Halloween in Florida

Now, this was fun!  One of our staff here asked me to create an image that they could use on a card for our Halloween gift of toys for local needy kids.  Her thought was that I might paint one.

After thinking about how to do this, I decided to use AI as the technique.  So, I asked ChatGPT if it could create an image that had a Florida scene, some Halloween images like ghosts, and also pumpkins.  In 30 seconds, this is what it came up with.

WOW!

Cabin & Boat

 

This is a really moody piece.  I like doing boats as one can see from past posts.  But, the dark and moody presentation here makes for a nice look here.  A very different from my usual colorful paintings. 

Painting like this ask what is the story that needs to be told.  Who's boat? Where are they?  Who lives here? And, what about the storm?  Make your own story. 

More Cosmos

 I loved this image of the yellow flowers in a weathered tin can.  I think that the previous yellow poppies made me think more in yellow hues.  So, I had some fun doing this.  The challenge in both the flowers and the tin can is using light and shadow to create a three dimensional look on a two dimensional canvas.

This is another small door painting and will be hanging outside our door soon, unless someone decides that they want it!

Sandy's Winter

 A friend here at Siena Lakes was missing the snow in winter.  She wanted a "door painting" that showed winter.  This is what I did with that direction.  

The fun part of doing snow is that you can use large amounts of white paint and create a three dimensional look, especially on things like roofs.

A painting friend says that this looks like a Hallmark card.  I guess it does.

Cookie in Pastel

 

Several months ago, I did an oil painting of a little dog named Cookies and Cream.  He is the pet of the son of a friend of ours.  Recently, I took a class in pastels entitled "Paint a Pet". So, I went back to Cookie and tried to paint her face.  It turned out better than I thought.

What a cutie!!

Yellow Poppies

 I love the simplicity of this piece.  Yellow poppies on a simple background.  This is a new "door painting" and has been hanging outside our apartment for a while.  I seems to be getting a lot of attention.  It is a small 12" X 12" painting but it's impact seems larger than its small size.

Snowy Creek

 I said earlier that I was in a "snow phase".  This is another example.  A simple creek flowing through a snowy field.  The reflections of the sunset sky along with the perspective of the creek turned out nice, along with the fog in the background.

BRRR!!

Cosmos in Bloom

 

Cosmos are such great flowers!  I loved them in this image and had to paint them.  The color variety and the simplicity really grabbed me. I particularly liked the simple green background against the colors of the blooms.  I think that the red one is my favorite.

Sunset Bridge in Snow

 I think that I am in a "sunset phase" as I have been doing pieces that have a strong sunset element.  I guess that I like the vivid colors.  This one was fun as I was also able to add the snow effects into the piece.

This one has found itself in the home of Diane and Terry as they really liked it.  So do I !!

Arkansas Pies

 Janiel and I took a quick trip to Arkansas this summer.  While there, her brother Mack and his friend Bill took us on a wonderful driving trip around the state We learned a lot about Arkansas and even saw some of Janiel's relative's homesteads.

While we were traveling, Mack and Bill took us to a cafe in the little town of Keo.  The name of the cafe is Charlotte's Eats and Sweets.  They are known for their pies, made daily.  So, we had to have some and this is what they looked like.

We each got a pie - mine was cherry - and Bill even ordered one to go.  It's in the package in the back.

Rialto Bridge

 When it was announced that our new bridge at Siena Lakes, which connects two of the buildings, would be called the "Rialto Bridge", after the famous bridge in Venice, I just had to paint it (again).  The plan is to have the painting hung somewhere on the bridge to memorialize the name.

During the actual painting process, I had heard that AI could be used to help an artist evealuate the work. So, I actually used it to look at this painting.  It didn't paint it, but it gave me some ideas to improve it.  Amazing!!

Gold Pour

 It seemed like time to do some acrylic pouring again.  I get tired of literal paintings every now and then and decide to try some pouring of abstract designs.  Thsi is the result of one that I did while teaching Mary Ann, a painting buddy of mine, to do pouring.  She did a few nice peices and I did this one.  It uses a gold base color and then some neat blues and purples moved around with a palette knife.

It's going to hang in our apartment, I think.

Cookies&Cream

 I ususally don't do portraits or pet paintings.  But, some friends asked me to paint their son's dog, named Cookies and Cream.  How could I turn that down!

This little one is so cute and I fell in love with the eyes and the tail. It rurned out pretty well and now hangs in the son't house.

Tree in Fall

 I had decided that we needed a new painting for our door - a "door painting" like many before.  When I saw this image of a tree in the Fall, along with one of my favorites - a path - I had to paint it.  It has all the aspects of a good composition, light source, depth, "sky holes" in the tree, and interest via the path.

This one is proudly hung outside our door now and always gets attention from people who pass by.

Sunset in Pastels

 This one fits the sunset genre, but adds a new wrinkle.  I have been arranging for art classes to be available at the senior community where we now live.  When I found an art teacher who could do pastels (chalk-like), I decdied to take the class myself.  This is what resulted from that class.

I'm very proud of my first pastel piece!

Island Sunset

 

I said earlier that I was in a "sunset phase".  For some reason, the sunset colors have hit me this year.  Maybe I'm just in a strong color phase.

Anyhow, this image fits my eye this year.  It suggests an island lication when a beautiful sun goes down.  The reflections capture the sunset colors, but adds the island trees, too.

The Mill - All in Place

 In the last post, I discussed the process of painting the same mill in different seasons.  Here is how the three were hung - with a very interesting lighting scheme. 

I love the way it ended up!

The Mill - In Seasons

 Some time ago, I painted a picture of an old mill.  It is on this blog at a much earlier time. I didn't know where it was, but later found out that it was Mabry's Mill, located in Virginia's Floyd County.  It is vary famous for its design as a classic mill.

I had the painting in my collection for several years and then sold it to a couple here in Naples.  They didn't know where it was, but thought that it reminded them of a mill they had seen in the Berkshires, where they had once had a home.

After having the piece, John asked me if I could paint the same                                                                  mill in a different season as the first one had Fall colors.  He                                                                     wanted Spring this time.  Then, later on, he asked me to do                                                                        Winter, too. So, here they are.  I like Winter best!

  

Boat at Sunset

 

This year, I have been in a bit of a "sunset phase".  I seem to like the bright colors and strong hues.  So, this painting had those characteristics.  I really like the dramatic colors that came out.  And, the reflection in the water leads you to the boat.

The boat also adds a lot of interest.  Who left it there? And, is it still in use?  Maybe, it's lost it's usefulness and is waiting to sink.  But, maybe someone, or two, took it to shore and are exploring - or more.

The Yellow Umbrella

 If you have looked through the paintings in this blog, you know that I love pathways.  They suggest so many possible stories.  Where do they lead? Who was there, and what happened?  

 This one fits that genre.  It begs a lot of questions.  Who dropped the umbrella and why?  Where did they go and why leave the umbrella?  Maybe they didn't need the protection that the umbrella provides.

What do you think?

Purple Poppies

 

When I saw this image, I loved the perspective as well as the color.  Using fuzzy images in the background gives it a lot of depth.  I also loved the color, including the two red poppies that snuck in to the picture.

I know quite a few people who love poppies and also love purple.  This one is going to live in a home of one of those people.