Cocoa Village cafe, 41 Plymouth painting
Cocoa Beach is more familiar. However, the village of Cocoa is just across the Intracoastal, about 5 miles from Cocoa Beach. It is a great historic town to spend the day. Very picturesque. The area is great to visit, because you have the beach feel, and 15 minutes down the road you have a quaint historic village on a riverbank (the Intracoastal) with gift shops, restaurants, and a favorite of mine - cafes.
I’d seen this car about town, and walking down the sidewalk saw it parked in front of the cafe. The driver was sitting at the table, sipping a coffee and enjoying a cigarette. It made a good picture, but I knew when I took the photo that it would be a great subject to paint. I used the photo as a guide and tried to capture in particular the curvature and three dimensional look of the car focusing on the fender and roof highlights. By painting it, I was able to eliminate the car directly ahead and behind and reduce clutter. I now carry a camera and plan on taking pictures that I know are flawed as photographs, but that may make a great subject for painting.
Cocoa Cafe - 2007, Acrylic on canvas board, 14″ x 18″
- the Muse
