Kiawah 2018

we must be pretty good houseguests because we keep getting invited to spend time with friends at their Kiawah Island, SC low country home. Last month we spent several lovely, if rainy, days enjoying Springtime in South Carolina. This time I had a fun thing happen: a few days before leaving I had been looking at paintings on Daily Paintworks and saw a painting of the Kiawah area. Intrigued, I contacted the artist, Colleen Parker, and learned that she lives on Kiawah and is active in a plein air painters group there. She was very welcoming and even organized a group paintout during my stay! Here are the results of my painting adventures during the week:

So the first foray with my gear was out the back door of our house to do a quick sketch of the pretty little pond on the 18th hole. The weather was getting iffy real fast, so I found a spot between a Palmetto and a palm tree out of the wind and only 50 or so feet from house so I could dash back in when the rain arrived. Fortunately, it held off long enough to get a satisfying plein air sketch done.

Turtle Point Pond  8x10 plein air sketch $220

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​The rain kept us all indoors for a couple of days, so I set up my setup and painted in the kitchen using a photo I had taken of the house across the street from us. I love the architecture of low-country homes... the elevated foundations, facades, pillars and arches. I love the shady, wooded feel of the live oaks and the tropical feel of palm trees everywhere. This house seems so charming, all yellow in the sun and cool teal in the shadows and it was a great way to spend that rainy day.

Kiawah Cottage  8x10 (from photo) oil  $220

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What a breezy day! There was no shelter from the chilly wind coming off the Atlantic and it was surprisingly cold for April in SC. I painted this quick sketch on site and then reworked it later to strengthen the values and colors. Usually when choosing a low horizon line the sky becomes the focal point, but I feel sure it's the water, dock and yellow marsh grass that draws the eye. This is how quick sketches can be informative and help the artist make future decisions in the field.

​Marsh Boatdock  4x6 plein air  $100

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At the end of the week the Kiawah plein air painting group gathered on the beach right below the beautiful Ocean Course clubhouse (which made it very easy to have a fantastic lunch when we finished painting!) The painters  were so welcoming and friendly and we each set up our gear and braved the intense sunlight and breezy conditions, hoping to capture some bit of what it felt like to be there. I found it challenging to develop a strong composition since I seem to prefer having a structure to anchor the lines. I loved how the wind created amazing ripples and color changes in the tide pool!

​Outgoing Tide  8x10 plein air  $200

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