Palms on the River, a Florida Plein Air Oil Landscape by Judy Batterson

Near the south bridge to New Smyrna Beach is a beautiful park along the river. I set up my pochade plein air art box there to focus on the palm trees. Using the artist prerogative, I arranged the composition on a small portion of what I saw in front of me. Painting alla prima, I used impressionistic strokes for the palms. The whole time I was thinking about how I love palm trees! They are always so filled with light, shadows and movement. So Florida! 5"H x 7"W Price: $ 75.00

Reeds and Red Boat, Florida Lake Landscape by Judy Batterson

Painting en plein air, I set up in the morning on a dock jutting into Lake Jessamine. On the shoreline was a little red boat pulled up into the reeds. The morning sun made the reeds golden with light. The lily pads and small palms caught the sunlight, too. While I was painting, the waves in the lake made the dock sway constantly. Challenging to an artist! I'm going to set up on solid ground from now on!! 9 x 12" original oil.

Garden Path at Cypress Grove Park, a Contemporary Impressionism Florida Oil Landscape by Judy Batterson

Painting en plein air on such a beautiful day made time pass so quickly. Before I knew it, the sun was making distinct shadows of the large bamboo and camellia bushes on the path to the rose garden. The shadows were a cool blue while the grass reflected the warmth from the sunlight. A large mossy oak cooled off the background. Capturing light and shadow gives the viewer the impression of the path setting at that point in time. 9 x 12" original oil.

Morning at Lake Jessamine, a Contemporary Impressionism Oil Painting by Judy Batterson

Painting "en plein air", I tried to capture the light and shadow of the morning. The lake is a huge lake with pieces of land that jut out around the large center of it. Large trees surround the water, and the houses on the lake have beautiful views of nature. My focus was on the impressions of light and how it made dark contrasts of the trees and the water. Painting outside on a beautiful day is one of my favorite things to do! 9"H x 12"W original oil.

Rose Garden Trellis at Cypress Grove Park, Florida Oil Impressionist Style by Judy Batterson

Another beautiful morning at Cypress Grove Park brought me to the Rose Garden. I set up my easel in the shadow of a large oak tree and faced the trellis. The intense sunlight highlighted the yellow roses growing behind the trellis. Red and pink climbing roses grew on the shadow side of the trellis. A brick pathway through the trellis invited people to come into the garden. This impressionistic painting captured that morning. It made me stop and smell the roses! 9 x12" original oil.

Plein Air Morning at Cypress Grove Park, Contemporary Impressionism Oil by Judy Batterson

The weather was perfect when I set up to paint in the middle of the field at Cypress Grove Park. The morning sunlight hit the large oak trees and the grass with intensity. This painting is all about the dramatic darks and lights that I saw before me. I loved mixing the oils and capturing the morning on canvas! I would call this style Contemporary Impressionism. 9 x 12 oil on canvas.

Mead Garden Palms, a Florida OIl Plein Air Landscape by Judy Batterson

Painting en plein air on location at Mead Garden, I set up my easel on the west side of the turtle pond in the back of the Garden. This area is almost jungle like with so many moss covered trees, palms, reeds, as well as otters, turtles, gators and water birds. The sun hit the palms and highlighted the back of the pond. My focal point became the trio of palms in front of a mossy oak with dark shadows in the underbrush. This spot captured the true essence of natural Florida! 9 x 12 Oil.

Lake Lily Impressions, a Florida Plein Air Oil Painting by Judy Batterson

Joining with a group of plein air painters, I set up my easel on the north side of Lake Lily in Maitland, FL. It was late afternoon, so we had to capture the sun and shadows quickly. Without a lot of details, I focused on three trees across the lake. The impressions of darks and lights were extreme as the sun dropped fast. This is the resulting painting and a special memory of Lake Lily.
9"H x 12"W oil on gesso board.

Footbridge at Gemini, sequence of 3 stages of bridge in a tropical setting by Judy Batterson

The finished painting! The foreground of aquatic plants, river grasses, palm, and foliage are painted over the middle ground of the footbridge against the background of palms, trees and vegetation. Lots of layers on a 16x20 oil on masonite. A "tropical Monet's garden at Giverny", Gemini Springs near DeLand, FL is worth a visit. Florida has some of the world's most beautiful springs. And this one has picturesque footbridges, too. www.judybatterson.com

Footbridge at Gemini, sequence of 3 stages of bridge in a tropical setting by Judy Batterson

This is the second sequence in a series of three photos of the layers in this painting. After the background layers, the middle ground is painted which is the footbridge over the springs. This beautiful park, Gemini Springs, is located near DeLand, FL. There
are several footbridges where you can stand and look into the clear water bubbling up from the springs. Like Monet's bridge at Giverny, this is a picturesque landscape but with a tropical twist. www.judybatterson.com