Pensacola Beach Sunset

Pensacola Beach Sunset                       8x10 oil

I painted this piece in memory of my mother-in-law who was buried in December.  She lived most of her life in Gulf Breeze, Florida, just a stone's throw from Pensacola Beach.  The evening before her funeral, my family and I witnessed this beautiful sunset on the beach and it seemed a perfect memorial to her.  It now hangs in our home to remind us of her.

If I seemed absent online in 2013, it's because my husband and I have entered a season of helping with family illnesses.  Besides my mother-in-law's Alzheimers, my father experienced a devastating stroke last April and my sister is battling breast cancer, so I've spent a lot of time in California with them and will continue to do so for a period of time.  

2013 also brought the early retirement of my husband and the pursuit of his "encore career."  David will be working with a non-profit that empowers poor women in mostly developing countries.  He loves international travel and will be doing a lot of it.  I'll be tagging along on a trip now and then, and am looking forward to the paintings it will inspire.  I loved painting portraits of the people of South Africa when I returned from that trip, and am looking forward to painting more beautiful faces.

Meanwhile, painting has seemed to happen in short bursts, and posting seems not to have happened at all.  In March, I hope to show you the pieces that I have accomplished since last fall.  The 2014 ArtWalk season begins next month, and you'll be able to find me in my studio on First Fridays.  I'm also once again participating in the Pikes Peak Studio Tour next September, so you'll have a chance to visit me in my home studio then.

Sorry for the length of this post--I've blatantly broken my "one paragraph post" rule, but I wanted to touch base with you all and assure you that I'm still painting and hope to be back on a regular basis when circumstances allow.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!