"Boardwalk - Spruce Creek"
12" x 16"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
copyright by Artist,  Brenda Hofreiter

This is a little painting I did at Spruce Creek in New Smyrna Beach, FL.  It shows one of the  two covered fishing piers that extend into the marsh.  It is a quite popular fishing area for the locals and there are usually fishermen coming and going from this spot.

I have done several paintings from this location, but they were much larger pieces, and I was limited in the time I had to paint on this trip.   I wanted to capture the pier and the edge of the marsh.  I chose to paint this view because I liked the way the shadows of a tree on my right extended into the foreground and the diagonal created by the deadwood along the edge of the creek that echoed it's crooked shape.   I liked the way the dead snag on the left curled protectively over the top of the dock, echoing the curve of the marsh.  The early morning sun bathed the scene in it's golden light and the morning mist softened the edges in the distance.  Can you feel the warmth of the morning sun and the peacefulness of the spot? It makes me want to walk out on the pier and sit under the shelter and breathe it all in!