Mid Tide (revision) 18x24

 

Mid Tide-18x24

oil on panel

email me for price and availability

 

 

This is the original painting. painted several years ago. it never sold. Surprise, right? NOT!

 

oh sooo ugly. here are the changes i made.

 

simplified the grass and made it much brighter. 

changed the color scheme warming it up, brightening and lightening it up.

simplified the water strip in the back and made it connect to the tidal pool

punched up the sky.

 

that's better!

 

Viejo Canon Habana (Old Havana Canyons) -18x24

Viejo Canon Habana (Old Havana Canyons)  18x24

First large one in the series done. doing all the sketching, prelim studies and careful planning made this come together pretty quickly. I'm happy with the cohesiveness of the image even tho' I want the street scene to reflect the somewhat chaotic, disorderly nature of old town Havana. looks like a lot without being a lot. Also playing with cools over warms and warms over cools and loose edges through out.

Elizabeth City Splash event

Charleston Color-18x24

if you'd like to purchase email me for price and availability

 

this one was started outside and finished in the studio. when I set up on the street in Charleston I got the drawing done and then the clouds came and blocked out the sun. luckily, my friend (and awesome Charleston painter) hilarie lambert had a photo reference of something sorta close, so I finished it from that. like all the drawing and all the temperature shifts in this one.

 

Just agreed to be part of Elizabeth City NC's Splash Event the week of Nov. 2-9. i'll be one of the artists in residence and will be doing private lessons in the Elizabeth City area that week. so if you're from the Tidewater Virginia area, Outerbanks of NC, or close to E.C. and want to take some plein air lessons from me in this beautiful waterfront town, and hang out with an assortment of artists from all over the place, email me or call 919-920-9718 and let me get you on the calendar.

 take a few hours, half a day, or several half days. $35 per hour (less for half day).

i'll also have paintings for sale on display all thru the week. Looking forward to this event and seeing the whole EC crowd!

Mid Tide2- 18x24

 

Mid Tide2 

18x24

email me for availability and price

 

 

I like this one from Swansboro. what a great shape the little creek makes right? and the color of the light is very summer morning-ish. hopefully you can feel the humidity in the air too.

Crossing Over-18x24

 

Crossing Over-18x24

email me for price and availability

 

 

started outside and finished inside. this is the draw bridge to beaufort.

Mid Day at the Marina- 18x24

Mid Day at the Marina- 18x24

email me for availability and price

 

Did this gallery wrapped canvas in beaufort nc. the sky really was working for me on this painting. I like the feel of the light too. seems 'honest'

also started this one today from a photo taken a few years ago in marshallberg nc, near harkers island. was clicking thru images and this one caught my fancy today so I decided to paint it.

thanks to seeing dan nelson keep a painting from a photo fun and loose, I'm doing more of the huge ones inside. plus the fact that it was near 100 degrees today! wow it was nice to be in the a/c. i'll work this one some more when the washes dry. you can see that I really like warmer underpaintings no matter what kind of light I'm going to paint over it. hard to tell but its going to be water, sky and marsh painting. funny, it looks like a field now. talk about loose!

 

dan got me experimenting with some transparent washes and I showed him cape cod underpainting. he said he wanted to give it a try. so i'll wash on some transparent "realistic" colors over this underpainting in the next step. the when that's dry i'll paint opaquely and try not to mess it up.

 

here's the reference photo I'm working from. cool cloud right?

 

SOLD-Johnson Lane-18x24

another classic island motif. conch house kapok tree, and scooter.

this has a lot going on but I tried to make you look at the tree first.

this one has great temperature shifts and subtle value changes, when you see it in person. unfortunately computer screens and cheap digital cameras wont allow you to see them but you get the idea.

 

I found Johnson Lane by accident and ended up loving to paint there. not much traffic and paintings galore in that honey hole!

SOLD-Near Virgilio's- -0314c-18x24

Sold to dear friends who were the first to let me stay with them when I first arrived in key west years ago. The play of light the mornings I worked on this painting were phenomenal.

 

Catholic Lane-0314c-8x10

available at Gallery on Greene Key West

 

going for the dreamy look in this early morning interpretation. my biggest improvement this year is the shadows on the buildings. I'm designing them instead of seeing whats really there. when you paint the real thing it looks fake. the fake one looks real.

Life's Good in the Sun-18x24

available at Gallery on Greene Key West

another painting from the show. the van and shadow on the building and roof are my fave parts of the painting. the subtle temperature shifts in all the paintings shapes were a blast to play with. this picture does the painting no justice

 

Workshop News

 

Want to go to Maine the first week of September and paint? I'm holding a plein air workshop on Mt. Desert Island at Acadia Workshop Center from September 1 thru September 5. I was there year before last and it was a blast. i'll teach you how to simplify the outdoor landscape and paint with color that shimmers. contact me if youre interested.

 

SOLD-Waterfront Eatery-18x24

SOLD

 

this was the first to sell in the show. Nice folks from Annapolis Md. bought it.

RIP

NOTE added 7/17/13: Sanded down and painted over this one!

 

my newest from a few days of painting in atlantic nc. one of the last bastions of small fisherman docks around these days. the business has been so bad for so long that for the few left that continue the family business (after several generations) cant find places to put their boats with easy open water access. they are even being squeezed out of these old rickety type docks. its even dangerous to be on some of em painting. and dont back up and check your painting from a few feet away, without looking or you'll fall in a big hole in the dock and break something. i'd say a good hospital is over an hour away if you did. so i bring you these paintings at great danger to my well being LOL hope you like it!

SOLD-Quiet Resting Spot-1227A-18x24

went back today to finish the painting i started with Guy the other day. that day a high milky deck of clouds formed just after i got the drawing done on this medium sized painting. not good for getting color notes down, but i just kept putting in big shapes in the somewhat approximate color for a few hours. then i came back today on a nice clear sunny day and put the actual colors i was seeing over the block-in. i also used very large raggedy brushes and that helped me achieve my goal of keeping it loose and painterly, the holy grail for my larger work.

NFS-18x24-Under the Pier at Surf City

Under the Pier at Surf City- SOLD

note: dont know how it works when youre a subscriber to my blog,  but i posted three times today and dont know if only the top one shows up in your mailbox, or not. if you just see one post go to mikerooneystudios.blogspot.com to see the other two (theyre both for sale)

done on a july evening when the sun was just starting to strike under the pier. i love doing this motif so if you'd like one, drop me an email and we'll talk!

Also dont forget i've got a workshop in Bar Harbor Maine at the Acadia Workshop Center Labor Day week. if you'd like to sign up drop me an email and i'll get you up with Gail the sponsor.