ART COLLECTION: ISLE OF PALMS

ISLE OF PALMS COLLECTION
isle of palms marina painting
‘Isle of Palms Collection’ © 2023 Pamela Wingard

I like a familiar place. It’s comforting to go back to the same destinations time and time again. We’ve driven down the Pacific Coast Highway several times, always stopping at the same places. And I love it. I’ve painted a couple of art collections based on these trips.

We went to New York City at Christmas a few years in a row, often going back to the same places we’d been the year before. In fact, I’ve been known to make a list on my phone so we don’t forget to go to the Juniors for cheesecake or to the Warwick Hotel bar for a cocktail.

Our family has been going to Amelia Island Florida to the beach every year since our kids were babies. We stay at the same place, go to the same beach, and eat at the same restaurants unless something new has popped up that we want to try.

But sometimes you need a fresh start, a new place, a new adventure. So this year we decided to go to Isle of Palms for our summer beach vacation. I’ve been a few times over the years but mostly for long weekends and never for the whole week.  

isle of palms art collection pamela wingard a barefoot artist
‘Isle of Palms’ Collection © 2023 Pamela Wingard
This new Isle of Palms art collection is inspired by that beautiful little palm tree-lined island.
isle of palms harbor painting pamela wingard
‘Isle of Palms’ Collection © 2023 Pamela Wingard

Each morning (well…most mornings) I would get up early, get a cup of coffee and paint out on the screen porch. I’d paint for a few hours and then we’d go to the beach. Then I’d come back and add more layers in the afternoon or the next morning. It was a nice routine and I could do it every day. It was easy because I had assembled and brought a travel paint kit and painted each piece on heavyweight watercolor paper for ease of packing.

isle of palms umbrellas barefoot living co
Isle of Palms. Wild Dunes. © 2023 Pamela Wingard

What I like best about Isle of Palms is the variety of things to do. I walked on the beach, rode a bike on the bike path, and read my book in my beach chair. We also swam in the ocean, lingered by the pool, and ate lots of seafood. Although I didn’t play tennis or golf, that was also an option. One afternoon we enjoyed the live music and vendors at the Isle of Palms Farmer’s Market. We also went to nearby Charleston for a seafood lunch and shopping on King Street.

The scenery is just as varied as the choice of activities. I love staring at the ocean but also enjoyed seeing the winding water through the marshes, the pastel Charleston-style architecture, the palmetto trees, boats in the marina and on the Intracoastal, and the rolling golf course greens.

This collection of work on paper includes beaches, boats, beach umbrellas, and even a glimpse of the ocean along one of the golf courses.

isle of palms wild dunes pastel houses
Isle of Palms. Wild Dunes. © 2023 Pamela Wingard
isle of palms marsh view barefoot living co
Isle of Palms © 2023 Pamela Wingard
isle of palms harbor shem creek barefoot living co
Isle of Palms © 2023 Pamela Wingard
isle of palms view barefoot living co
Isle of Palms © 2023 Pamela Wingard
AND PALM TREES, OF COURSE.

I like to finish each piece when I return home. It helps to have a fresh eye and add any additional touches to each painting. I then complete them with two coats of archival varnish.

pamela wingard isle of palms art collection
Work in Process.

A few pieces from the Isle of Palms Collection will be available as archival prints, so keep an eye out for details.

Want to read more about the inspiration behind the Isle of Palms Collection? Want to read more about my favorite South Carolina beach accesses?

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