"Waiting" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Waiting" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

I incorporated the three primary colors on my palette for this series of paintings and the design is very organic.  It has nice movement and texture.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase original and prints here

"Singing" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Singing" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

The energy in this painting makes it sing! It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase the original and prints here

"Reflecting" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Reflecting" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

This piece reminds me of a pond with beautiful red leaves floating in it and clouds being reflected in the water.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase original and prints here

"Preserving" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Preserving" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

This piece reminds me of pine needles along a watery path with cloud reflections.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase the original and prints here

"Loving" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Loving" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

I named this one Loving because I was totally loving the colors and beauty of this piece as I created it.  The other thing I really love about oil and cold wax is the beautiful soft matte finish.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase original and prints here

"Listening" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Listening" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

I went with a cooler look with this little painting by not bringing in the reds.  It reminds me of the beautiful waters around the island in Florida where I live.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase original and prints here.

"Hoping" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Hoping" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

I love the colors that came out in this piece and the nice composition that resulted from the oil and cold wax process.  Some things can be controlled in this process, but not everything, and for me, that's the beauty of working in this medium.  You never really know how things will end up!  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

To purchase original and prints, click herehttp://www.marcybrennanart.com/large-multi-view/Works%20on%20Paper/2631632-5-213002/Painting.html#.VkuYooRB4R4

"Crossing" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Crossing" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

This is part of the series on paper I worked during October using a limited palette of three colors plus white.  This one is primarily done in red with lots of cross-hatching.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Purchase the original and prints here.

"Creating" - Oil and Cold Wax by Marcy Brennan

"Creating" - 8" x 6" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on paper mounted to wood cradled panel - $50

This is the first in a series of oil and cold wax on paper.  I'd never used paper for this process before, so these were an experiment for me.  Happily, they all turned out great, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.  I used a limited color palette of cobalt blue, lemon yellow and cadmium red deep with of course white.  Red, yellow and blue are the three primary colors from which all colors are derived.  It's amazing the range of colors one can get with just 3 colors and white.  I think this was the most fun part of the process - seeing how far I could take the colors.  It was originally worked on paper and then mounted on a 8"x6" cradled wood panel with 1.5" deep edges painted black.  It is ready to hang without a frame.

Buy original or prints here.

Savannas Morning - in Juried Show and SOLD!

Savannas Morning - 20.5" x 19.5" x 1.5" oil and cold wax on cradled wood panel - SOLD

Now on Display at the Martin County Court House Cultural Center at 80 East Ocean Blvd., Stuart, FL - This painting was juried into the Martin County Cultural Art Council's 25th Annual All Florida Juried Arts Show and is on display through Nov 14, 2015

This painting was inspired by my forays into the Savannas Recreation Area plein air painting this past winter. It's a jewel right here in the midst of Ft. Pierce. The 1.5" deep edges are painted black and the top is finished with a clear coat of cold wax buffed to a nice sheen.

I "Heart" the Fauves and Art Appreciation Month

Raoul Dufy - The River

August is artist appreciation month! I would like to thank the team over at Patience Brewster for telling me about August as Art Appreciation month, and moving me to write about what or who has inspired my art.  Patience Brewster is a small, one-artist company, creating unique ornaments, gifts and textiles from start to finish.I invite you to check out Patience Brewster's website, especially their Christmas ornaments page, filled with adorable, whimsical ornaments.  Don't even ask me to choose a favorite -- I love them all!

The inspiration for my art comes not from one particular artist but from an art movement known as Fauvism.  Fauvism was a movement in modern art in the early twentieth century.  Pronounced, "\ˈfō-ˌvi-zəm\, it was a movement typified by the work of Henri Matisse and characterized by vivid colors, free treatment of form, and a resulting vibrant and decorative effect.  There were other artists also known as fauvists and whose work I've always admired:  Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gaugin, Paul Cezanne, and Raoul Dufy, whose painting, The River, is shown above.

Fauvism valued individual expression, the artist's emotional response to nature, and his intuition were all more important than academic theory.  The Fauvists simplified forms and saturated colors.  Color, mood and structure did not have to be true to nature.

I think I've always loved how colorful the Fauvists' paintings were and the more naive, simple look to their drawings.  Some outlined subjects in their paintings with paint as in the painting above.  For some reason, this type of painting has always fascinated me.

I love the freedom and seeming abandon with which the artists painted their subjects in the Fauvist style and I seek to have this same approach in my own paintings.

There are a few contemporary artists who fit into the Fauvist genre and whose work I have long admired.  One is Taos, New Mexico artist Inger Kirby.  Her work is very similar to the style in the Dufy painting above, but with brighter colors.  Another is Kansas City artist Anne Garney.  She paints brilliantly colored city landscapes and scenes set in the Caribbean islands.  Both of these artists are an inspiration to me.  Not that I paint like them, but their freedom with color certainly finds it way into my own work.

River Shallows 1 Oil & Cold Wax Painting by Marcy Brennan

River Shallows 1 - 10"x8"x2" Oil & Cold Wax Painting - $150

This painting was inspired by the colors of the waters of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The 2-inch deep edges are painted black and the top is finished with a clear coat of cold wax buffed to a nice sheen.

Purchase the original or prints, click here.

Savannas Morning - Oil and Cold Wax Painting by Marcy Brennan

Savannas Morning - Oil & Cold Wax on 21.5" x 19.5" x 1.5" on cradled wood panel - $500

This painting was inspired by my forays into the Savannas Recreation Area plein air painting this past winter. It's a jewel right here in the midst of Ft. Pierce. This painting was inspired by my forays into the Savannas Recreation Area plein air painting this past winter. It's a jewel right here in the midst of Ft. Pierce.The 1.5" deep edges are painted black and the top is finished with a clear coat of cold wax buffed to a nice sheen.

Purchase original or a print, click here.

Caribbean Waters Oil and Cold Wax Painting by Marcy Brennan

Caribbean Waters, 30"x30" oil and cold wax on cradled wood board - $1200

This painting was inspired by the Caribbean colored waters of our beautiful Fort Pierce inlet that I can see from our condo every day. The colors swirl and change with the tides. This painting has that same swirling movement and texture. The 2.5 inch deep edges are painted black.

To purchase the original or prints, click here.

Memories of Ana Ruby Falls - Oil and Cold Wax Painting by Marcy Brennan

Memories of Ana Ruby Falls - 30"x30"x2.5" Oil & Cold Wax on Cradled Wood Panel - $1200

This painting was inspired by my trip to Ana Ruby Falls near Helen, GA in June while visiting my daughter. I could have stayed there for days admiring the beauty! The 2.5" deep edges are painted black and the top is finished with a clear coat of cold wax buffed to a nice sheen.

To purchase the original or prints of this painting, click here.

Lake at Sunset Acrylic on Gallery Canvas by Marcy Brennan

Lake at Sunset - 36"x36" acrylic on gallery canvas - $1200

This painting was inspired by a photo taken at Lake of the Ozarks by Gary Brennan, my husband's son.  It was painted with palette knife with lots of thick paint.  It has a glossy varnish on it and the 1.5" deep side edges are painted black.

To purchase, click here

New Art Studio!

After a month long renovation, my new studio at Orange Ave Studios, downtown Fort Pierce, is finally complete.  I moved all my painting gear from home and got it all organized and started work on a new painting last Saturday.  It was so great to have it finished and all my finished paintings hung!!!  I still need to paint the door as you can see, but that will be a quick process.  That cute chair in the corner will also get a coat of paint at some point.

There is even space to teach a small class at the long table!  Tonight for Art Walk, I will be teaching people how to paint a 3"x5" pear in acrylic paint on paper that they can paint in just a few minutes and take home with them.  A "Make and Take".  Perhaps it will inspire people to come back for a class.  ;-)

Oil and Cold Wax Class

Goodness, it's been way too long since I've posted!!  I was just in the most wonderful oil and cold wax class this weekend with all the same artists I learned it with initially last year.  We all had such a great time this time! Much more relaxed and less frenzied since we all knew what to expect and have been creating oil and cold wax over the past year.

Here are my 12 completed pieces.  The first four are 8"x8", the second four are 10"x10" and the last four are 12"x12".  Once they have dried, I will buff them out with a clear coat of wax, photograph them and put them for sale on my website.  It was great fun, and I worked all the pieces in a complimentary palette.  I've been working on a 100 artworks challenge for the past few months in watercolor using the three complimentary palettes of red/green, yellow/purple and orange/blue, so that whole idea just spilled over into my oil and cold wax pieces this weekend.  I plan to keep working more oil and cold wax as it's just a different and fun medium to work in.  These are all done on wood panels with 2" deep sides painted black.  They are ready to hang without any hardware.  There is LOTS of texture in each piece, which you may not be able to really see in the photos - but it's there. ;-)

It's quite the messy process!  Here's my work area at the end of two days of class:

I have some beautiful "mono-prints" on newsprint from the subtractive process of the oil and cold wax.  I plan to mount the best ones on card stock, coat with resin and add matting to sell these pieces too.  They will be on either my website or etsy when I finish them.

Evening Glow - Abstract Expressionist Acrylic Painting by Marcy Brennan

Evening Glow - Abstract Expressionist Acrylic Painting - 40"x30" - $1200

I painted this painting twice!  It's an abstracted impression of my sister's backyard.  She and her family live about 10 miles west of the turnpike off Okeechobee Road in the "country" where cattle graze in idyllic pastures and our famous Indian River citrus grows.  Several months ago, we were out there for dinner, and the sun was setting and casting a beautiful light across their backyard.  I snapped a few photos.  Later, I decided to paint the scene you see in the photo below below.  The first painting was a really bad attempt at a more realistic expression of the scene and not at all what I had in mind.  But there were some beautiful green mixes, so I incorporated those in the more abstract expressionist scene you see above.  It turned out exactly how I had envisioned it.  Sometimes, it takes two paintings to get where we want one painting to end up!

My reference photo of the scene:

Buy original and prints here.

New Abstract Watercolors in 100 Paintings Challenge

These are number 5-8 of my abstract watercolor paintings for the 100 Paintings Challenge

I'm actually through 52 paintings, but it takes time to scan them all.  So I'll just post 4 every day or so to get caught up.

I'm using 3 different watercolor palettes of complimentary colors.  One is red and green colors, one is blue and orange colors and one is yellow and purple colors.  Complimentary colors painted together give some interesting subtle grays, so this has been a fun and enlightening exercise.

March's Drawing Winner

The winner of the drawing for a free set of six 5"x5" notecards/envelopes of my painting, Close to Your heart is:

Sandra Maillet - Sandra, please email me at marcybrennan@comcast.net and let me know where you would like me to send your free gift.

If I don't hear from Sandra within 30 days, I will draw another winner.

Round Island Cove Plein Air Oil Painting by Marcy Brennan

Round Island Cove Plein Air Oil on 8"x10" canvas panel - $150

This was painted en plein air at at a beautiful state park on North Hutchinson Island called Round Island. Lots of people go there to kayak. The bay is surrounded by little islands, so the water is warm there and manatee spottings are frequent. In fact, there were two in the bay when I got there.

Buy original and prints here.

Peaceful Morning Plein Air Oil Painting by Marcy Brennan

Peaceful Morning Plein Air Oil Painting - oil on 10" x 8" canvas panel - $150

This was painted en plein air at a lady's house in west Fort Pierce. She was so gracious to invite our plein air group out, and we had gorgeous weather and a lovely morning of painting.

Purchase original and prints here.

100 Paintings Challenge

An artist I've been Instagramming with for about six months, Kellee Wynne Conrad, came up with a pretty interesting challenge - paint 100 paintings in the same medium/style/subject matter/theme with no ending date.  I, along with about 200 other artists, including my studio mate Judith Levy, took up the challenge that began Mar 15th.

I had such a hard time deciding the medium and the subject.  It's not that I couldn't think of anything - on the contrary, I had so many ideas, I had a hard time narrowing them all down.   I've been wanting to experiment and play in two different areas:  food/flowers in acrylics and abstracts in watercolor.  I also have been wanting to do lots of small oil and cold wax abstracts.  I vacillated back and forth for several weeks and finally decided on the abstract watercolors after being inspired by one of my favorite artists that I also Instagram with, Christina Baker.  Her lovely abstract watercolors were the turning point in my decision.  She is primarily an acrylic abstract painter but has recently decided to give watercolor a go - and her experiments are gorgeous.

Another factor in my final decision was that I'd purchased a slew of watercolors and three palettes about two years ago after reading Joyce Washor's latest book on watercolors.  She is all about complimentary color palettes and listed all the colors she uses for each of the three complimentary palettes of yellow/purple, red/green and blue/orange.  So I figured after investing in these paints and having a big block of beautiful Aquarelle Arches watercolor paper collecting dust in my closet, that it was time to put it all to use!

I measured and cut the 12"x16" pieces of paper into four 6"x8" pieces so that they are ready to go.  Working small keeps costs down and saves time in painting as well.  The idea in a challenge like this is to create LOTS of work and keep moving and experimenting.  Using large sheets or canvases, makes each one too "precious" and tends to hold us back from really playing and taking chances.

Having all the paper in a nice stack ready to paint on means I won't procrastinate starting when I have a few minutes here and there.  I usually work four 6"x8" pieces at a time (one right after another) using one of the complimentary colors palettes.  Then the next four pieces are painted with the second palette and so on.  My first 12 paintings were done without taping down the paper and I didn't like how ruffled the paper got, so I've begun taping the paper to foam core to keep it from buckling as bad.  My friend Judith also told me that I can iron watercolor paper on the non-painted side to get it perfectly flat.  Brilliant!

Thus far, I've finished 24 paintings, so I'm one-fourth of the way there.  I try to put the color down and stop while it's fresh.  I learned the hard way on the third one below that overworking ruins the painting.  However, I came in with soft pastel in the "bad" spot and saved the piece to the point it's one of my favorites.

My plan is to mount these on 5"x7"x 2" deep cradled wood panels that are painted black.  Then finish them off with either cold wax or lacquer.  Using either of these finishing mediums means that the paintings don't have to be matted behind glass.  I would like to do all of them (depending on the cost) or a group of my favorites and submit them for a solo show somewhere.  I've researched lacquer over watercolor paper and can't find much about whether this is viable (i.e., won't ruin the painting).  If anyone knows whether this is possible, I'd love to hear from you.

Here are the first four paintings that were painted using the red/green palette:

Have you ever participated in a painting challenge?  If so, did you learn from it and did it make you a better artist?  Did you have some goals starting out to work toward?  What medium and subject matter did you choose to do? Let me hear from you!

Azaleas Landscape Oil Painting by Marcy Brennan

Azaleas Landscape Oil Painting by Marcy Brennan - Oil on 10"x8" canvas panel - $150

This is painted from a photo I took while out plein air painting at a lady's house in west Fort Pierce. She was so gracious to invite our plein air group out, and we had gorgeous weather and a lovely morning of painting.

Purchase original and prints here.

Savannas Seclusion Plein Air Painting by Marcy Brennan

Savannas Seclusion Plein Air Painting - 10"x8" oil on canvas panel - $150

This beautiful area in Savannas Recreation Area is surrounded by wetlands, but is like a little oasis.  There's a beautiful pond full of water lilies and lots of natural plants and trees.  I found some shade under an oak and painted this while chatting with another artist.  Lovely day!

To purchase original or prints, click here

Sun Bathers by Marcy Brennan

Sun Bathers - 12"x12" acrylic on canvas - NFS

When I was looking through my photos of beach scenes I'd taken in the past, I came across this one of North Beach that I've used on my real estate website for several years.  I wanted a beach scene to paint as a wedding gift for a young lady I've known since she was a little girl -- my previous pastor's daughter.  They've since moved to Kentucky and a different church, but this young lady fell in love before they left and now they are getting married and she'll be living in Florida again!  Her whole family lived close to the beach and spent lots of time there during the many years they lived on the Treasure Coast.  So happy for Katy and Smith and wish them many happy years together.  Hope they enjoy this painting for a very long time!

View from the Winery Plein Air Oil Painting by Marcy Brennan

"View from the Winery" - 8"x10" oil on canvas panel - $150

This is a plein air painting I painted on site at the Endless Summer Winery. It is a scene of the countryside behind the winery on a separate property. It was a blustery day that was very comfortable while I painted this scene, but quickly turned cold and windy once I'd finished. The structure on the property was rather plain looking, so my artistic license called for a red door to make this little scene pop.  It brought the house up to be the real focal point of the painting.

To purchase the original and prints, click here.

Heathcote Hanging Flower Baskets, Plein Air Painting by Marcy Brennan

Heathcote Hanging Flower Baskets - 5" x 7" mixed media

This is a plein painting I did in February in the the Heathcote Botanical Gardens. The weather was set to "perfect" that day! I tried something a bit different. I usually paint en plein air using oils. I was inspired by the art of Loriann Signori, a Washington DC artist who works in watercolor and pastels. The underpaining is in watercolor with pastel on top, then ink and charcoal. This is a very impressionistic style and I'm liking it a lot!

Buy original and prints here.

Brush With Nature at Adam's Ranch Plein Air Paintings by Marcy Brennan

Brush With Nature at Adam's Ranch Plein Air Paintings

I was at Adam's Ranch Jan 24th with other plein air painters to paint this beautiful Florida ranch.  My plein air paintings generally take me about 2 to 2-1/2 hours to complete, with more work needed in the studio to "tweak" them.  There were two spots I wanted to paint, so I had to get in there and get right to work.  In the morning, I stopped fairly close to the entrance, just around the bend from the main road to paint this nice open pasture.  I especially loved the trees in the distance.

"Peaceful Pasture", 8"x10" oil on canvas panel - $150

Buy Original and Prints here.

"Chasing Light" - 10" x 8" oil on canvas panel - $150

In the afternoon, I painted with two artists from Palm City and my friend and studio mate, Judith.  We sat under hundred year old oaks that protected us from the winds that were kicking up that whole day.  I decided to include one of the artists sitting in front of me on the banks of the sulfur spring in my painting.  I was painting in my usual oils and she and her friend were doing watercolor.  Judith was working in her favorite, acrylics.  The artist in front of me did two beautiful watercolors!  I wish I'd gotten a photo of them to share.  What attracted me to this scene were the palms on the left.  I really loved how they were intertwined, sort of like doing a dance with each other, and the way the afternoon light was hitting them, turning them a warm orange color.

Buy original and prints here.

Have you ever just sat in a peaceful spot and watched the way the light moves and changes and enjoyed the colors change with it?  It's a great way to spend some time in nature and enjoy creation.  It's pretty awesome!

Art Mundo's Brush With Nature Day at Adam's Ranch to Plein Air Paint

Art Mundo's Brush With Nature Day at Adam's Ranch to Plein Air Paint

It was a gorgeous and magical day of painting at Bud Adam's ranch with fellow artists today!  Bud is so gracious to allow us to come out and enjoy the beauty of his ranch, the animals and the incredible natural scenery.  By the way, Bud is an accomplished photographer, and the Indian River Magazine features one of his photos on the last page of each edition.  He's known for conservation and good stewardship of his land, and his landscape and wildlife photos attest to that.

I didn't take as much time to take photos this year as I took scads of photos last time I was out, but didn't get much painting done my first time out either.  It's a big area to drive around and scope out. After my first experience, I knew pretty much where I wanted to set up this time and so I got to painting.  But I thought I'd share the photos I did take today because it was just so GORGEOUS!!!

Since I paint in oils, there is always something to tweak and/or clean up before showing them off. Lots of little pieces of gunk stuck to my last painting, so it's going to have to dry so I can clean it off. Once the oil is dry, I then add a coat of Liquin to make the colors pop and give the piece a bit of a sheen.  Then that has to dry before I can scan it for a good photo to post.  So I will share my two finished paintings in a week or so.  For now, here are the photo.

This is the first scene I painted this morning.  Rain was predicted and it came and went before I even started.  This is a huge pasture and ideal for painting.  However, as the morning wore on, the wind picked up and about blew me away.  It was rather exciting, though, to paint some gray, moody skies to add atmosphere to my painting.  After finishing the first painting, I cleaned up, loaded everything into my car and headed to the oak hammock farther in for my second painting.

The sun was out by noon and it was gorgeous, though still windy.  I would have loved to set up and paint here, but there was literally nowhere to park my car to get it off the road.  Since it's a one-lane road, that wasn't happening.  A studio painting is in order for this one!

This is a closeup of horses in the huge pasture where I did my first painting.  I've never painted a horse!  Maybe I will give it a go with these beauties.  :-D

This is actually where the ranch we are allowed into begins.  That's a primitive old cabin, and it has the only bathroom out there.  Beyond that, it's the woods baby!

This is a closeup of the cows in the big pasture I did for my first painting.  They are simply blobs of burnt sienna and orange in the distance in my painting.  I absolutely LOVE the grayed greens and naples yellow in the trees in this photo.  Another painting perhaps!

The one-lane road along the canal - took this on my way back out at the end of the day.

Same one-lane road along the canal on my way out to the oak hammock.  Another nice shot for a studio painting!  I love the contrast of the reddish color bushes in front of the green trees in the scene!

Looking back before the last bend to go out toward the rustic cabin this afternoon.  It was becoming the "golden hour" with long, beautiful shadows.

More horses at play in the pasture of my first painting.  They kind of disappeared once I set up to paint.  Hmmm

Last bend on the way out this afternoon.  Good one for a studio painting.

Another of the last bend on way out.

On the way out the gate to the ranch offices and entrance.  Love the lone palm tree!

Oak Hammock where we were painting in the afternoon.  All the trees protected us from the wind and it was an absolutely lovely couple hours of painting!

Huge old oak in last pasture before going out last gate to ranch office.

Palm thicket - not something I'd try to tackle painting!  But I thought it was interesting.

Canal area off oak hammock where we were painting.  I really wanted to set up and paint out here for my second painting, but it was way too windy, and I'd had enough of that for one day.  ;-)

Brenda,  an artist I met today from Palm City was sitting next to the sulphur pond doing a plein air watercolor.  Her work is amazing, and my friend and I are wanting to set her up to teach a watercolor workshop at Art Mundo.  She teaches 5 acrylics classes a week at the Stuart Art Store.  I decided to put her into my second painting and it turned out great.  Plus she was happy to oblige! She was with her friend Jennifer and the so the four of us linked up, had our lunch and painted away. 

Making the left turn onto the east loop that goes to the oak hammock and tree house.

Another photo of the spot on the canal off the oak hammock.  There's so much color out there!!!

I hope you enjoyed touring Adam's Ranch with me.  Let me know what you think of our Florida habitat.  It's taken me about 20 years since leaving the beauty of the mountains and high desert of New Mexico behind, but I've finally grown to love painting palm trees and the wild beauty of my native Florida!