Along Lake Michigan Shore, the paintings

This is the view to the south along Lake Michigan; I was about 3/4th of a mile from the Holland State Park beach and Big Red lighthouse. And this is the painting I did, using a palette knife and limited palette (warm/cool of each primary plus white).

"Big Red" 8x10 oil

The sunsets along Lake Michigan are magical and here's one I managed to paint. First the photo, looking north:

and here's the painting:

"August Sunset on Lake Michigan" 8x10 oil

And I did another quick painting looking south - I love how this one turned out:

"Lake Michigan Shore" 8x10 oil

Along Lake Michigan Shore

I spent a week along the Lake Michigan shore the second week of August 2008. We were blessed with wonderful weather and exciting variations in wind, waves, and sunsets. One evening I was able to time my arrival at the beach about 25 minutes before sunset, and I hurried down the stairs and set up my easel. Racing against the clock I spent a thrilling 40 minutes or so capturing all I saw, felt and touched with my eyes and barefeet. The final painting ended up capturing the light about 10 minutes before the actual setting of the sun. What a joy it was to have that experience and finish a satisfying painting!

I'll post the photo of the painting itself in a few days. Stay tuned.