Moments of Serenity

Moments of Serenity is name of my latest art show at the Story and Song Bookstore and Bistro in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Florida’s number one Bookstore. It boasts a second-floor cultural center complete with a gallery, large enough to show 17 of my paintings and 11 photographs. Running now until the end of July, I’d like to share with you the paintings and a little bit of the stories behind their moments.

Sentinels of

Castillo de San Marcos.

24 x36

This set of palm trees in the early morning light stand between the walls of Catillo de San Marcos and Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine. They stand guard over the bay just like the soldiers of the fort did for centuries. The need for the soldiers has passed into history and now these palm trees take their duty as the fort’s sentinels. They guarded my predawn walk around the fort and joined me in greeting a quiet morning in St. Augustine.

Amelia River Lighthouse

18 x 36

This early morning view of the Amelia Island Lighthouse and Egan’s Creek is viewed from the shores of Ft. Clinch State Park. Small water passages like this one wonder all through the marsh grasses. Egrets frequently glide through the marsh air as the lighthouse sits on Amelia’s highest point.

Heavenly Autumn

24 x 36

These two splendid golden trees live up in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland at the base of a rock formation named Cat Rock. After a two mile hike up the mountain side, I enjoyed a picnic lunch with two of my closest friends. While enjoying our just desserts for a good hike and Cat Rock Climb. I noticed the sun shining through the autumn trees and was inspired by the light.

Amelia Palms Sunrise 24 x 36

This was one of my first Amelia Island sunrises. These palms sit at Beach Access 35 and made a nice grouping in the pre-dawn skies. The soft sea breeze woke them just in time to enjoy a colorful morning sunrise with me.

Dance of the Wild Trees

18 x 24

The early morning sun lit these great trees above the beach at Blackrock on Big Talbot Island, Florida. The scene made me think of the wild dancing in Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Whenever I visit this beach, I feel like the wild things are dancing in the tropical forest just out of my sight.

Spanish Moss of Basque Bello

18 x 24

There is nothing as southern as Spanish Moss hanging in an ancient oak tree. I caught this moment in the early evening light as the sun sent its light between the branches of the Oak woods that shade the Basque Bello Cemetery. The Spanish moss caught the light and glowed in the dark shadows of the oaks.

The Nest Builder

24 x 24

On a March morning this Great Egret was in the process of building his nest in a St. Augustine Bird Sanctuary. It was my first time in a bird sanctuary and after tracking birds for an hour, I managed to capture this egret as he was preparing to land and add a branch to the nest. It was a magnificent morning in such a busy natural construction zone.

Sunrise Palms 30 x 40

Shortly after I moved to Fernandina Beach, I hiked what my family jokingly refers to as the Amelia 14. Our little group started in the predawn light at the beach of Ft. Clinch and hiked down to the bridge at the southern end of the Island. 14 miles. The sun rose as we passed North Beach and by the time we arrived at Main Beach these palm trees were welcoming the morning sun as it started to heat up the early July morning. I took a quick shot with my cell phone and this was my first painting in my Fernandina Beach home studio.

Loy Station Bridge

22 x 28

This was the second time that I painted this Frederick County, Maryland landmark. I had an exhibition at a vineyard in Thurmont, MD, just a few miles from this covered bridge and felt this was a much-needed addition to that show. A popular summer park filled with picnickers and children running and playing and exploring the creek, it is a quiet place in the winter snow.

Old Skiff in the Cove

18 x 24

A small sailboat nestled in small cove along a creek in Annapolis hides away in the deep shadows of the afternoon.

PBJ Farm

24 x 36

I visited this farm during a barnstorming tour sponsored by the Frederick County Landmarks Society. An annual event that has allowed me to visit many historic farms in Maryland. A lovely classic barn which I greatly enjoyed painting.

Sunrise at Blackrock Beach

24 x 48 and

Blackrock Sparkles 12 x16

Blackrock Beach and The Boneyard on Big Talbot Island have hundreds of trees that have eroded away onto the beach where they bask in the sunlight and bleach away. Always an interesting way to spend a morning walking through the fallen forest.

RB Ricketts Falls 24 x 36

Nestled in the central mountains of Pennsylvania is a state park named Rickett’s Glen. There are 23 waterfalls that tumble down as Kitchen Creek travels down two gorges. It’s 9 and half miles of hiking trails that take through a wonderland of forest, rocks and thundering falls. The gorges are deep enough that the trees block out the sky and for a day. All you experience is the sound of the creek as it splashes down the mountain side. No airplanes flying overhead, no trucks rumbling by, even the voices of other hikers on the trail are drowned out by the sounds of water.

Solitary Sunrise 30 x 40

One early morning, on my way to a hike on Maryland’s C&O canal, I pulled off on a narrow rarely used farm road to enjoy the sunrise that was chasing me to my hiking destination. I stopped in the middle of this back country lane and watched as the sun was rising and lighting the morning clouds that were lifting from the farm fields. This solitary tree standing in the slight breeze at the top of the rise captured a moment that only the two of us shared.