Colorful Matter

"Siesta Key Grassy Dune"

9"x12" oil on canvas board
-by Cindy Mott McGarry

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."
- Audrey Hepburn

The abundant butterflies, the lush greenery and flowering plants of Spring are so uplifting. Mother Nature brings artists so many new subjects to paint this time every year. 

Baby birds abound, too. Here in Venice, Florida the tall, lean and elegant Sandhill Crane birds have babies which resemble small, brown, fluffy puff balls that hop around while always being protected by their parents. 

The painting above was created originally en plein air on Siesta Key Beach (voted the #1 Beach in the U.S.!) while standing at my easel under a large tree in the shade. Color, shape and value were my main focuses. I worked on it a few more hours on the days following in my home studio and was pleased with the amount of color that ended up throughout the painting. 

Lightchasers of the Suncoast had their 2018 Shows in March at the Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estate Park in Sarasota, Florida. It was a good opportunity to share this painting for the first time in public. There are over 600 artist members in Lightchasers and only 90 paintings were accepted for the members' show, so I felt fortunate to get into this show. 

Spring is here and it's exciting to imagine more colorful paintings to create - grasses, florals, birds and landscapes come to mind!

Happy Spring!