like what I would have mixed just looking at the photo at home.   I didn't stay long, just about an hour,  long enough to get an idea of color. Once the sun went in, things looked a bit different.  The sand was the hardest to match,  I don't think I ever really got it down.   Here is a picture of my sketch so far, with the palette I had taken to mix paint on. 

"Limes with White Cloth" Oil on 5x7 in. board

I didn't have much time or desire to paint this week, but I started this one anyway, and fought with the green for days! haha...  I finally abandoned it, and when I went back today, I was able to figure it out and finish it up with fresh thinking.  Now, I can move on....
I sort of wanted to start a painting of a scene at the beach.  It was a rare lovely warm sunny day here on Tuesday, and I spent some time at the beach, walking along the sand, watching the seagulls and the few people that were out enjoying the sun and water.  I sat in the warm sand and took pictures of the water, seagulls and then of a mother and her two small girls that walked past me.  I always kind of want to do paintings of people, but taking pictures of them in public always makes me feel so intrusive, and I feel like I'm spying on them or something!!  So, it doesn't happen often.  But, I think this time I will try to do a painting of the mom and girls.. we'll see how it goes.

"Floral Tea Cup and Strawberry" 6"x8" oil on board

This tea cup belonged to my grandmother.  The floral design and unusual shape are what drew me to paint it.  I couldn't help but add some fruit, that's always my favorite thing to paint.

"Pansies in a Sake Cup" oil on 5x5 board

Daily Paintworks Help the Starving Children of Africa Auction

I'm back from my trip and this painting has been sitting on my easel since last week.  The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was to get a painting up for auction for the Daily Paintworks "Help the Children of Africa" Challenge.   I just finished this one up today and am happy to have it up for auction, 100% of the final value will be donated to World Vision, designated to help feed the children who are starving in Africa....  I have children myself.. and the thought of helplessly watching them starve is horrifying.   It doesn't seem like donating the price of a painting would help, but with all of the many artists who will join in this challenge, and donate together, I think it will help a great deal.

Shipping will be free for this painting, and the buyer will pay by paypal as usual and I will send it on to World Vision.  The buyer will receive a receipt showing the donation.
                           Thank You to all who donate a painting and to all who bid!