Bob Palmerton

Landscapes in Pastel

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit - Ralph Waldo Emerson

From Barns to Beach

Jul 20, 2019
1 min

From Barns to Beach

It's that time of the year! After traversing the countryside and the farmland around Ann Arbor, Michigan, I will be heading out to New York to do some plein air paintings of the Atlantic beach at Breezy Point, NY. Breezy Point was nearly destroyed when Hurricane Sandy attacked the east coast in October, 2012. Relatives of mine living in Brooklyn detected a burning odor that evening of October 22, not realizing that it was their beach community in flames! Since then, Breezy

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Pastel Painting: Ocean Kayak, Breezy Point

Aug 31, 2018
1 min

Pastel Painting: Ocean Kayak, Breezy Point

Strolling along at Breezy Point on the bay, I came across this kayak awaiting its next journey in Jamaica Bay at Breezy Point, NY. To create this painting, I decided to apply a watercolor underpainting of the OPPOSITE colors that you see here. Deploying such an approach helps the true colors to "pop." Here is the initial sketch of this scene, with the watercolor underpainting below. The purpose of the sketch is to confirm the composition, and depict and note the values. Her

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Watercolor Paintings: More Beach Cartoons

Watercolor Painting: At The Breezy Point Beach

Pastel Paintings: At The Beach

Aug 1, 2018
1 min

Pastel Paintings: At The Beach

Soon I will be heading out to Breezy Point, NY to create some more beach and seascape paintings. Breezy Point, a beach community on the Atlantic Ocean just east of Manhattan, was founded in the early 1900's and was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2011. It has since been mostly rebuilt and remains a busy summer spot for New Yorkers (and former New Yorkers)! Here are a few paintings from my "Breezy Point" webpage gallery. Also, a reminder that my blog reader enthusiasts are

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StudioSense: Stepping through the Jetty Painting

Jun 24, 2018
2 min

StudioSense: Stepping through the Jetty Painting

Hopefully soon I will do a time lapse video of a painting from start to finish. Since I haven't yet tackled that technology, I thought I would show various photos of my latest Breezy Point Jetty painting in several stages of completion. So here it goes: Here is the reference photo: Here is the initial sketch and value notes. The darkest values are the lower numbers (4-5 denotes the values of the jetty rocks). Rough application of pastel, prior to diluting with alcohol and a

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Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Jetty

Jun 23, 2018
1 min

Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Jetty

I should probably call this "Breezy Point Jetty Number 3," as it is the third painting I have done of this iconic landmark on the Atlantic at Breezy Point, NY. There are many unique angles from which an artist can "make a splash" with this scene! To see my growing collection of Breezy Point paintings, click here, and check back soon for more! #BreezyPoint #seascape

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Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Lighthouse

Pastel Painting: On the Bay at Breezy Point

StudioSense: Preparing a New Painting

Jun 13, 2018
2 min

StudioSense: Preparing a New Painting

Working on my Breezy Point series early this morning. Here is the reference photo, which depicts the Breezy Point lighthouse on the bay side of this beach community in New York. Here is the initial sketch. Notice that I grid the paper into thirds and placed the key portions of the scene in strategic spots related to the "thirds" rule (just to avoid placing key objects such as the horizon at the half-way point on the paper. I also cropped the scene a bit, reducing the expa

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Pastel Painting: Resting My Wings

May 22, 2018
1 min

Pastel Painting: Resting My Wings

At Breezy Point, a beach community on the Atlantic Ocean in Queens, New York, early morning and late day brings out the most brilliant colors of the dune grasses and foliage. Vibrant greens, mauves and the deep blue of the sky tempt me to bring forth my boldest pastel hues. You cannot see the ocean from this vantage point, which is just east of Breezy Point Boulevard, along the many sidewalks that weave through the dunes. This pastel painting was done on Uart Grade 320 sanded

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StudioSense: A New Look and Feel

Mar 13, 2018
2 min

StudioSense: A New Look and Feel

During summer vacation at the beach in August, 2017, I whipped up several pastel paintings of Breezy Point and its beach community. This was one of the paintings. On the walk toward the beach from our home at Marion Walk, I came across this dunes scene. It was midday and the sun shed brilliant light on the greens and tans of the landscape. The painting has sat in my collection for almost 8 months now, so I thought perhaps it is time to refresh it. I maintain a collection o

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Pastel Painting: Bay Boats at Breezy Point

Jan 7, 2018
1 min

Pastel Painting: Bay Boats at Breezy Point

What better time is there to celebrate memories of summer when the temperature is below zero in Michigan? Here is the final rendition of "Bay Boats at Breezy Point." Inspired by the bayside (while avoiding those nasty biting black flies on the ocean side) at Breezy Point, NY. Had a great time with family and the Palaski's! #BreezyPoint #seascape #Beach

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Pastel Painting Technique: Capturing the Sandy Beach

Dec 1, 2017
2 min

Pastel Painting Technique: Capturing the Sandy Beach

Time to start reminiscing about summer as the cold, dark days of winter emerge. My current project in "Bay Boats," inspired by the scene below of the bayside at Breezy Point, New York. Although the colorful boats captured my initial attention, the "designs" in the sand (from tire tracks and the dragging of the boats) as they point toward the lighthouse on the horizon were also quite interesting. Here's the reference photo I will be working from: In observing sand dunes, a var

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Painting Technique - Adding Character(s) to the Landscape

Nov 21, 2017
2 min

Painting Technique - Adding Character(s) to the Landscape

In November, I published this blog on adding characters to the landscape. Recently, while working on "Wind Chill," I decided that I needed to add a character to the frigid scene. I added this snipe, common water fowl in Northern Michigan, to the rocky shore: Without this character in the landscape, the viewer might interpret the rocks as huge boulders rather than the small boulders and rocks that they were in reality. So, adding a character to the landscape (dog, person, b

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Dunes Sunset at Breezy Point - Oil Painting

Oct 8, 2017
3 min

Dunes Sunset at Breezy Point - Oil Painting

Continuing on my beach theme from summer vacation at Breezy Point, New York, below is my first oil painting done since my last tampering in oils about 20 years ago. I basically put my pastels away for a couple of weeks to explore painting with oils After working in pastels over the past ten years, I have several observations to share with my pastel-oriented customers and students regarding the art of oil painting: While I thought that mixing colors would be a chore and a dra

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A Long Walk to the Jetty - Pastel Painting

Sep 27, 2017
1 min

A Long Walk to the Jetty - Pastel Painting

The spot on the beach at Breezy Point where we park our beach chairs and umbrellas, just off Marion Walk, is a long way to the Jetty. The great distance (in reality I don't think it's quite two miles) is conveyed in this pastel painting, inspired by an early-morning stroll with my dog Cosmo. I chose to enhance the perspective of distance by minimizing the jetty and lighthouse and maximizing the sky and surf. If you've every seen the lighthouse on the jetty, it is a simple m

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Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Jetty - 2017

Sep 19, 2017
1 min

Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Jetty - 2017

Breezy Point, New York, on the Atlantic Ocean. A gift to Anna Palaski and Ed Miller to celebrate their wedding, September 16th, 2017. Anna and her family grew up along with the Tobins (my wife Mary's family) at Breezy Point during those hot New York summers. We continue to meet each summer at Breezy Point with our extended families. #BreezyPoint

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Pastel Painting: Sunrise Surf at Breezy Point

Sep 6, 2017
1 min

Pastel Painting: Sunrise Surf at Breezy Point

A warm summer morning around 7:30 at Breezy Point. The sun was peeking through the clouds; sun rays stretched to the surface of the Atlantic. The brightness was almost blinding: I had my camera set to 1/500th of a second and F-22 to capture the brilliance of the light. Hungry terns are feeding on the tiny clams at the water's edge. Available paintings for sale are exhibited on our Etsy shop. #BreezyPoint

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Pastel Painting: Breezy Point Bayside