Island hopping in the Caribbean

Painting by the pool

      Gary and I decided to "treat" ourselves to a cruise last month.  We found a 10 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean embarking from Ft. Lauderdale.  It had two "at sea" days before and after visiting 5 islands, none of which we had been to.  We also liked the fact that each island we visited had a dock so we didn't need to be tendered into any of our ports.

      I decided to take my assorted watercolor blocks, pens, and my traveling watercolor pallette instead of trying to handle wet oils in our close quarters.  I haven't used watercolors very much recently as I have been doing a lot of "plein air " painting so I had to get use to my watercolors again.  I forgot how much I enjoy the fluid effects of watercolors and the "drizzly" effects of pen and ink.  It was a great medium for the Caribbean waterscapes.   At each island, I took digital photos of things that appealed to me and then I downloaded them onto my laptop and painted from the photos on the pool deck.  I did 8 paintings, 2 8x10's and 6 6x8's.  Lots of people stopped at the table to see what I was doing, so it was "almost" like plein air painting.  I sold 2 paintings that provided a "one-of-a- kind" gift for some fellow cruisers.

Antigua Shopping Mall  6x8

St Croix Bay 6x8

Some of my favorite observations were the beautiful color change in the bays, from a transparent aqua in the shallow areas, to a beautiful deep blue in the distance.  I loved the colorful buildings in the shopping areas and all the "buzz" of the busy shoppers.  I also came to the conclusion that palm trees are very challenging to interpret.  There is a fine line between not enough and too much info.  Here is my gallery of island observations. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed painting them.

Tortolla Bay  8x10

Bobbing boats at Tortolla  6x8

Old French Fort at Martinique  6x8

Beach Umbrellas at St Maarten  8x10

Shopping Tents at the Clock Tower, St. Croix  6x8

All the island watercolors will be posted on my website with prices and availability.

Personal Paintings

        It has been my experience over the past several years, that a large percentage of the people who have purchased one or more of my original paintings have had some "personal" connection to the subject of the work.    I didn't know many of these buyers, but they all shared a personal connection to the paintings.  I have concluded that many people who wish to own a "one-of-a-kind" piece of art, do so because the painting reminds them of a place they have been or an experience they have had.

        I had a barn on display at an art show in Door Co. a few years ago, and a young couple walked by and stopped to look at the painting.  It was a painting of her grandfather's barn where she had played as a child.  They had to go to an ATM machine to get the money to purchase it.

      This summer, some very good friends from college spent a few days with us in Door County.

They had both been to Door County when they were younger but hadn't been back for years.  We drove them around to our favorite spots and, after breakfast at Al Johnson's, we traveled north towards Gills Rock.  As we approached Ellison Bay,  John saw the majestic view of the bulkheads of Green Bay and asked Gary to stop the car.  We walked to the site where the "Welcome to Ellison Bay"sign is displayed, and both John and his wife, Lis, agreed, that this was the site they would like to have as a painting.  I suggested that I wait until we return in fall to paint the sight with the fall color and they agreed.   A few weeks ago I went back to the site and this is the result.

Fall Splendor, Ellison Bay   11x14

     John and Lis both grew up in Wisconsin and have not lived in the midwest for most of their married life.  They currentlly live in Virginia and they agreed to send me a picture of their painting as it sits on an easel in their home.  To them, it is a daily reminder of their Wisconsin roots.

     Although this was a painting done by commission,  buyers who enjoy attending gallery exhibits are likely to find a painting with a personal connection.

Two Exhibits

Two new exhibits

          As the year draws to a close, I am very pleased to have my work exhibited at two locations, one in Door County, and one in Kansas City.  I have 10 paintings on exhibit in the dining room of "The Cornerstone Pub in Baileys Harbor.  I call the exhibit, "The Quiet Side" as all of the paintings are of sites near Baileys Harbor and Kangaroo Lake.  Winter in Door County is mostly populated by residents, and the Cornerstone is one of the restaurants that stays open all winter.  I hope the "locals" will enjoy seeing familiar landscapes as they dine.  I completed my first "nocturnal" for the show.  I painted the Cornerstone at night this summer with the outdoor patio.

"Night Cap"    8x10

 Scenes of the exhibit in the Dining Room at

The cornerstone Pub.

     

   The second exhibit is entitled "Two Gifts" and it is on display in the hallway of "The Church of the Nativity" in Leawood, Kansas.  It consists of 40 paintings, both watercolors and oils.  I call it, Two Gifts, because it focuses on the work I have done in retirement where the gift of "time" and "travel" are largely responsible for the large body of work.  This is a great space as it is the pathway from the church to the recreation hall where all the receptions, pancake breakfasts and social gatherings take place.  This is the parish where we belong and the parish near the middle school where I taught, so I am grateful to exhibit my work to an audience where I know so many people.

I hope any of you that may be near either of these facilities will stop in and check them out.  The Nativity exhibit will be up until January and The Cornerstone will be on display all winter.

September Road Trip to Ogunquit, Maine

        One of the greatest blessings of retirement is the gift of time!  In September, Gary and I took a trip to New England via Tennessee.  Our first stop was the "Grand Ole Opry".   After a very entertaining evening we drove to Pigeon Forge, TN at the foot of the Smokey Mountains.  We experienced the beauty of  Smokey Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg and enjoyed some more county music entertainment in the evenings.
         We drove though the Applachians enroute to Maine.  In September, the color was starting to turn and the vistas were breathtaking.  We arrived in Ogunquit, Maine and stayed in a cute cottage within walking distance of the village.  We enjoyed fresh lobster each evening and great day trips to several of the lighthouses in Southern Maine.  My favorite was the Nubble Lighthouse, in York.  We had a beautiful sunny day and I got to sit right in front of this historical site and paint!  Gary visited with all the people from the busses who stopped by.  We joked about the fact that we were both doing one of our favorite things, me painting and Gary visiting.

As an artist, it doesn't get much better than this!

The Marginal Way is a 1.2 mile walk right along the ocean
 from Ogunquit to Perkin's Cove

      Enroute to the Portland Headlight, we drove through Kennebunkport and got to see the Bush Compound right on the ocean (along with several large bus loads of tourists).  We hiked the Marginal Way from Ogunquit to Perkin's Cove.  It is a paved walkway right along the ocean.  I couldn't resist stopping to paint the view back to Ogunquit.
     We spent 5 days in Maine and Gary and I agreed that it was a successful trip.  We were amazed at how similar coastal Maine was to Door County ( minus the ocean and the lobster).  The villages dotting the coastline were charming and very "touristy"  just like Door County.  Here are the paintings I completed during our stay in Ogunquit. 

"Nubble Lighthouse, Live!"   11x14

"Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine"    11x14

"View of the Surf, from Perkin's Cove"   8x10

Plaza Morn

      Its been a while since I have posted on Judie Stang's World.  I have been painting this spring and I will post a few of my spring favorites soon.  Yesterday, I went down to the Country Club Plaza early, before in got too hot.  I set up my easel along Brush Creek.  I painted until it got too hot (about 10:00).
     Next week, the Plaza will be full of tourists visiting Kansas City for the World Series.  Yesterday, the Plaza was very "sleepy" with only a few lawn mowers and an occasional jogger passing by.

Dog in the Fog

"Dog in the Fog"  6x8  oil

        I did a painting of a foggy day on the beach last year when we were visiting South Padre Island.  I sold it from my website so, I decided to try my luck again this year!  I caught this couple walking their fluffy white puppy coming out of the mist.  I usually don't put the center of interest in the center of my canvas, but this little guy just had to be in the middle of the painting.  There is enough variation in the background with the buildings and the surf to offset the puppy in the middle!

"Three Fishermen"

"Three Fishermen"  6x8  Oil

     Our daily walks along the beach provide a multitude of "story lines" that entertain us as we walk.  We very seldom see a heron along the surf.  The gulf is loaded with pelicans and sea gulls,  but a heron caught our eye as we walked.  Luckily, I had my phone with me so I could catch this sight.  As we came closer to the heron a few fishermen came into the view of my lens.  When I looked at the photo later, I loved the way all 3 were poised for their "catch of the day"!  I had to try to capture it on a little 6x8 canvas.  What a blessing!"