Southern Landmarks

St. Simons Island, Georgia

ANATOMY OF A PAINTING

Through the eyes of an Artist

Often I'm asked where I get ideas for my paintings. Though many come right out of my head, sometimes I see a picture that inspires me. But, some of my favorite paintings have come from my opportunity to travel. On December 5 and 6, 1998, I visited St. Simon's Island Georgia. The photos you see here are just a few of the sights I saw while on the Island.

One of the first things I noticed on the island were all the flowers still in bloom . . . tropical hibiscus, mandevilla, bougainvillea and even azaleas, all seemingly out of season! The flowers alone reminded me of childhood Christmases in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The only thing I didn't see, but were probably there were orchids! The Azalea at right I photographed near the Sea Island Stables.

As I crossed the bridge to get to the Island on my left I saw the salt marsh, and to my right where the marsh opened to the sea. The only thing that broke the view of the ocean beyond were the islands, Georgia's Golden Isles. ("Marsh at St. Simon" is now available for sale. Purchase information follows at the bottom of this page.)

Once on the Island I couldn't help but nose around and see some of the sights. The roads were littered with small bungalows, shops, cafes and art galleries. Everywhere I looked something caught my eye! It helped me plan the photos I wanted to take the next day. One of the first landmarks to catch my eye was the Coast Guard Station.

I attended a party in Brunswick the evening of the fifth. After the party, I had to go down to the Pier and look around. Looking out over the ocean I could see the reflection of the moon shining on the waves. There was a gentle breeze blowing and the only sound was the waves breaking on the rocks of the shore. ("Sunset at Village Pier" is now available for sale. Purchase information follows at the bottom of this page.)

While in St. Simon's I knew this would be my best opportunity to catch the sunrise on the ocean. This was something I really enjoyed doing when I lived on the coast, and since becoming landlocked, I have regretted not taking advantage of it more often while I was there.  I was up before dawn and down at Village Pier. Looking back at the shore, I could still see all the Christmas lights and the light from the lighthouse. I was walking back to the lighthouse when I turned and looked down a small dirt lane, and there was the sun just starting to come over the horizon. By the time I got to the end of the lane, this was the sunrise I captured!

The St. Simon's Lighthouse is probably one of the most well known to Georgians at least. I've always had a passion for lighthouses and love nothing more than visiting them every chance I get. The photo on the left I took about 6:30 a.m. and if you look closely, you can see the light is still on. Though difficult, you can barely see the greenery and red ribbons draping the railing around the walk at the top of the lighthouse. If you want to learn more about Georgia lighthouses, check out http://www.sanddollars.com. All five Georgia lighthouses are pictured there with a history of each lighthouse!

I was told one of the most famous landmarks on St. Simon's Island were the Sea Island Stables. It wasn't hard to see why. The stables and gazebo are beautiful, but under the live oak draped in Spanish Moss they take on a very special quality!

I have always loved the architecture of churches. Maybe it comes from the fact that both my grandfather and father built many churches in their lifetime. Back in the 50's my father was an architect in Michigan and designed many of the churches in Detroit, Michigan today. Even though I thought a lot of my father's work, it was more contemporary in design, and it didn't have quite the charm that I saw in St. William's Catholic Church and Christ's Church.

Glynn County Courthouse and Lover's Oak were two landmarks I didn't not get to visit on my trip but hope to the next time I am there.

Of course no trip to the Island would be complete if you didn't get stuck at the drawbridge!

Since I was stuck in traffic anyway, I figured I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to photograph the tug I had to wait on! Incidentally, if you have any fear of heights (as I do), don't look down!!!

Any painting larger than 9"x14" may reflect a "seam" in the imaging process. All scans come from original paintings and are not photographed prior to imaging.

"Marsh at St. Simon's Island"

Watercolor 14" x 18"

Original $3200.00

"Village Pier at St. Simon's Island"

Watercolor 8" x 10"

Original $1750.00

25 Limited Edition Prints S/N $395.00

Purchase of Existing Works

All existing works are available for purchase at the prices quoted on this site. All original works are shipped via Federal Express or Airborne at the prevailing shipping rates which are subject to change. For purchase and shipping details contact the Artist at:

PinkMagnoliaGallery@hotmail.com

All works will be available here for viewing upon completion.

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