Over the Pier

This painting recently won an Honorable Mention at the Coral Springs Museum of Art's Palm Beach Watercolor Society Show.  Thank you to the Society and judge Ralph Papa who said:

'This is another exciting and beautiful painting.  It drew me in from afar and maintained my interest up close.  The shapes and colors in this cloud bursting sunrise are magnificent.  I admire this painting in its simplicity of color and form and can see from the texture and brushstrokes that the artist is prolific and confident in creating this amazingly magnificent storm at sea at sunrise."

What makes me happiest about Papa's statement is that when I first thought of my goals in painting I thought of three words that expressed what I wanted to accomplish:  I want my work to be strong, bright and free.  In his statement Papa acknowledges that, at least in this painting, I've met that goal.

And what I have to sat about this painting is that I love watching the clouds over the ocean and, in this case, as they swoop over the Deerfield Pier.  The longer I live in Florida (& that's more than a decade now) the more I'm feeling that the real Florida 'landscape' for me is its glorious skies and clouds.