First Place!!!

The Affair En Plein Air ended today with a jurying by Dan Bondroff. My heart was sinking as Barbara from the Grove House Artists read the list of winners, from juror's choice, to honorable mention, third, and second place. I never expected to take first place! (The prize money will help me get to VSC this summer!- Oh joy!)

10 x 10 inches, acrylic on canvas

This was painted at one of my favorite spots upon entering the Deering Estate. It is where the long path leads you through the jacaranda canopy, along the mango grove, towards the stone mansion, and then----Aha!--- the ocean opens up- actually Biscayne Bay. It takes your breath away standing there and feeling the ocean breeze, when your car keys (and memories of the road) are still warm in your hands. Looking past the Royal Palms and beyond the groomed lawn, out on the jetty, you can glimpse Chicken Key. Every evening hundreds and hundreds of ibis fly in to roost the night on it. If you catch sunrise, you can see and hear the music of wings as they lift off and start their day.
Here are some of the other paintings by Grove House Artists and local high school students being lined up at the end of the day: