Summer Scene

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board  

I needed to get back into painting after a short intermission. My Daughter-in-Law visited us for a while and it was wonderful! It felt good to take a break and focus on different things. This was a quick study just to get my brush working again. A little boy fighting the incoming lake waves with his small boat. He was persistent, I must say!!

Maine Plein Air

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8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

To Purchase Click Here or Email Me At shelleykoop@gmail.com

This artist found himself a great place to set up his easel and umbrella.  He was so caught up in what he was painting, he didn't even know I was there watching him.

Close Call

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8 x 10 Oil on Gessobord

This is the last of the Smith Mountain Lake Fall Regatta paintings for 2014.  Looking forward to the Spring season.  I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.  It's hard to believe it's over, especially after all the hours of preparation.  My daughter prepared a really wonderful meal!  Next is Christmas, which will be here and over before we all know it as well.  As always, thank you for stopping by.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Smith Mountain Lake Sailing

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6 x 8 Oil On Gessobord

I'm in the middle of a painting that is driving me crazy and I needed to get away from it for a little while.  I walked away and looked out my studio window just as these two sailboats were going by.  The shadows and really bright sun made me grab a gessobord and paint the scene plein air (or "studio air" since I was inside :-)  A fast and furious little painting because I had to catch the boats before they passed out of view, but I think it shows the brilliance of the day, and that was what I going for.  Normally, I would go back and refine certain things, but I am going to leave it as it is...A moment on a Thursday....

Spring Sailing Season Begins

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

Well, the sailing season has begun, and yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day for the races.  The colors this time of year are so vibrant, and Smith Mountain Lake really shines in the Spring and Fall.  In the summer there isn't enough wind, so no races...  The downside right now is the pollen, however.  It is covering everything.  I put my newly varnished paintings outside to dry..Big mistake!  I had to bring them right back in when I saw a mist of yellow descending.  Maybe it would have provided more "atmosphere" though :-)

Sailing on Smith Mountain Lake

6 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

I never get tired of painting this scene, and I've done it year after year.  Another of our glorious windy days which are perfect for sailing.  We have wind here in the Spring and Fall, but usually in the summer it's difficult to move.  You just bob around.  This happened to be a rare windy day and there were a lot of people out there taking advantage of it.

Spring Regatta, Smith Mountain Lake

8" x 16" Oil on Gessoboard

$95 Unframed

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New season of sailing for my husband, so I get to paint more sailboats.  It was a windy, spectacular, blue day for the first race.  It's unusual that the mountains appear to be the same color as the lake, but that's how I saw it.  It's an atmosphere thing, I guess.  Some days, they appear to be violet, others they are green.  An artist I like painted the same scene from his window each day of the year, and not one of them was the same.  Before I began painting, I don't think I noticed the subtle changes that occur.  So....yet again, another sailboat painting...A new day!

Enjoying Smith Mountain Lake

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Thinking Spring, even though we haven't really had winter.  This scene is like so many here at Smith Mountain Lake:  Sparking blue water, white sailboat, beautiful mountains... Life is good!!

Day's End

16 x 20 Pastel on Colorfix Pastel Board

This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen.  Capturing it was a challenge because nature gives us colors that are almost impossible to capture in mere paint.  Unfortunately, this image does not do the painting justice.  For some reason, the photo of the painting came out lighter than the actual painting.  The sky has many more colors and the water is not as light...but you can get the idea.  What I wanted to express in this painting was the stillness and peace one gets when observing the sky and water at dusk.  This might be one of my favorites!

Sailboats at Rest, Smith Mountain Lake

11-1/2 x 8-1/2 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 23-1/2 x 19-1/2 Framed

$200 + s/h (Framed)

 

This is a typical scene at Smith Mountain Lake.  I painted these boats at VISA, a sail club here at the Lake.  It was a hot, steamy day, and I might add buggy....but I was able to get a painting out of it with only a few bites!

Morning Fog, Boothbay

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During my second trip to Maine, I woke up early one morning and didn't think I would be able to paint at all due to the fog, so I took a few photos.  I put them away for about 6 months and found them by accident when I was cleaning out my studio files.  I really liked working on this, but got frustrated half way through.  I just kept grabbing pastels and smudging everything.  When I stepped back to look, it was like a "WOW" moment.  It has since sold.  You never know!