ArtsnDigital

Looking back at the past years work, it was some of these darker paintings that got a good bit of attention. I think it was the contrast with the typical lighter ocean scenes that made them stand out to people walking by.
I've re-examining some of the past years work for what people liked and what I like to paint as well. I'm also looking to try some new ideas.
It was a busy end to the year. At this point I think I've recovered enough to get some new paintings going.

Excited to be headed to the 44th Annual Dickens Christmas Show and Festival. Join us Nov. 13-16 in Myrtle Beach, SC at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. I will have original artwork, prints, and gift sets available at booth 73. There will be 400+ other vendors as well, so this is a big show.

We went down to Georgetown, SC to do an art walk. During a walk on the Historic Waterfront board walk, we came across the Coastal Explorer. It is a research vessel for the Gupta College of Science at Coastal Carolina University. It made for a good photo reference and I am almost finished with my pastel painting. Explorere at Rest - 19 x 25 on pastel paper. This will be framed out to 24 x 36. The original and prints will be available.

It's been a while since the last trip down to the ocean. It was good to get out. We decided to go to Huntington Beach State park in Murrells Inlet. This time I took my plein air setup with me and did a painting out next to the Jetty. It was hot and it was quite the walk down the beach. Got some good reference photos too.
#

Driving to Hartsville, SC from Florence, SC and kept going by this old house sitting at an intersection. I finally took a picture from the car while I was waiting on the red light. You have to wonder about the stories some of these old houses could tell.
🎨

Been making my way to Charleston, SC more often lately. Going to all the shops, historic areas, and art galleries is always inspiring and makes for a good day trip. There's a rich variety of textures, colors, and lighting to choose from for compositions. Just walking by I noticed the shadows on Faber St. The play of light with the paver textures grabbed the attention. Faber Afternoon, 9 ×12 inches on pastel paper.
🎨

Something a little different for me. Between the wildfire smoke and regular fog, we were getting some interesting lighting effects at night. This pastel paiting depicts a street lamp in the smoke. Called False Moon, the light created a very dramatic effect. All works forsale original or prints.

This weekend was a welcome change. Our local area has been inundated with smoke from forest fires, so it has not been the best time to be outside painting. Meanwhile, I was invited down to do some Plein Air painting in a home garden in Charleston, SC. The Garden Club of Charleson was having their 89th Home and Garden Tour. They had asked some Fine Artist and Musicians to come out and be part of the event. The weather was nice, the flowers were blooming, and it was a great day of painting and interacting with garden enthusiast. A big thanks goes out to The Garden Club of Charleston, Inc. for organizing the event and inviting artist to participate.
Painting en plein air has been a relatively new experience for me. Most of my pastel painting has been done at the easel in the studio. They have been based on photos and memories of times and places. After getting, my painting setup together and completing a couple of plein air paintings it is definitely something I plan to be doing more of. Now I just need locate the next great locations to paint.

It’s day five of the official launch of our Feb. 2025 issue of “Carolina Arts”, which you can download for free at (www.carolinaarts.com) - all 68 pages of it. It’s the last day of the launch and it’s only Wednesday -middle of the week. Now is the time to make plans to attend a 1st Friday event somewhere in the Carolinas - Charleston, Myrtle Beach, or Greenville in South Carolina. Or, how about Asheville, Charlotte, or Winston-Salem in North Carolina. These ArtWalks are a good opportunity to see some new art, meet some artists, and see some old friends or make some new ones. The best thing you could do is go home with a work of art - that is after you pay for it. On our cover this month are a few works by Toni M. Elkins, NWS, WHS, of Columbia, SC. She is having an exhibition at the University of South Carolina’s Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, SC, in conjunction with the Jasper Project. This show, Remembering Three, will be on view during the month of February, in The Nook, 2nd Floor Rotating Gallery. A reception will be held on Feb. 20, from 5:30-7pm. Read about it on Page 15. OK, now for my final plea in order to get folks to send info about an exhibit in early. February is a short month and after the Feb. 24th deadline at 5pm, that only leaves 4 days for Linda and I to pull the March issue together. It’s not a time to be late or wait for the last minute. But, before that, you still have time to download the Feb. issue and share this post. Until March.

A new batch of ACEO cards has been loaded onto Ebay. Beach and Ocean scenes with clouds drifting near the horizon. This last day or two has felt like spring. It won't be long before the beaches are packed again.

These cards are soft pastel on watercolor paper. They come in collector sleeves to protect the painting.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/artsndigital

A small abstract pastel painting. This is on water color paper. It is 2 5 x 3 5 inches. Every now and then I like to make some abstract work. Usually, I'll try to work in geometric stuff. This one us also encapsulated in laminate to protect the card.

When I work on the smaller cards I exaggerate some of the florals and other details. Kind of like making a characiture of the key parts. This is a 2.5 inch x 3.5 inch card in soft pastel. Blending on watercolor paper gives a different look than some of the other papers I've used for this.