DOREEN HARDIE

20x24 oil on canvas

I saw this beautiful scene on a boat ride from Hontoon Island on the St. John’s River.  Nature -- clouds, trees, water – all speak to us of God’s creation. On this day, the clouds were speaking to me the loudest.

Psalms 19:1

RAINBOW SPRINGS #4

30x40 oil on canvas

CASCADING SUNSET

24X36

I love looking at sunsets. i imagined the colors of this sunset falling down and melting into the ocean.

TROPICAL MARSHLAND

23¾ x 32¼,  oil on board

Psalms 19:1       

TROPICAL CLOUDS

18X24 oil on canvas

I have said this before, I love painting clouds. They seem so much larger and more beautiful in Florida.

Psalms 19:1

ORANGE SUNSET

24x36, oil on canvas

Sometimes, to me, the sky comes ablaze with color just before the blackness of night approaches.

Psalms 19:1

60x40, oil on canvas

To me, God outdoes Himself with every sunset and I personally thank Him for each one.  Because Florida is so flat, I believe God has a larger canvas to work with and He uses more color.  This sunset came from His heart to mine:  where all my paintings come from.

Psalms 19:1

SPANISH MOSS

25x37, oil on canvas

Spanish moss is seen hanging from most trees in Central Florida and is a recognizable image of the South.

Psalms 19:1

30x40, oil on canvas

I once stayed at a hotel in Pompano Beach and woke up at daybreak to this breathtaking view.  I enjoyed a quiet devotional time before the other guests arrived.  It opened up the ears of my heart to receive direction from God for the day.

Psalms 19:1

POND AT GYM

20x24

I see this scene three times a week while on the tread mill at the gym.  I love to paint water – whether calm or turbulent.  This one was calm.

Psalms 19:1

PINE FOREST

18x24, oil on canvas

Each morning as I drink my coffee I would look out at these trees through my back yard and I felt compelled to paint them.  I was glad that I did as the owner recently cut them down.

Psalms 19:1

OLD FLORIDA

24x30, oil on canvas

I made a decision to paint scenes of where I live so I look for places that typify the “look” and the “mood” of the area. To me, this house screams Central Florida.

Psalms 19:1

GOLDEN COCONUT TREES #2

GOLDEN COCONUT TREES #1

As a child, before the days of television, I used to listen to a church service on the radio called “Church in the Wildwood.”   As I painted this church it triggered that memory.

Psalms 19:1             

8X10 oil n canvas

I painted a series of 4 paintings I called “Vintage Church.”   I am drawn to old churches as they represent to me a people and culture that acknowledges  and honors God.

16x20, oil on canvas

Usually, after the service on a Sunday morning people gather outside to “fellowship.”  Although, I don’t believe that they are always discussing the message they just heard.

Psalms 19:1

18x24, oil on canvas

I saw these two girls coming from school.  I was drawn to paint them as I wore the same uniform when I went to school in Jamaica.  The church was not behind them, but I painted one.  I wanted to show that in most places schools were first started by churches.

Psalms 19:1

16x20 oil on canvas

I was on vacation in Jamaica and saw this gentleman early one Sunday morning going to this church.  I presumed that he either was the pastor or a deacon arriving early to get ready for the morning service.

Psalms 19:1

SUNLIT BAMBOO WALK

24X30 OILS

This road is one of the most photographed places in Jamaica. Bamboo trees line the road for miles forming a green, feathery tunnel that flutters with the slightest breeze. I removed the traffic leaving only this beautiful canopied walkway.

SUGAR CANE CART

11x14 oil on canvas

When I first got married my husband worked as an engineer at Frome Sugar Estate in Westmoreland, Jamaica.  You were forced to share the roads and sit behind overloaded sugar cane carts on their way to the factory.

Psalms 19:1

24x30, oil on canvas

A family of nine grew up in this house. I knew them. They all migrated to the United States and became very successful. One of the siblings told me that they kept this old family home as a reminder of their roots. They later built a larger and more modern home next to it. As I was painting this scene, I took great liberty with the background and placed the house close to other homes on the hill above. I added the chickens as all country homes raised chickens for food. I forgot to put a dog in the yard as that was also standard. This place brought to memory my grandmother’s house and as I painted it I could hear the crowing of roosters early in the morning.

Psalms 19:1

30x40, oil on canvas

I watched as the Pastor conducted this baptismal ceremony in Jamaica. After I painted this piece, I showed it to my 90 year-old mother who for the first time told me that my grandfather lived very close to this stream.  He died at the age of 24 when my mother was 5 years old.  When he was dying she said she was taken to this house and ushered into a room where she saw a very sick man on a bed.  “I was scared.  I held my head down the entire time.  They never told me it was my father or I would have looked up “ she said.   There were no photos of my grandfather, so neither my mother or her children knew what he looked like.  My mother, who died at 98 years old, regretted all her life that she never looked up.  The fact that I “happened” upon this scene and “decided” to stop and take a picture is “providential.”

Psalms 19:1

24x30, oil on canvas

A typical rural scene in Jamaica must have chickens in the yard to be authentic.

Psalms 19:1

22x26, oil on masonite

I grew up in the city in Jamaica but spent some summers with my grandmother in the country.  As I painted this picture, I took artistic liberties and incorporated a myriad of beautiful places I remembered seeing.

Psalms 19:1

20x24, oil on canvas

This is Ms. Ethlyn who lived in Alexandria, Jamaica.  This photograph of her saying goodbye was the last time I saw her as she died two years later.  She lived alone in her one room house and said that she trusted God to provide for her needs.   She had Godly contentment. 

Psalms 19:1

18x24, oil on canvas

This painting is a view from my mother’s verandah in Jamaica.  Mr. Shaw’s house is in the foreground. The hectic pace of a big city fades away in this place as I pause and think deeply about life.

Psalms 19:1

18x24, oil on canvas

Only those who live in these beautiful homes on the hill are able to enjoy the spectacular views.  However, everyone can enjoy the lovely poinsettia trees that grow everywhere on the island.

Psalms 19:1

30x40, oil on canvas

This scene reminded me of Psalms 23 were God promises to lead me beside still waters.

Psalms 19:1 

11X14 oil on canvas

I love painting cottages in a “retreat-like” setting.  As I paint these homes, I am transported there and I experience a virtual sense of peace and comfort.

Psalms 19:1

20x24, oil on canvas

I was on vacation in Jamaica and early one Sunday morning I noticed this grandmother coming down a steep mountain path taking her granddaughter to church.   The little girl was skipping along.  I was struck by the grandmother’s agility and strength as she walked down this hill and wondered how she would make it up the hill again.   I also reflected on the fact that grandmothers are usually the ones who take the little ones to church. These little ones sometimes follow “In Grandma’s Footsteps.”

Psalms 19:1

11x14 oil on canvas

I painted this house by the river from my imagination – I believe.  But upon reflection, I must have seen it somewhere in my travels around Jamaica. 

Psalms 19:1

RUSHING WATERS

11X14,  oil on canvas

Psalms 19:1

30x40, oil on canvas

This spectacular waterfall, located in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, was privately owned by two families with the initials ‘Y”and “S”.  Seeing this majestic fall was a spiritual experience for me as well as for some who have seen this painting.  I can still hear the crashing sound of the water as it cascaded over the rocks.  This was my first attempt to paint the scene. I did it again.  See Falls at YS River #2.

30x40, oil on canvas

This spectacular waterfall, located in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, was privately owned by two families with the initials ‘Y”and “S”.  Seeing this majestic fall was a spiritual experience for me as well as for some who have seen this painting.  I can still hear the crashing sound of the water as it cascaded over the rocks.

Psalms 19:1

30x40, oil on canvas

This is a view of YS Falls in St. Elizabeth in Jamaica.  As I was painting this spectacular waterfall that God gave us to enjoy, I could hear again the rushing, crashing sound of the water as it cascaded over the rocks.

Psalms 19:1             

FALLS AT DUNNS RIVER

16X20 (dyptech), Oil on canvas

Psalms 19:1

FLORIDA RIVER

30X40

THE CARIBBEAN SEA

24X36 OILS

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

OILS

24X36

MIDNIGHT BLOOM

30X40 oil on canvas

SILVER DOLLAR

16X20 oil on canvas

SCENIC FLORIDA

16X20 oil on canvas

YS RIVER

16x20

22x28, acrylic

“Stairway to Heaven” is a vision God gave me which represents an open invitation from God for all to come to Heaven. As I was painting, I spoke to each “jumper” and prayed that they had said a prayer to Jesus before jumping and made it on The Stairway to Heaven. For those who lost loved ones and are still wondering if they made it to heaven. My answer to them is, only God knows, but the invitation was given

20x24, acrylic

I got the title for this painting from Isaiah 61: 2- 3 “…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..”

20x24 acrylic

In the midst of tragedy we can look to the cross and find comfort.