I Will Be Exhibiting at the Lake Mary Museum Aug 5 - Sept 9, 2017

"Morning Pinks"
Krys Pettit
Watercolor on Paper

"Wild Oranges"
Krys Pettit
Watercolor on Paper

I love to participate in local art exhibits.  As much as I like to show my work outside of Central Florida I believe it is important for an artist to be a part of their local art community.
Therefore I am happy to announce that I am one the artists invited to show at the Lake Mary Museum of History in beautiful Lake Mary, Seminole County,  Florida.
I will be exhibiting two of my watercolors that I hope show the beauty of nature in Central Florida - "Morning Pinks" and "Wild Oranges."
The staff at the museum is one of the nicest and strongest supporters of arts in Seminole County, Florida and it is an honor to be a part of this group of exceptional regional artists.
For those of you who live in the Lake Mary and Central Florida region I have attached the link for the museum below.
If you would like to see the exhibit it will be showing August 5 through September 9, 2017 - Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10AM to 3PM and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11AM to 7PM. Admission is free.
Thanks for visiting and for supporting the arts in Central Florida!

Lake Mary Museum, Lake Mary, Florida

Deep Purple - Or Is It?

"Starfall on the Intracoastal"by Krys Pettit

I have found there are certain color combinations I work with more than others.  I like the bright, warm colors on my palette but I often choose cool and calming colors andI mix blues and reds to get a variety of purples.

"Dream Time" by Krys Pettit

I wondered if purple was a valid color and Wikipedia sort of answered my question:

"Purple, unlike violet, is not one of the colors of the visible spectrum. It was not one of the colors of the rainbow identified by Isaac Newton, and it does not have its own wavelength of light. For this reason, it is called a non-spectral color."  

"Evening's Window" by Krys Pettit

Which got me to thinking -- do I paint with violet more than purple?  When you are instinctively mixing colors using different sources you kind of don't label the final product.  What you do is hope you can get that color yet again and match what you have painted.  All the colors I use is custom mixed by me at the moment I paint instead of using tube colors so there is no formula to follow.

"Moonlit Window - Bulow Plantation" by Krys Pettit

If I am indeed using violet instead of purple, it would be close to red on the color spectrum, while purple is closer to blue.  Just to make things more complicated I tend to mix the two.  It all sounds too technical for my artistic brain.

"Paris Window" by Krys Pettit

 I think I will just mix those colors, and see where they land.  Frankly it would be a whole lot less fun if I really knew what the outcome would be.  Which is why I love being and artist.

"Canyon Storm" by Krys Pettit

For an idea of how the masters used purple, check out this link on Google Culture to one of the great waterlily paintings by Claude Monet.  Who knew how to do purple in so many ways.

"Waterlilies" by Claude Monet

Capturing the History

"Murat House, St. Augustine, Florida" c. 1993
Watercolor by Krys Pettit

I am a frequent visitor to St. Augustine, Florida.  I enjoy strolling the quiet back streets of St. Augustine away from the crowds, snack food and cheap trinkets.  It's there I find many historic structures and my inspiration for paintings.  The image on the left is one of the first watercolors I did back in 1993 -- I was just starting working with the medium.  I incorrectly named the piece and in later years learned it was the Prince Napoleon Achille Murat House.  The Prince was the nephew of Napoleon and arrived in St. Augustine in the spring of 1824 but eventually left to reside in  Tallahassee.

I stay away from the heart of tourism, tee shirt and overpriced souvenir shops.  I prefer streets where I find gems like this one below.  The Marin House is on aptly named Marine Street. The property was acquired by a Minorcan colonist from New Smyrna Beach and the house is over 200 years old.

"Faded Beauty" c. 2000 Watercolor by Krys Pettit

Marin House, St. Augustine Florida, 2017

I love the unique coloring.  Much of the faded, mottled walls have been overpainted recently and the inspiration for my painting is long gone, along with some not-so-popular mold and peeling plaster.

Plaques like these are placed on historical structures all around St. Augustine, giving you a sense of how long these buildings have seen tourists and hurricanes come and go.

If you live close enough take some time to visit this wonderful city.  It may inspire you to learn more about the history of early Florida and perhaps even become an artist.

For more paintings and building portraits, please visit my website:

Krys Pettit - Artist