Sunset in Sandbridge

This is a painting of kids maximizing their days on the beach by playing in the waves at dusk. I painted this from a photo I took on my first night at Sandbridge Beach. We had been in the car for eight hours, through rain storms, and all I wanted all day was to walk in the waves. So we checked into our house, I threw my stuff in the room, and ran to the beach. I apparently was not the only one with this idea, because even this close to dark, many kids and families were out, playing by the water. You could see the lights of the Virginia Beach boardwalk in the distance. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel.

Oliver Sketch

I did this sketch of Oliver a few weeks ago, before he became very ill. I was getting ready to go to the beach and thought I'd want to do some painting while there. Then I realized my good intentions to do work on trips never pans out, so instead of taking paint I decided to just take sketching materials and watercolor pencils, as they would take less luggage space. But I hadn't actually used watercolor pencils in a very long time prior to this sketch, and wanted to practice a bit. It was an enjoyable process, mostly due to the inspiration provided by one of my favorite models. I will miss him.

My Oliver

It is with great sadness that we had to put my beautiful Oliver to sleep yesterday. He has been very sick for the past month. 

He has been a great friend and member of the family for almost eight years. When my husband and I purchased our first house together, our first order of business was to get a cat. My mom had an abundance of cats at her house, mostly strays, and Oliver was the one we took. We had a sunny bay window in the dining room, and we determined it was the perfect place for cat naps. Not surprisingly, Oliver spent a lot of time there. My mom, who is also an artist, suggested that I should take pictures of him and paint him. I took her advice, and in addition to being a wonderful companion, he was a natural model, and provided inspiration for many paintings. 

I am grateful to all the people who have purchased paintings of Oliver over the years. I don't know if any future paintings of him will be for sale. If I do happen to sell any of them, I want Oliver to continue to help other animals, and I will donate part or all of those sales to the local Humane Society. 

Oliver in his sunny window.

Oliver also loved sitting on the dining room table because it was in the middle of all the action, and he always hoped people-food would appear. 

Playing with his favorite toy

A bit disappointed that my snack was not cat friendly.

Sitting in my art studio, keeping me company.

A New Seashell

A small girl hands her mother a new seashell for the bucket. I painted this from a photo I snapped at Sandbridge Beach, VA. Oil on 5"h x 7"w stretched canvas. SOLD.