bumpers

 
(4x9)
From a reference photo at the Painting Loft; I zoomed in on the bumpers.
I finally opened up a block of Kilimanjaro paper I've had for awhile and tried it out. It's okay, but, for some reason, I think it responds better is you use a lot of pigment ... I think I could have painted this more lightly, transparently, if I were using my favorite, Fabriano, but I could be wrong--maybe it's just the heat and humidity!
I used a triad of bright violet (Holbein), new gamboge, and ultramarine. Added a bit of azo orange too, which mixed nicely with the bright violet.

peaches

 
(5x7)
A challenge from the Painting Loft, a supportive community of artists with numerous groups and challenges.
I did a rather elaborate drawing of this first time around: and painted it so weakly and tightly--I immediately tore it up (sorry now: wish I had saved it to post!).
This time, I worked smaller and did not spend much time drawing. I turned the reference and my painting upside down and started with the peaches; after I put down color, I'd flood it with clear water. It helped me not get too involved with what turned out to be a surprisingly complex subject.
Though I wish I had stopped sooner: the unfinished version below is brighter and has more of a focus.

beach day

(4x6)
Went to the beach yesterday and it was lovely; nice rolling waves to float on.
I made this little sketch in my Strathmore journal, attracting the attention of a few little girls who were shyly fascinated.
Also surreptitiously took a few photos for later paintings.

brandywine shoal light

(10x15)
A lighthouse in the Delaware Bay, one of the prettiest.
Now that I've photographed I see I need to darken the values in the foreground a bit.
 As I did to Negotiator, below.

one for two

 
(7x11)
Two seagull paintings I've been working on today: one works, the other not so much! In the second one, I can't really see the eyes in my photo, but I went ahead and tried to paint them anyway: bad move.
I'll let it dry and see if it's salvageable, if not, redraw it and try again.

 
(7x11)
Marnold commented on the fishing boat name, Negotiator, in my last post: it's fun to look at and think of boat names. My kayak is La Estrellita Amarilla; I wanted to call one of the boats Spuyten Duyvil (Spitting Devil, or literally, "devil's spout" in Dutch) but no one else can remember it.
There are two fishing boats down here whose names I like, the Instigator and the Agitator, in large part because that's what we used to call my two younger brothers when they were little: they were forever at each others' throats--one instigating and the other agitating. I was always put between them to keep them apart: call me the Separator.

negotiator

(11x15)
I think I need to make the water darker on the right, but I'll wait a few days.
Tomorrow, back to Smilla paintings, but today I'll be trying to retrieve all the photos in my Picasa file, which turned up empty this morning: that's what I get, I suppose, for letting other people use my computer: Never again!

Afternoon update: By doing a "system restore" on my computer, I was able to retrieve my 1000-plus photos!

 
(11x15)

Independence Day

 
(5x7)
Happy 4th of July from the Delaware Bay.

 
(5x7)

smilla and roses

(11x15)
A small numbers of details to finish here, but I can't be sure I'll get to them this weekend!
Yesterday I did another drawing of Smilla, this time with gladiolas and hostas. I'm going to keep this series with Smilla going as long as I can, and as long as Smilla cooperates with new poses. 
Spending some time this weekend planning a bulb garden in an about 4x8-foot patch just inside my gate: the irises and daffodils were so beautiful this spring, next spring I want many more, and allium, lilies, and anemones too!