Welcome.
This was one of my last magazine illustrations before I formally became a gallery artist. It was a feature in Alaska Magazine. The narrative was about a family going on an annual moose hunt and the youngest child's first time joining in for it.
There were a few more illustrations that went with it but I liked the warmth and togetherness implied in these two images, not to mention a great deal of fun and wonder of being in the wild. I also got a chance to paint a grayling trout which I have yet to land but assure you I will!
It appears that one could sit back on one's haunches after climbing to that summit and breathe a deep sweet breath of amazement while surveying the valley and glassing for a bull. These were done with oils on canvas, each approximately 15x20 inches. Sold.
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Please remember to visit Zazzle and look under sunnybeachman for some fun items with my watercolor images on them!
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2104
Welcome.
How perfect are pine cones anyway? Textural, dimensional, sculptural, wood, beautiful, great on wreaths, functional to spread the seeds from whence they came and they crackle with a snap in a fire. This still life was featured in Water's Edge Magazine.
I spotted these two on the beach near a palm tree but under a pine tree near the dunes with some dancing dune grass surrounding them. Pine trees marching down to sea are one of my favorite sights.
This is a watercolor on board. The size is aproximately 15x20 inches. It is in a private collection. The owner framed it in a way that makes certain that it will always remain a treasure of nature and the home. The original price was $2,500.00
More to come....
Visit Zazzle under the sunnybeachman heading and discover great things to wear with my watercolor art on them.
Welcome.
I know, I know, this is a summer or spring sort of image. I just dig flowers. Flower gardens are so refreshing, don't you think? Being a foodie I think vegetable gardens are supremely beautiful as well....and for strolling in the fall on a Sunday in October, I have been elevated to natural highs walking the acreage of an apple orchard.
And so, I imagine frequently that I get to stroll through flower gardens in Provence, Tuscany and Maine. I get to paint them, I get to harvest a few for the table! In Florida we have them pretty much year round lol lots of flora in Florida! I like the fragrant ones too...think lavender! This is an oil painting. Sold. It was 24x18 inches on canvas and priced at $2,500.00
I suppose it is in all reality the idea of something of quality that is slower, something creative and evolving. Something to tend and give respectful attention to that is our connection to the earth, the planet and ultimately each other. This could be a complete stranger in this garden and yet I would be able to speak with her for hours as I know we are kindred spirits.
More to come.....
Remember over at Zazzle under sunnybeachman you can find some of my watercolors on a variety of fun items for your home or as gifts!
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2014
Welcome.
There is something quite right about a low country boil. I was introduced to them by my next door neighbor Lee some 18 years ago. Lee's family lived out by Fort Caroline on the water.
It may have been a birthday celebration, I don't recall the exact occasion but it was a celebration and an occasion nonetheless! Everyone had a name tag with a reference to some southern dish or a relative term to the festivities, for instance one gal's moniker read "Lady Mudbug." you get the idea. When Lee's dad mentioned that he was at a loss for a sobriquet
I laughed and replied, "Why sir you are the Crawdaddy!"
This was the first of many I enjoyed over the years. It is one of the ultimate moments of fellowship in sharing food.
I have been extraordinarily lucky in my career and back when I was the illustrator for Water's Edge Magazine I had the good fortune to have the food page every month for two years. Since I am a foodie you can imagine that I relished the idea not only to make the art for the page but to eat what I had set up as a still life. In a word, Yum!
This is a watercolor on watercolor paper 15x20 inches or so. Sold. The original price was $2,000.00
I was happy with the composition in this one, the dynamic of using as much red as this in a painting and the delicate handling of the newsprint. Meanwhile The Datl Pepper Sauce I believe was made in St. Augustine, Trinidad Sauce made in Jacksonville by my friends Carl, Mary Jane and Bobby, made local, purchased local, created local, eaten local and sold local. My kinda meal.
Remember to check out Zazzle under sunnybeachman for some of my watercolor art on hats,cups,mugs,t-shirts,sweatshirts and many more fun items to buy for yourself or friends and family.
More to come....
Copyright Alan Phillips all art and images 2014
Welcome.
This is a Florida Panther. I have not seen one roaming the jungle down here, don't laugh I have almost stumbled upon a 12 foot gator while out shooting in the marsh trying to step over snakes! However I did meet this one at someone's home as she was a rescue and somewhat domesticated and was not at this time equipped to be released into the wild. She was wise, playful, contained, well fed and yet you could still feel that wild 'dominant' energy of a major predatory cat.
There is something special about being in the sphere of a being so magnificent and powerful with beauty to spare. This was a piece I had done to illustrate a story in Water's Edge Magazine. It is a 15x20 inch watercolor on board it is available @ $1,500.00
This is one of the images that you will find over at Zazzle under sunnybeachman on sweatshirts,caps,mugs,smartphone holders, notecards and more.
More to come......
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2014
Welcome.
It's one of those times you don't throw caution to the wind. Yellow flag up one would be advised to heed the rips!
October is in my top 3 of favorite months. The dune grass is changing in tone and color, there is a cooler breeze along the coast and yet we can still have that delicious blue green water.
In this particular study which is oil on canvas I was interested in bold strokes to define the forms using ultra thick paint with gestural marks yet still retaining an elegance in design and edges that keeps it fresh. It is 9x12 inches. Sold. $1,200.00
Please remember to visit Zazzle and search sunnybeachman for my watercolor art on a variety of products you might like!
More to come.....
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2014
Welcome.
There is something refreshing about seeing a turtle. In this instance a loggerhead. I have never seen an adult swimming under the ocean. I have seen many in the ponds all along the east coast, painted, box, snappers, mud,bog and I have always been treated kindly and with respect. I showed them the same.
However on one of my beach walkabouts I spied a baby loggerhead shell in the tidline. It was low tide and I was a good 400 yards from the water. This was back when I used to collect artifacts and such from the tidal treasures left on the beach. So I picked it up with great admiration and I surveyed it's markings. You must imagine my smile and delight when a little curious head popped out followed by arms and feet. Feeling that little life in my hand was sensational!
I walked down to the surf, waded in waist deep and let it swim out from my hand. What a feeling ! My young daughter might spot this creature one day in her world travels! I hope.
My friend Margi was looking at my last post of the roses and remarked, "Not only is it beautiful but I get a great sense of peace too." Thanks for that by the way.
This is the feeling that seeing great creatures in nature gives me and at least for the time being it's one of the great 'authentic' experiences for which I give thanks.
This is a watercolor on watercolor board 15x20 inches. Sold. Original price $1,500.00
Remember to visit Zazzle online and search for sunnybeachman to find my watercolor art on a variety of products you might like.
More to come....
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2014
Welcome.
Before this painting was completed there was a guest in my studio who was admiring this piece and she loved it because it reminded her of getting ready for a party. This is her reality. I find it a lovely sentiment. It's not what I was thinking when designing it but I enjoy it as that idea now as well. It is terrific that the viewer can bring her own sense of life and impressions to the art and it becomes something more. Once completed, the art has it's own life.
I like the sunlight in this. Where I live this would be a little after sunrise. Perhaps I had gone out to the garden and collected these two bouquets to bring the rose beauty and fragrance into the house for the day. They are sitting on a table made for just such an enterprise on the back veranda over looking the Atlantic so there would be a shell or two, don't you think?
Forgot to mention in previous blogs. Zazzle, if you go there and look for sunnybeachman you can find many of the watercolors I have done on everything from caps and t shirts to mugs and note cards. It's fun to see the application and of course a couple of dozen mugs sold helps the cause.
Please remember to visit Zazzle under sunnybeachman online and check out all the fun products you can buy with my waterclors on them.
This is an oil on canvas 30x40 inches and is available at $5,000.00 US.
More to come......
All art and images copyright Alan Phillips 2014
Welcome.
These are mostly whelks and cockels that I found on my walks along the beaches of Ponte Vedra, Neptune, Jacksonville and Atlantic beaches in Florida, USA. These are fairly old, worn and rich with character.
This oil on canvas is about 20x30 inches. It is somehow simple and majestic at the same time.
I have it on a white wall unframed in the studio. You see it through an archway. It looks as though it was always supposed to be there. That is a condition that confirms my choice. There is often a good deal of mystery and exploration for me in the art that I make and although I have a plan for each painting it's the discoveries that make it fun and interesting. Once I get it up on the wall and it still appeals to me I know I have a keeper.
The other aspects I enjoy in this piece is that even though it is a still life there is so much movement with the curved shapes against the the geometric rectangles and the rich but subtle tonal colors with textural elements. This art is available. $3,000.00 US.
Please remember to visit Zazzle under sunnybeachman online and check out all the fun products you can buy with my waterclors on them.
More to come....
All images and art copyright Alan Phillips 2014
