Stuart, FL and Lake Okeechobee

Ron and I just spent five days in Stuart, Florida.  Ron spent his days going to a shooting competition near Lake Okeechobee, and I spent my days at the hotel - right on the ocean, with a pool, great walking trails, and a great place to set up my easel and paint.  I enjoyed my time there. 

The first day I painted this scene.  I wanted to capture the clouds, and I did a little better job with them than I've done before.  I used some Burnt Umber - and highlighted it with some reds and purples.

Now it's okay - and the clouds are LOTS better than some I've done, but they don't look very realistic. However, I will have to save improvements for another painting.  Overall, I like this one; I just want to get much better with clouds and ocean waves. 

Then the second morning there, we walked out on our balcony and saw the most stunning sunrise. There were streaks of light coming from behind really dark clouds making an absolutely brilliant white patch on the water below.  Really gorgeous. The clouds were stratus - layers and layers of clouds tinged with yellow and pink and white. Absolutely beautiful

Then I started a third painting. I decided I'd done enough beach and water paintings.  So I used a photo I took last spring when Ron and I took a ride on the Natchez Trace and we stopped at an overlook to see the valley below us.

This painting is far from finished.  There are about seven different tree lines, and I've just blocked them all in. I made the barn too big which makes it look closer.  In the photograph, it's a long way away.  So I will work on it more in my studio at home.