Walking through the Tidal Pool

 When this little boy began to follow his sister through a tidal pool in the direction of the setting sun, I knew I had captured the perfect moment for this commission. In the final painting, I like the way I caught the sun's glow on their little bodies and its reflection on the water.

Standing at Sunset

This is one of the first commissions I did for a family of young adult children. It was a challenge. For years I had been posing young children engaged in typical beach activities - digging in the sand, making sandcastles or catching blue claw crabs. When I met up with this family at the beach, I instinctively went right to my comfort zone. I had them sit down in the sand, but no one started building a sandcastle, no one was digging. It was awkward. Hmmmm.

 

Then, in a flash of genius I yelled to them, "Just stand there!" I love when I remember to keep in simple!

Portrait of a Family in Summer

This is one of my favorites. I'm happy with the way I captured the warm temperature and light of a late summer afternoon. The composition works, too. The children are engaged in their activities -  all together, yet, still doing their own thing. So typical of this age.

If you compare the photo I worked from with the one of the finished painting, you can see that I made some big changes here. I eliminated the dune from the background and substituted more water. I think it was a good decision. I also painted the little guy in the wet suit from another photo I had taken that day. His mom thought he looked a little left out in this one. I think she was right. Yup, mother knows best!