Spring Fling

6x6 oil on panel
sold

A couple of kids swimming in the luxuriously cold waters of Barton Springs Pool in Austin. I love the green water - its so clear and reflective. And such a relief on hot days!

Taking the Plunge

10x12 oil on panel

Available at Tidewater Gallery

Ah.. Barton Springs Pool... a truly special place for all Austinites. Year round, this spring fed pool is 68 degrees. Even on the hottest days, all I can do is get my feet in and splash some water on the rest of me. Its a great spot for people watching though and soaking up Austin's relaxed, friendly atmosphere. This is no small swimmin' hole either - its more than 18 feet deep at one end and I don't know how long. This couple is taking the plunge in more than one way!

Here is a great video someone put together of people plunging in - Enjoy!

Barton Springs Pool Sketches

Today I met a friend for some sketching at one of our lovely spring fed pools. We are so lucky in Austin to have two large spring fed swimming pools. The more well-known one is Barton Springs Pool. And it was so much fun to sit on the bank and watch people enjoying the brisk 68 degree water. Its going to have to get a whole lot hotter (94 today) for me to get in that water!


My first sketch was just a woman sitting on the concrete sidewalk above the pool. I made the water bluer than it is really.


I'm pretty pleased with my second sketch. This is very accurate to the water color in the shallow end. The water created such a distortion that their legs were pretty much invisible, though the water is crystal clear.
I might finish out these pieces with a little more detail and clean up some things... like the broken hand on my sunbather. Then I will post them again on here or ETSY.

Totally Tubular

6x6 oil on panel
$125 + s/h
PURCHASE

I'm taking a vacation... in my studio! I wanted to get back to painting regularly and thought I'd start on some uncomplicated and fun scenes to warm up! Beach pics are a good start.

Rough Surf

11x14 oil on panel

My thoughts are turning to the beach this week. We leave in a week for our annual family trip to Siesta Key, Florida. Like many, I've been so depressed about this oil spill and worried about all our gulf coasts - from Texas to Florida. I hope that our lovely white sand beaches and manatees who swim with us in the surf are still as beautiful as ever.

I can't wait to paint and sketch on the beach. They have the best sunsets from "our house" there as well.

Joie de Vivre

5x7 oil on clayboard - sold

This was such a joy to paint. And one of the greatest joys in life is to be floating in such emerald water, the warm sun sparkling almost blindingly and the water lapping over a youthful body full of power and potential.