Where Are My Potato Chips?

It doesn't take long for anyone visiting the beach for the first time to realize that those beautiful and noisy birds called seagulls are skilled and persistent when it comes to removing you from your intended picnic lunch.  One seagull soon becomes two and then two quickly become ten and you feel as if you have somehow been transported back to the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.  Just one gull has the strength and ability to fly away into the sunset with an entire bag of Ruffles Potato Chips.  Do I sound as if I’m speaking from personal experience?  Well believe me when I say that I am somewhat experienced with the covert activities of these flying menaces. 

My painting is of just one seagull and the white and gray of his feathers contrast brilliantly against the background blues of the sky and ocean.  He is perched on a rock as if in a state of anticipation.  It only takes one moment of distraction when your back is turned and he is ready to swoop in and liberate you of whatever tasty morsel you might be holding. 

It is my hope that for just a moment you have felt the ocean breeze, smelled the salt in the air and can hear the loud squalls of the flocks of seagulls overhead.  “Did You Say Lunch” is an original acrylic painting created by me in my Las Vegas studio.  This piece and many others are available on my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.

Did You Say Lunch?- 16x20 Original Acrylic

Living in the Past...

I'm thinking about this past September.  Actually I have been thinking about it quite often because I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon on the beach at Lake Tahoe.  I believe the name of the beach was Sand Harbor and it was simply breathtaking.  My son and two of my daughter-laws, along with grand babies and my niece had a marvelous time soaking in the beauty. 

We all had a good laugh because shortly after we arrived, every living creature seemed to want to steal our picnic lunch of sub sandwiches and make it there own.  First, it was the squirrels, then the bees swarmed us and then finally came the sea gulls trying to snatch it right out of our hands.  I had to give in and surrender a portion of my sandwich by throwing it off into the boulders to serve as a distraction to the bees while we tried to gobble down the remainder of our sandwiches. 

The water at Tahoe is crystal clear and bright blue.  It is by far the most beautiful lake I have ever seen.  The sand is clean and bright and you are surrounded by gigantic boulders and majestic pine trees.  As an artist, I find that words really fail to adequately describe the beauty and a better outlet for me is to grab my sketch book and then later try to relive those colors and sounds using my paint brush in my studio. 


That is the blessing to me as an artist because most people are only left with photo to look at to remember but as a painter I actually get to revisit these experience in a deeper way so that my piece has life and energy to it. Thank you Lord for giving me the gift of art!

Quick study sketch

My painting is still in progress.  I have painted in my family on the beach and out in the water but now I am considering making them just a bit larger.  I think I need to have them stand out more but I'm still in the contemplative stage at this point in the painting where I have to stand back and study it to decide just what my next course of action will be. 

Current Work in Progress on my easel of a beach scene at Lake Tahoe.