beach shack

There's a row of these rickety shacks on the wild side of Aruba, by Baby Beach and the prison. I am not sure I want to know the purpose of them but I like their artistic look. Barely put together, made of tin and wood, they look like they could just topple over into the waves.
High cliffs were behind me while taking this photo, and wild goats wandered around the grassy area by the beach. I'd like to go back and explore the few dirt roads in this area.

Large shell

This was drawn from an 8" long shell that I found in Aruba. The background effect was done by sprinkling salt onto the wet paint.

Eagle Beach

A colorful scene sketched and painted on our beach. The stand is where the Jet Ski operaters set up. This is looking north.

Table for two

A tiny sketch that I did during dinner at the beach restaurant.

archway

Getting on toward evening (which came at about 6:30), the sky was a pretty blue against the orange roofs.

Two beach scenes

While standing in the water, I drew a scene about 9" long showing a good portion of Eagle beach. I am showing it in bits and pieces, because it looks better. I painted it later on. It was actually fun to draw with the waves bumping into me, threatening to soak my paper.

Lion

This is an early painting from my trip. I like the energy of it, and would like to try to acheive this look for more of my work. Slightly underworked with the focal point being the most detailed part of the painting. I think mood is a key factor- I sat down intending to read but decided to just scribble a little. I was just having fun and not intending to do a 'serious painting'.
Funny how that works.

view from archway

This is one of the first paintings I did in Aruba, and one of the few I have decided to keep. The rest I mailed away to friends and relatives.

Two scenes from the balcony

There was such a gorgeous moon that I couldn't help but paint it. Above the pool , bar and restaurant area there is a covered lounge area which was never used by any other guests but our group. (those obnoxious Americans!) There are some lovely views from up there and it was great for reading or painting, and enjoying the breeze.

Aruba

I just spent a week in Aruba for a wedding. The entire family stayed at The Amsterdam Manor, a resort filled with charming little courtyards and artistic cactus plantings. Each day I discovered a new corner in which to sketch. I felt so spoiled to have time to just sit down and take as long as I liked with a sketch. I would usually jump into the ocean after a sketching session. According to the locals, it was very hot for this time of year. These paintings were done on Strathmore watercolor postcards so I can send these in the mail.