"Prussian Blue Study" - Abstract Week, Day 1

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I like to switch gears on occasion and paint abstracts. It is fun to experiment even though I don't quite know what I am doing! So it is going to be abstracts for this week, please tell me what you think of them and if you like an "Abstract Week" here and there.
(These two are listed together on eBay as a pair starting at $125.)

I sold this one below last week, "Three", H 54" x 72", which is part of the inspiration for me to try some small abstracts!

"The Sunday Paper"

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A favorite thing to do for so many people: go somewhere to read the Sunday paper (with your dog of course!). Johnnie E. here is with his beloved (now deceased) boxer, Abbie and my dog, Talley, at Shelby's Coffee Shop in Atlantic Beach. Have a great weekend!

"Bahama Blues"

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Here's a 'postcard painting' from the Abacos. It was/is sooo cold today I thought I would paint of warmer days. This image is from one of my trips with the Dunkles on their boat and we passed this awesome private island. (This painting looks better in person and this island looks better in person!)

"Be Mine, Valentine"

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So I know I am early with this but I thought if anyone wanted to give their Valentine a unique gift...here it is. No calories! The auction for this ends 2/11 in the evening, just in time for delivery! "Heavenly Creations" Chocolate Shoppe in the 'Roosevelt Mall' stores was very generous in allowing me to take some reference photos of their freshly made chocolate bars on a tray. This blog project is giving me a chance to try all sorts of painting subjects!

"Hollyhocks"

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These hollyhocks are from a trip I took to the mountains of North Carolina one summer. This might become a large watercolor one day.

"Guana Lake Lone Palm"

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When kayaking along Guana Lake in South Ponte Vedra, this lone palm made me think of nature's stubborn perseverance. I've painted this palm before and decided to "revisit" it.

"Gramma's House"

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This one is more personal today. "Gramma's House", located on the Masonboro Sound, Wilmington NC, is the house that my mom grew up in. My cousin lives there now and my aunt and uncle live on the property as well. My uncle is a "gentleman farmer" successfully rebuffing developers clamoring for the prime waterfront acreage. Two movies were filmed in the house and 'Dawson' of 'Dawson's Creek' "lived" in my great aunt and uncle's house next door. I have wonderful memories of summertime visits there...

"Sailboats on the Ortega River"

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I had my first "start over" today. I like to go over the Roosevelt Bridge and Ortega River drawbridge on my runs and have been thinking about painting the view from the Roosevelt Bridge looking toward downtown. I learned that some paintings need to only be big, painting in such a small format just does not work sometimes -too many boats, too much detail for the space and time. I switched gears to painting just a few boats.

"The Cheese Case"

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I had lunch today with my friend, Tripp, at an upscale grocery store and clicked the reference photo I used for this painting. Sunlight from a skylight was hitting the cheese case and it caught my eye. I'm also thinking this one would be neat painted larger sometime...

"Cypress Hammock Study"

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This is the canoe view when paddling out from Mom's dock on Little Lake Santa Fe. I did a black and white study of it because I think it is on its way to becoming a much bigger painting.

"Three Bartlett Pears"

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Another week already?!? Here is an alternate fun title for this one: "Conversation Among Friends".

"Mexican Daisy Bouquet"

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You can't say no one ever sends you flowers now! Enjoy! And have a terrific weekend!

"Lake Dogs"

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Gracie and Talley are trying to go in different directions and going nowhere!

(I had an unintentional day off PAD painting because I had to change from feedburner.com to feedburner.google.com for email subscribers and this painting post missed the window of email delivery on the new service yesterday. I reset it today to deliver the post in the middle of the night for your morning perusal. Couldn't let this one go unseen!)

"Obama 1/20/09"

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OK, so I spent a good portion of my day in front of the TV watching the inauguration... then I felt compelled to paint something to commemorate the day. I dug through a box of old photos and found some from a trip I took to Washington DC years ago to visit Susan Brodeur when she lived there. Add some red white and blue bunting in the right spot and the stage platform and here you go! I even have a brush stroke in it to indicate President Obama.

"Star Fruit Carambola"

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These star fruit were brought by a friend from south Florida. When they are tree ripened like these, they are more yellow-orange than the ones in the grocery store. I love the taste and the shape!

"A Manolo Blahnik Late Night"

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The shoes themselves are a work of art. They have a neat band in the back to help you keep them on your heel - which is why you pay the big bucks! Setting the scene was fun with this one.

"A Jimmy Choo Late Night"

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This one was rather fun to paint! I started with a more orange/brown base and tried to be looser with my brushstrokes. I liked painting the patent leather too with the soft reflections. (Thanks to my hand model and fashionista friend ...Carolyn Hawthorne!) (When dry this PAD will be on display (until sold!) at one of the Emly Benham stores either in Avondale or PVB.)

"Jacksonville Skyline at Night"

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This photo of the painting is not capturing the color properly, perhaps because I finished this at 11 pm! (I started late) I may try another photo and repost tomorrow. The dark blues are lost. (I did repost a new photo and it is better but as with most of the paintings, this one looks better in person!)

"Twin Cumberland Island Palms"

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Here is another one from Cumberland Island. The grey rainy day today really made me paint slow (at least I'm blaming it on the rain!).

"Pomegranates on Silver"

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I walked around the produce aisle of Publix looking for something to paint and spotted the pomegranate basket. After using them for the still life set up I could not let them go to waste... so I ate them! Wow, they are good! - juicy, fruity "popcorn kernels"!

"Two, Mexican Daisy"

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Here is the other Mexican Daisy. Enjoy! and have a great weekend!

"One, Mexican Daisy "

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Mexican daisies are a cross between a daisy and a sunflower. There might be a companion coming for this one...

Sample Frames

Here are the frames Ryan, owner of Gallery Framery, made for me to use to display my Painting a Days for Art Walk etc. With the magic of velcro I can change out different paintings. Next, he is going to make some frames that show the linen 'mat' option. (I think these frames really help show off my paintings!)

"Palms, Cumberland Island Dock"

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I am going to be too busy to paint (and post) a painting tomorrow because I will be getting ready for Art Walk. See you there?!?

"Lemony Snicket?"

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For those of you in Jacksonville, come visit me during this Wednesday's Downtown Art Walk! I will be showing my work in the first floor retail space of Churchwell Lofts at the corner of Bay and Market Streets from 6 - 9 pm. I will have my larger work on display as well as mid-size and small originals, both oils and watercolors, and all sizes of giclee prints. And of course I will be promoting my blog with the available PADs and those currently listed on eBay. Ryan at Gallery Framery is making several PAD frames for me to show some options that night. Great wine and delicious appetizers will be in my space too!  

(Eileen Corse, Paul Riley, and Barbara Stroer will be showing their work in the upstairs 3rd floor lofts as well.)

"Watching and Waiting"

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Being a dog lover, especially of golden retrievers, I thought it was time to paint my dog. Talley is with Tucker Hawthorne and Gracie Eberly, those of you who know these dogs can decide which is which.

"Happy New Year"

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I wish everyone a wonderful new year!

(Thanks to the Hawthornes for their great taste in champagne!)

"Cypress at Santa Fe Pass"

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This point of view is from my kayak one early morning at the pass. Standing all alone surrounded by water, this cypress has always caught my eye (and now once again, my paint brush).

"Slicing Oranges"

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Given to me by neighbors, I have bags of oranges. lemons and grapefruit needing to be eaten/squeezed ... alas, their fate is to become still lifes first!

"Old Fashioned Christmas Tree"

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This is a quick painting of my Christmas tree! The ornaments are hand painted thin wood that my family made when we were growing up. Each year we would set up a card table to paint them after my dad cut them out on his band saw. As we got older we started creating our own designs.

I am taking the next week off from posting. As you can see, there are zero presents under my Christmas tree so I must go shopping and I have to finish some other non-blog paintings before Christmas.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I will get back to posting after the holidays.

"Racing City Cyclist"

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I'm trying to mixing up the subject matter so here is a another cycling one. The Tour de France is my favorite sport to watch on TV, if only some didn't cheat by doping.

"Foggy Morning"

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Most mornings I walk with my dog around Boone Park, what I like to think of as Jacksonville's version of Central Park. The last two mornings have been foggy and never having painted fog before I gave it a go.

"Small Conch Shell"

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How many days until Christmas?!? Nine going on eight. Uh oh.

"Pears with Silver"

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... And very reflective silver at that!

(On the blog, I list the size of each painting but that label does not seem to make it into the emails. So if you're wondering about the size, go back to the blog or click to go to the eBay listing. On the eBay listing, the size is shown and each eBay listing lasts for seven days. If they don't sell on eBay I put on that painting's blog entry "Available, email me to purchase". If they sell at whatever point, I go to the blog entry and put a red SOLD by it. All of these PAD paintings are small, 6" x 6", 6" x 8", 4 3/4" x 10" or 12" but look awesome framed!)

"Phalaenopsis Orchid 2"

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Here is a companion painting for the first "Phalaenopsis Orchid" posted two days ago.

If both purchased, they could be framed together or in separate frames.

"Five Points Intersection"

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I challenged myself to paint this one with one brush, a number 4 bright (square) brush. A good exercise. (Driving through this intersection can be a challenge too!)

"Phalaenopsis Orchid"

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I haven't painted orchids in a long time. I love the way the blooms last and last.

I added some recent portrait sessions to my photography blog/website, check them out if you have time. I am enjoying the challenge and am gaining experience!

"Cumberland Island Palm"

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The ruins of Dungeness are right around the corner from this spot...

"Lemons and Sunlight"

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Time for a still life. Enjoy!

"Triathlete: Bike"

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I wanted to paint something more simple (less detail) today. I have a whopping case of laryngitis -but fortunately I can still paint and type!

"The Jacobs Jewelers Clock"

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I was downtown Wednesday for Art Walk and thought the Jacob Jewelers Clock would be a challenge to paint. It was, more details than I realized at first :)

"Statue at the Cummer Gardens"

Available, $100, email me to purchase, kartstark@bellsouth.net

Another one of the statues in the garden of the Cummer Museum on the St. Johns River.

"Fall at Little Lake Santa Fe"

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This is the lovely view from the dock next door to my mom's home. There is a blue bass boat in the painting. (A flock of sandhill cranes are taking up residence in the swampy area behind the cypress trees.) (Once again, this piece looks better in person.)

"Soccer Star"

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Even though this is my nephew, Connor, I think he looks like any kid out on the soccer field!