Christmas Adrift - Smith Mountain Lake

6 x 9 Oil on Archival Board

Christmas Cards Available/ Sold Out!

Painting SOLD

New Christmas painting that I just finished, and cards available with or without greetings inside. Now is the time to think about your Holiday cards before the Thanksgiving rush next week. If you are interested in ordering cards, just email me at shelleykoop@gmail.com. They are printed on heavy, quality card stock - envelopes included. You can get as many or as few as you'd like.

Lake Serenity

"Lake Serenity" 

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board 

SOLD

Can you feel the fresh air and hear the birds, and if you are lucky, the sound of a loon?

Red Buds in Spring

SOLD

9 x 6 Oil on Archival Board

I used to pass by this scene while doing my morning walk. That red bud tree is now gone, and after painting it years ago in pastel, I thought I'd paint it again in oils. It still is a beautiful view, but I do miss looking past the buds at the lake. (Sorry about the photo. It's very washed out for some reason).

Full Moon

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

SOLD

A quick painting I worked on in between the Christmas commissions, just to warm up and use what was left on my palette. I thought of wiping it off, but it still sits on my shelf waiting for attention. I thought I'd post it before I post more of the animals. Happy Thursday!

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!!

Moon Over Smith Mountain Lake

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

SOLD

A beautiful night to sit and dream...

Calm and Peaceful

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

SOLD

Mid week in summer here at the lake is usually quiet, calm, and peaceful. I always enjoy seeing the sailboats, kayaks and canoes go drifting by. Not many sounds, just an occasional muffled voice from across the lake somewhere or a bird singing. I hope this painting expresses that feeling of peace to you all. Happy Monday!

Directional Pull

6 x 12 Oil on Archival Board
  

SOLD

Early morning fisherman hoping for a catch. Nothing but the bird chirping and the every so slight waves lapping. Morning at it's best!

Early Morning Plein Air Study

12 x 6 Oil on Archival Board

Our house faces the west so usually we get wonderful sunsets over lake and don't see much of the sunrise colors.  One morning last week though, we had a spectacular, colorful early sky.  As soon as I raised the blinds, I rushed to get my little compact easel and tried to capture it in paint.  The colors are so fleeting that I was thrilled I was able to get it so quickly.  It was gone in an instant...

Better Than the Library

6 x 9 Oil on Archival Board

My son and Daughter-in-Law are visiting from Singapore this week, so I didn't have much time to paint.  A very good reason to take a break!  This was a very quick one I did while they were out.  A really limited palette.  This woman was reading on her float right off her dock.  She had it tied on a long rope so the wake from the passing boats didn't send her out into the middle of the lake.  When I snapped her photo I told her she was going to become a painting.  She said "Oh No!" but did smile.  I read that as permission to proceed :-)

Three in a Canoe

6 x 12 Oil on Archival Board

Usually it's the person in the back that gets away with not paddling :-)  She could blame it on her paddle, I guess.  The longer paddle is for our kayak.  I'm not sure why we got the shorter paddle.  This is what happens when your dock house is a mess and the girls are anxious to get out on the water.  Trying to find anything is impossible!  It's Fall.  Now's the time to start cleaning it out in preparation for next summer. 

Canoe x 3

6 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

 

To Purchase Click Here

Three people fishing in a canoe..an unusual site here at the lake.  Most people have very fancy, super fast fishing boats, so it was nice to see people enjoying the peace and quiet.  No motors, just the sounds of the water lapping, birds chirping, and occasional fish jumping (usually far enough away that they don't get caught :-)  Another moment in time...

Balancing Act

10 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

Click to Bid



I caught sight of this woman with her trusty dog when we were out on the boat.  She was working hard paddling, but her dog had time to take in the surroundings and posed for me :-)  This is really just a quick study, but I like it so thought I'd post it.  Just a blip in time in our day.  It came, it passed, and I recorded it in paint.

Golden Sunset at the Lake

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

This time of year the sunsets are exquisite, and even more so after a storm.  I don't usually try to paint them because I don't seem to be able to capture that beauty.  I never do them justice; however, I had to try to capture this one.  My friend (and wonderful artist), Suzanne Paddock, came over last week and we played.  We mostly discussed color and the process of blocking in.  Her suggestions and the time she took were so much appreciated.  In this painting, I tried to conjure up everything we talked about.  I really like the way this came out.  Thank you, Suz!!!

Floating on Smith Mountain Lake

SOLD

 

8 x 8 Oil on Archival Board

One great thing about living on a lake is that there is never a problem finding a subject to paint.  I suppose that is true wherever you live.  I'm so in love with the painting process that I am never at a loss for my next project, which makes everyday a great adventure. 

Cloud Study, Smith Mountain Lake

6 x 12 Oil on Archival Board

We here in Virginia have been having lots of pop up storms mixed with bright sun lately.  The weather changes too fast for me to grab my little easel and set it up to record what's going on, so I decided to set up my go-to palette in advance and keep the easel by the window.  I'm glad I did.  The clouds the other day were awesome, and I got this little study down quickly.  I was thinking I would work on it after the initial try, but I'm leaving it alone.  I really think it portrays that moment in time.

Green Canoe on Smith Mountain Lake

9 x 12 Oil on Archival Board

SOLD

Smith Mountain Lake is so diverse due to its huge size.  We live on the Gills Creek portion of the lake which doesn't have the distant mountains.  Actually it does, but one has to stand on the roof of the house to see it :-)  This is the Blackwater part which has a totally different feel.  I love the ins and outs of the land.  The lake has 500 miles of shoreline, so there's plenty of places to paint without repeating too often.  The trick here is to sketch your painting in quickly, because the colors and shadows change if you look away for a minute.  If interested in purchasing, please email me at shelleykoop@gmail.com. 

Have a great weekend!

The Rescue

6 x 9 Oil on Archival Board

 

NFS

On Labor Day, we were out on our boat with friends enjoying the day when suddenly an alarm went off and our motor died.  As we sat bobbing around we discussed what we would do.  It was late in the day, and there weren't many people on the lake at that time.  We were about to call Sea Tow, when a really nice man came by on his jet ski with his beautiful dog on the back.  He asked if we needed help and towed us all the way back to our dock.  His dog didn't seem the least bit concerned, even though it was hot and there wasn't much of a breeze.  What amazes me the most is what wonderful people live here at Smith Mountain Lake.  Actually, all over.  With all we hear about the horrible people in this world and the horror they cause, it is nice to remember that the majority of people are good and kind, and just trying to live a decent life. 

With a Little Help From My Friend

5 x 7 Oil on Archival Board

This is the third little painting of Tallulah's "fun" day on the floater.  Try and try again, she simply wouldn't go off into the water; that is until she had a little help.  Once in, she was happy and retrieved her ball, but we gave up and didn't make her try it again.  The water in these three paintings is the same color but shows up a little differently due to the time of day they were photographed.  They look really nice in sequence.  In my eyes, she's a STAR! 

If interested in purchasing one or all of these, please email me (link on right).

Jump!

5 x 7 Oil On Archival Board

This is the second in the series of three paintings of Tallulah.  I already posted this on FB, but want to keep them together on my blog, so here it is following the other I just posted.  When I post them all together, it will make more sense...I hope.