Morning Breaks Eternal and Happy New Year!

Morning Breaks Eternal, 30 x 30, oil on canvas, L. Daniel© 2023

SOLD

This early morning scene took my breath away. The rim of mountains in the distance and glorious sky beckoned a new and glorious day. What a sweet way to get started! 

Happy New Year to all! Heartfelt, though a little belated! :)

2023 SPRING WORKSHOPS (click here and join me):
April 14-15 - The Contemporary Austin Art School in Austin, TX
May 4-6 - Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA
 

Sunrise Glow - Show Tip #25

Sunrise Glow, 30 x 40, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2016

Sold in Solo Show, "Chasing Color, Finding Light", Davis Gallery

Sunrise at the beach, well, what beats that? The promise of a new day, the sound of ocean waves and coastal birds, and that unmistakable golden light... all fabulous reasons to get up and out there. :)

Show Tip #25 - Take Care of Business

Keeping track of the details for any show is critical. Before I drop my new paintings at the gallery, I will make an inventory/price list to go with them. My list will include the title, size, medium, price and date finished for each piece. This is not just important for me, it's also important for whoever is curating the show. My gallery uses this list for labels, sales and marketing; and it is constantly referenced throughout the duration of the show. In addition, I label the back of each piece with that same information, plus my name. I keep everything as consistent as possible to avoid confusion. Incomplete or sloppy information makes their job harder, if not impossible. So, I'm making the list and checking it twice (or thrice). 

Here are links to other Show Tips:

Tip #1 - Stock up on Supplies
Tip #2 - Set up Deadlines
Tip #3 - Determine Subject Matter

Tip #4 - Work in Series

Tip #5 - Establish a Schedule

Tip #6 - Be Kind to YOU

Tip #7 - Follow your Heart

Tip #8 - Stay Flexible

Tip #9 - Whistle While You Work

Tip #10 - Fight Through Fears

Tip #11 - Take Notes

Tip #12 - Know when to Quit

Tip #13 - Stay Updated

Tip #14 - Balance Effort and Ease

Tip #15 - Assign Tasks

Tip #16 - Step Back 

Tip #17 - Sign As You Go

Tip #18 - Take Your Best Shot

Tip #19 - Celebrate Growth

Tip #20 - Varnishing Day(s)

Tip #21 - Frame Incrementally

Tip #22 - Deep Six Your Doubts

Tip #23 - Get the Word Out

Tip #24 - Stay The Course

Painters - join me at this Plein Air Workshop:

April 28-30, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA

Contact Info: Mary Anderson, 912-634-8414

Ocean Sunrise - Georgia Coast

Ocean Sunrise, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2015

SOLD

Early morning on the beach is always a surprise and delight. Some days the sun rises like a "red rubber ball" and other days it is soft and shrouded in the cool blues of cloud cover. On this particular morning it was the latter (my favorite actually), and I was happy to be out there, setting up in the dark, full of anticipation. Right on time, the sun slipped up the horizon quietly and subtly, and ever so elegantly. 

See more Small Works

Morning Pause

Morning Pause, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2014

SOLD

Walking on the beach at sunrise is a wonderful way to start the day. I highly recommend it whenever possible. :) This early morning scene is on St. Simons Island, on the Georgia coast, my home away from home. There is a magical moment when the sun creeps over the horizon and beams out its light. I have to pause and watch every time. It's mesmerizing and rejuvenating.

You may remember a small study I did of just the egret for this painting. Click HERE to revisit that post.

Morning Blessing and Capitol Glow - upcoming show!

Morning Blessing, 24 x 24, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2013 - SOLD

Capitol Glow, 18 x 18, oil on canvas © 2013

These two paintings will be in my upcoming show...

Landscapes: Interior-Exterior 

Opening October 5, 2013 at the Davis Gallery in Austin, Texas.

The show will include landscapes of nature (my usual) AND landscapes of daily life (I've branched out to include interiors, exteriors and cityscapes). Painting for this exhibit has been a stimulating time of artistic stretching and personal discovery for me. I have been pretty much hibernating for these last few weeks and months to get the work done. Sometimes shutting down all distractions is mandatory. :)

After much thought about how to share these paintings with you, I have decided to reveal two images at a time - each from a different category. I had fun pairing them up and hope you will enjoy seeing their commonalities and differences. Please stay tuned!

Morning Train - No Place Like Home

Morning Train - Mopac Bridge, 12 x 12, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

SOLD

Can't you just hear Arlo Guthrie now... "Good morning, America, how are you?... I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done."

We have a pedestrian bridge in Austin that crosses Lady Bird Lake, and it's a perfect spot to watch the sun rise on the city. On this particular morning, a train happened to be crossing the Mopac Bridge in the distance (named for Missouri-Pacific Railroad). Trains are always fuel for the imagination and I loved the boxy silhouette this one made. 

No Place Like Home 

Davis Gallery Group Show - 837 W. 12th, Austin

Opening reception - Saturday, April 20, 2013, 7-9pm

Morning Sky

Morning Sky (study), 8 x 6, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

SOLD

Another beautiful morning on the Kaneohe Bay... A wild cloud coverage masked the morning light in a moment of true drama. To stop everything and simply watch was the only proper response. I never cease to wonder and be amazed.

Daybreak

Daybreak, 6 x 8, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

Sold

This is the view from my daughter and son-in-law's condo. Every day we woke up in Hawaii to a new sky with amazing colors and clouds. It was not hard to rise and shine! 

Glorious Morning (enlarged)

Glorious Morning, L. Daniel, 18 x 36

This is a studio piece inspired by a smaller, early morning painting finished at the edge of Lake Austin. I did a series of sunrises back in November, and this was my favorite "moment" of the morning. This painting will be included in my upcoming show at the Davis Gallery.

Please visit my website for a preview of all my paintings for the exhibit.
Read my show review in American Art Collector April issue (p. 104).

A New Day

A New Day, L. Daniel, 8 x 6, SOLD

I must say it is great to be painting again after my little technology detour!!!!  For this scene I worked from a photograph snapped on my way home from the coast last month... a stunning morning on the water when the early light was piercingly bright. It was one of those moments where I just had to pull over and let myself be mesmerized for a minute. (That morning, it happened several times!)


Thanks to all of you who visited my new website, for all your kind words of encouragement, and for signing up for my newsletter! BTW, I am inviting you all to sign up for my newsletter because I can't send it to you without permission (I could get in trouble for spamming.) Individuals must personally subscribe. So please check out my new site and sign up for the newsletter if you are interested!  www.laureldaniel.com


See more Small Works

Glorious Morning 3

Glorious Morning 3, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD

It's so interesting to watch how the rising sun changes the colors of the landscape. This series of paintings depicts the transformation of a single morning in about 15 minute increments. In the final painting, the fog on the water lights up and mutes the distant shore. The cloudy sky also added to the show on this particular morning. It was a fun exercise in observation.

See more Small Works

Below are all three paintings in chronological order...

Glorious Morning 2

Glorious Morning 2, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD 

As the sun rises just above the horizon, there is a moment or two when the sky turns prismatic in color. Painting it en plein air can be a challenge because it all morphs so quickly. I began by blocking in the shapes on the horizon while it was still dark(er), and then focused completely on the the sky as the colors began to emerge. I committed to a moment in time, which meant I was soon painting from memory and NOT chasing the changes in color and light. (Hard to resist, but necessary!) This is the second of my series of three small sunrise paintings. 


See more Small Works

Glorious Morning 1

Glorious Morning 1, L. Daniel, 6 x 8, SOLD 

A couple of weeks ago, I got out early in the morning to paint the sunrise. I finished one on location (will show you that tomorrow) and then came home to paint two more of that magnificent, 30 minute light show. It happens fast! This was the "crack" of dawn, which happened just before sunrise, and the first in the mini series of three. 

See more Small Works

PS - I waited to post them until I could finish a larger painting of this one... will post that later as well.