3 Kinds of Beach Love

 

It's fun to have a bike at the beach. You can peddle into town for that new "beach book" you have been meaning to read.  Or, you can skim across the hard sand at low tide.  Or, you can leave it parked out front while you watch the sailboats glide by.

 

 

 

 

When you are this close to the beach do you really need a sign that points the way?  Probably not, but they are just so darn cute when you see them pointing the way at a rakish angle.

 

 

 

 

 

Fun at the beach is best when it is shared with friends and family.  Share some beach love this summer!

 

 

 

 

The Pilot's House

acrylic on canvas,

framed as shown 11" x 13"

image 5" x 7"

$165.00

©Maggie Ruley 2013

 

The inspiration for this cottage is the Pilot House on Simonton St. in Key West.

 

 

 

 

Beachside Charmer

Acrylic on canvas

framed as shown  13" x 11"

image size 7" x 5"

$165.00

©Maggie Ruley 2013

 

I love the ramshackle, sprawling form of the house.  You will find many of these "let's add on" cottages in Key West.

 

Good Neighbors
Acrylic on canvas
framed as shown 11" x 13"
image size 5" x 7"
$165.00
©Maggie Ruley 2013

Sometimes houses that are close together can be fun!

more paintings and pottery

Sultry and Soft

 

 

The weather in Key West was sultry and soft before I headed North.  Clouds would build up every afternoon, just threatening to rain, but not doing it.  Word is, after I left the rain started for real.  This scene is the little lagoon behind the Sugarloaf Lodge in my neighborhood.  I have painted this scene many times before and I never get tired of it.  The water is ever changing and those clumps of mangroves continue to grow. 

 

In this oil painting I wanted to incorporate those little flecks of light and activity that I like to use in my acrylic painting.  It was a soft day and I chose soft color and edges to reflect the mood.

 

This painting is 24" x 30" and a little too large for me to finish in one plein air session.  But I had a good handle on where I wanted to go before the light change was too drastic to continue painting.

 

 

Sugarloaf Lagoon

© Maggie Ruley 2013

oil on canvas

24" x 30"

$650

 

www.maggieruley.com



Just in time for summer!

  The word SUMMER unlocks an emotional response in almost everyone.  It is such a huge part of being a child.  Summer means FREEDOM AND FUN.  You go to the ponds and look for turtles and tadpoles.  You go fishing with your Grandfather and sailing with your friends.

 

You catch Dragonflies and lightning bugs and eat exotic fruit like pineapple.

 

All wonderful bright and sunny days.

 

Note to self:  it might be fun to put some lightning bugs on flip flops!

 

Dragonflies, turtles and other summer fun memories are captured on my cheerful ceramic flip flops.

 

A new batch of flip flops has come all the way to North Carolina with me and is headed to a wonderful store in New Bern called Carolina Creations.  Janet Francoeur has created a wonderful space filled with joyful creations.  And if you are ever in New Bern make sure you visit.  Tell her "Hi" and that Maggie sent you.  Or just do a little virtual traveling and click on the link.

 

I arrived in North Carolina yesterday to have my own summer family fun.  I did bring some paints, and if time allows I'll "dabble" a little. 

 

 

P.S.  I saved some flip flops for myself and my friends.  So if you can't make it to Carolina Creations send me an e-mail and will get you the pair that reminds you of your summers and vacations.

 

dragonflyartstudio@yahoo.com

Collage, easy and fun!

I have learned a new skill thanks to my 30 in 30 marketing challenge.  How to make a collage using an on line photo site called ipiccy.  It was easy, I ignored the download part and went right to edit photos and there was no problem.

Here is the collage created by our challenge leader Leslie Saeta, much more complicated than mine but I can see the potential in using this idea. 

Cloud reference photos for artists

 

Isn't this cow cloud cool?

 

 

I have added a page of some of my favorite cloud photos to my blog and I couldn't resist adding this cow cloud photo.  Feel free to use any of the cloud photos as references for paintings.  I know I am always grateful to the artists on wetcanvas.com who share there photos with other artists

I have accepted a challenge

 

SOLD

thank you 30 day challenge!

 

The artist portion of the blog land is full of challenges in which artists can participate.  They have always intrigued me, but I have never joined.  Until now.  Leslie Saeta has initiated a 30 day marketing challenge.  Each day she give us a marketing task to be completed that day.  Sometimes I like it when I am not the person coming up with the idea.  All I have to do is follow the instructions and voila, I have shared my art work with my friends.

 

Today's challenge is to give an older unsold work some love and share a link for friends to see it in a new light.  This lovely painting of Hilton Head Island is framed and looking for a home other than my dinning room, where it looks great by the way.  To see how it can move to your dinning room click here.

 

Any other artists want to take up the challenge? It is not too late (I think). Go to Leslie's Blog

Here in the south

Here in the south summer starts early.  We can just feel it comin' on.  The air gets heavy and the sky gets a little hazy.  Clouds billow up and the water in back country gets quiet.  It's going to be summer soon.  Long hot days and brilliant sunsets await us.  The Keys are beautiful in the summer.  Come on down for a long weekend.  Let me know your in town and I'll show you my studio.


Tranquil Reflection Redo
©Maggie Ruley 2013
10" x 8"
oil on panel
$145