Oil Painting by John Kelley

6″x8″ Oil on Panel SOLD

After a couple of days off I have jumped back into these small dune paintings. As you can see below this painting was done with the help of a reference painting I did on location and a photograph that I took while in Grayton Beach. Other than the area of “drawing” the photo was not much help. It is amazing how much the camera misses.

The photo shows my digital photo on the left (not much help), my on site study (a lot of help) and the final painting (done with the help of the other two and the memory of walking on the beach at 7:00 in the morning). I have not made any of these paintings available for sale because they are already spoken for.

6″x8″ OIl on Panel

It’s stunning how difficult colors are in the studio! Even with color corrected lights the blues tend to get swallowed up my the yellow portion of the spectrum. So then you take the painting outside and it’s like WOW where did all that blue come from. O.K. I just sounded way too much like my fifteen year old. In any case I am loving getting away from the still life paintings and hanging out at the beach!

6″ x 8″ Dune Study

Here is the little painting I did this morning out at Grayton Beach State Park. This park is a painters paradise with the contrast of the dunes, the colors in the grasses and the lake on the north side of the dunes. Just over the dunes is the beach.

I started with the shadows on this one because they were the only area that I was fairly confident of the color (blueish-purple) and it turned out to be fairly effective. One of the struggles of painting on location is that you must always leave out the majority of what you see and stick to the main values shapes and colors that drew you to the motif. Toward the end of this painting it was very tempting to start painting in all the individual pieces of grass but I made myself stop and I’m glad that I did.

I will be going back to the park late this afternoon to try and do two more studies.

6′x6″, Oil Painting on Raymar Panel

Here is a little creek I would like to go sit by for awhile. I almost named this one peace because it is what I think about when I do these little treescapes.

BID ON THIS PAINTING

6″ x 8″ Oil on Raymar Panel

After a hard couple of weeks working on still life paintings, it was nice to get back to a landscape.  This painting has the distinction of being approved of by my twelve-year-old daughter.  She is not quick to throw out complements so I must have done something right!

I’m finding it much easier to do a painting every day than it is to post a painting everyday. So it may seem that I haven’t been working but here is the proof that I have. Most of these paintings will be reserved for my two upcoming shows. If you fall in love with one of these and you would like to deprive one of my shows a painting please contact me. “Strong” is the only painting I’m putting up for bidding this week.

“Bunched!” 5″ x 5″ Pastel on Paper SOLD

$150 - framed

“Friends” 5″x5″ Pastel on Paper

SOLD

“In A Line” 5′x5″ Pastel on Paper SOLD

$150 - framed

“No Hurry” 5″x5″ Pastel on Paper SOLD

$150 - framed

“Open Spaces” 5′x5″ Pastel on Paper SOLD

$150 - framed

“Strength” 5″x5″ Pastel on Paper

SOLD

“The Fire” 5″x5″ Pastel on Paper SOLD

$150 - framed

“Fire Tree” 5″x5″ Pastel on Paper  SOLD

$150 - framed

“Where I’ll Be” 24″ x 24″, Oil on Canvas

SOLD

“Misty’s Day”

SOLD

“Far Away” 24″ x 24″ Oil on Canvas

SOLD

5″x5″ pastel on Kitty Wallis pastel paper (the best stuff on the planet!)

Someone asked me the other day if I ever get tired of these. The answer for the most part is no. They are the most relaxing of all the paintings I do. It has been a challenge over the years to keep coming up with new compositions and color ideas, but that is the amazing thing about these little guys. Even when I try to make them the same they never turn out the same. There is an endless variety to what can be done with pastel even when you are confined to a 5″x5″ space. I will be posting several more of these in the days to come.

SOLD