Summer Breezes

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As Facebook took over the social media world, I and many other artists I know turned to posting on FB instead of our art blogs. I've decided that it is time to revive the blog and not rely on the uncertainty of FB posts reaching our audience. Will I delete my FB page? Not sure yet...

Day Dreamer

Oil on linen panel

8 x 10

We recently returned from a spring and summer trip to Florida and to the Abacos, Bahamas where I gathered tons of photo references and also painted on site. 

As you all know, the Abacos was recently destroyed with many lives lost by Hurricane Dorian. We hope and pray that the islands and most of all that the people will recover and be able to move forward. 

This little day sailer was kept at anchor just off the beach of Manjack Cay by the owners that live there. As you can see, I changed the sail cover colors to the actual sail colors to enhance the painting.

We have no idea if this little boat was saved or how Manjack fared as it was hit pretty straight on. 

Our thoughts and prayers to all the people of the Abacos as they recover from this storm. 

While we were there, they took the boat with some friends one Friday evening and had fun touring the little harbor where several cruisers were anchored for the night as we were. They had fun sailing around and saying hello and "argh!" with their best pirate voice! 

To see other images of paintings inspired by our travels aboard our trawler, Summer Breeze, 

click here. 

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Lowcountry in bloom

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Spring has definitely sprung here! The azaleas are amazing this year. Seems that our January snow was like a fertilizer for them. 

I think the man in my tree must be Old Man Winter as he is trying to shush spring away with wintery like weather. The azaleas don't listen to him though.

Spring at Roxbury Park in Megget. The park is off of Hwy 174 and at the very end of the Toogoodoo Creek. 

Roxbury Park in Bloom, Toogoodoo 365 Series March 18. 

Swinton Creek bridge, which is the little creek that shoots off the Toogoodoo Creek, and with the road's S-curve by the creek, it looks different with every turn, tide and season change. It's one of my favorite places to do some "drive by shootings" with my phone out the car window. 

This is my start to this painting. Scary!

March 24, Swinton Creek Greens

Saturday March 24 was the reception for the 

Charleston Artist Guild's Extraordinary Arts Program, one of our 

community outreach projects. The Guild showcases the artwork of children with disablities from schools in the Charleston and try-county area. Click here for more images and information about this program. The children and their art is adorable!

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Best Made Plans Don't Always Work!

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This has been one of those weeks. Busy with art guild and gallery duties, packing, getting ready for a Summer Breeze trip, a little painting and yard work. We are always busy! Retired? What?

1st Mate, Bella on Summer Breeze 

Guild and gallery duties went well, as planned thankfully.

New paint on walls and floors of Studio 151 Fine Art Gallery

The cruise plan was for a week plus long trip up towards Mcclellanville with a quick stop, haul out and repair at the boat yard. That plan ended up with her staying in the boat yard for a major repair which will last several weeks. You can read more about it here, if you want. Best made plans!

When preparing for a painting, I try to plan it out ahead  of time concerning the composition and color palette but sometimes those plans don't always work either. That was the case with 2 pieces of art I had been working on. 

Having someone else take a look at your work really helps. As artists, we sometimes don't see the forest for the trees. It helps to back away and see it with fresh eyes, whether yours or someone else. Bruce will often do that for me. 

On a recent plein air day with my friend, Jeanine Jones, we painted by her home in Beaufort. I had not completed it so I put finishing touches on it and it just didn't grab me. I think I was just trying to finish it and wasn't really thinking about a/my plan for it.(Hind sight). I was with her again this week so I asked for her to help me out with a critique. 

Fresh eyes!

The scene pretty much as we saw it

This is the scene pretty much as we saw it that day, a small creek with tall marsh grasses, a river behind it and the distant marsh bank. I felt it was drab and nothing special. Jeanine suggested that I remove the foreground marsh and fill in with more of the creek. 

Updated version

 I took her advice and made the scene a high tide where the marsh grasses just peak out of the water creating lots of reflections and I also gave it subtle changes in other places. I feel that gives the painting a nice punch and a look at me feel. I'm considering subduing the small bush on the left side so it doesn't take away from the focal point, the larger bush.

After saying that to myself/you here, I decided to get up and go do that. I subdued the darks under the small left side bush, added a few more darks under the right side larger bush and added some dead bush twigs. The creek and marsh lead up to that point and this makes for a better focal point in the painting. Hey, thanks for your help!

At our guild meeting this week, we had the pleasure of having Betty Anglin Smith do a presentation and critique some of the member's work. I had taken one of my Toogoodoo 365 paintings which I had been trying to fine tune. I was pretty happy with it but thought it would be interesting to hear her thoughts even though her color palette and process is very different. 

Again, fresh eyes, remember!

November 29, All is Good!
Betty's critique pointed out that the 3 land masses
(left side trees, distant trees and right side trees) were pretty equal. She also felt the trees could use more color (of course, it's Betty!) and that the foreground water could have more reflections. 

Updated version

I pushed back the distant trees and made the mass smaller. I added some more of the left bank trees to make the 3 masses different in size, also darkening the shadows there as that side was under the dark cloud. I also added more of the sky's reflections in the water giving it a punch. 

I definitely see an improvement in both pieces of art. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear them.

 One of my self critique tools I use is to convert the image to black and white. That is a great way to check your values in a painting. It's so easy to do now with our phone cameras. I try to do this for all my work but I forget, especially for my Toogoodoo series. So, I’ve done that here. If it reads well in black and white, then it will read well no matter what colors you have used.

Toogoodoo 365 Series

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Here are a couple of the latest in my series of Toogoodoo Creek  paintings. 

 The winter has been like a yo-yo. Snow, cold and icy for about a week, then warm and springlike. The plants and birds are just as confused as we are! And now, we are in deep  in the pollen season. Yeah....

In the mean time, I've been busy with my President duties at the Charleston Artist Guild and  Business Manager and co owner of Studio 151 Fine Art Gallery where the walls were just painted

and now the floors will be redone.  I have not been able to get into my studio daily but I get to sneak in occasionally.

March 7, Mid Day March

There is a bit of a haze in the sky today but the air is cool and clear at mid day. The marsh is still a bit brown but the trees are starting to green up! The view across hte creek from my house.

January 29, Winter Morning

It is about 9 AM on a cold January winter as I cross the the little bridge over Swinton Creek, which is a run off of the Toogoodoo. This area has become one of my favorite scenes to paint as it looks different all the time!

Bird Bath, Awarded #1 Honorable Mention

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64th Annual Charleston Artist Guild Member Show

#1 Honorable Mention for Bird Bath

Reception at the Charleston Visitor's Center

Toogoodoo 365 paintings...plus

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It's been a while since I've posted on my art blog. I seem to "forget" it these days as I post 

most of the artwork on my FB page and always on my website.

Here are 5 of some of my latest from the Toogoodoo 365 series. To find out what the series

is all about, click on my website button on the right side here!

Raining In Charleston!

After Sunset

Crabs Tonight!

And a couple of paintings inspired by our trip to the NW coast.

Yaquina Head Light House

Nautical Nocturne

More Toogoodoo 365 paintings

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I have been doing some paintings but not posting them as I normally do. 

I did break away and painted my last boat and have been working on some cows 

but oh !!!@$#%^^  those cows have been giving me a hard time!

But today, I started a new cow painting (the other one will be at the dump soon) and I must have 

been ready to do it because it just happened. The same cows but not as many and on a smaller canvas.

Well, it's not posted here but I will post it later after I do my finishing touches. Just had

to let you know what I've been doing. 

If you'd like to read my little stories on these latest Toogoodoo 365 paintings, you can find them

on my website under Toogoodoo 365. 

www.rosiephillips.com

January 8, 2016

January 13, 2016

January 16, 2016

January 12, 2016

January 21, 2016

January 23, 2016

And this past weekend, I had donated one my little gems to

St Paul's Exchange Club Fundraiser

and this is the happy top bidder!

At The Fork Of The Creek

Blue Water Gem, new boat painting

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Blue Water Gem

24, x 18

oil on gallery wrap canvas

We found this little white wooden fishing boat on one of our trips

to St Maarten Island. The blue water reflected the colors of the boat 

beautifully and the water was so clear that the boat also had shadows in the shallow water.

I loved the red wood trim and interior of the boat. I think that's what drew me to it!

Had to paint it!

www.rosiephillips.com

Also... I have a very short video on my progress during this painting.

Latest Toogoodoo 365 paintings by Rosie Phillips

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Happy New Year!

Yes, a few days late but.... 

still, I would like to wish my family and friends

great happenings, love and happiness for them in 2016!

2016! Wow! When did that happen?  Time flies, doesn't it?

Bruce and I enjoyed having our children and their families here for both
Thanksgiving and Christmas. What a joy that is. Our little grand daughters

are so grown up now. We are so proud of them and know that they have so much

to look forward to in the coming year and their lives. They are such a blessing to us. 

So, I didn't get to paint much in December, I did do a few (ok, 4) of my small

Toogoodoo 365 paintings including New Year's Eve day.
As we get back to our normal routines, I am back to painting, though I'd rather be with the kids!

 So, I'm on a roll! 3 in a row! And I've started a larger boat painting and can't wait to get back
to that one today! Of course, AFTER I paint a Toogoodoo 365 one first!

Thank you all for being a part of our lives and for those of you following my art, I am grateful to you.

January 2, 2016, 1st Cold Day of The Year

 

            January 1, 2016 , Red Roof Dock

December 31, 2015, New Year's Eve Day

www.rosiephillips.com

Man's Best Friend

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Man's Best Friend

oil on linen

www.rosiephillips.com

The little French Bulldog, Nika jumps up into his lap

and enjoys a lovable and endearing hug 

from her best friend!

Oyster Creek, a new Toogoodoo 365 painting by Rosie

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Oyster Creek, November 11, 2015

5 x 7 oil on canvas panel

Toogoodoo 365 painting

www.rosiephillips.com

It's early fall and I'm out fishing with Bruce on one of my favorite creeks. 

Oyster Creek, a little creek tributary off the Toogoodoo Creek.

I'm sure that is not the real name but that's what we call it because there are tons of oyster beds 

in the creek and there is an oyster farm towards the end of it. 

It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to go down. 

The fishing was slack so I pulled out the paints. Got a good start on it there 

but the gnats came out so had to put the finishing touches on the painting in my studio. 

But before this, the fishing was good!

5 Reds (Spot Tail Bass) and 2 Trout

And then.... the tide slacked out and the fish stopped running 

so I pull out my snacks and paints!

A good day on the Toogoodoo!

Shrimp Season

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Shrimp Season

or ???

Mr and Mrs Shrimp

Can't decide on a name! any suggestions?

11 x 11 oil on linen panel

Framed in 1"black sleek frame to show off the sunset.

September Moon

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September Moon

5 x 7 Oil on linen panel

from my Toogoodoo 365 series

www.rosiephillips.com

It's almost a full moon and it will be a Super Moon in a day or two! 

This was at about 6:35 PM and there was still a lot of light in the sky and 

a few fluffy clouds hovered below the moon.  The marsh and trees are in their early 

fall deep greens still. 

But I think it will be changing soon! 

Below is a photo just after I started the painting. If I paint from a photo reference

I just bring it on my iPad and have it close by.

September Blues

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September Blues, September 18, 2015

6 x 8, palette and brush work on panel

Toogoodoo 365 Series, www.rosiephillips.com

The photo for this painting was taken at 5:45 pm. 

The sky had so many colors of blue and it had floaty white and light gray clouds. 

The trees and marsh are still vibrant green as the days are still warm. It is low tide now and 

2 of the docks across the creek sit in the mud which is turning purple with the late day reflections.