HONEYMOON ISLAND NO. 2 TRAVEL ART PAINTING

Honeymoon Island No. 2 is a travel art painting part that is of my series of six watercolor landscape and seascape paintings titled Summer Escape: Dunedin. Honeymoon Island State Park is a great place to explore and is located on Florida’s Suncoast. White sand beaches, beautiful sunsets, and wildlife characterize this popular travel destination.

This travel art painting measures 8 x 10 inches and is painted on acid-free Fabriano hotpress watercolor paper using professional watercolors and gouache.

Creative Inspiration

If you like clear water and white sand, you will love Honeymoon Island along the Gulf of Mexico. A short drive from Tampa, Honeymoon Island State Park is a popular family-friendly spot for activities like:

Swimming

Fishing

Kayaking and canoeing

Hiking and biking on the park's trails

From my perspective, the great thing about this small island is it is not your typical straight-line Florida beach. There is an area of the island that is rocky on the south end. Also, the hiking trails and vegetation in this area are different than the average Florida beach. There are many species of birds and other wildlife to inspire bird watchers, photographers, and visual artists creating travel related art.

©2022 Erica MacDonald, Honeymoon Island No. 2. Watercolor and gouache, 8 x 10 inches.

HONEYMOON ISLAND ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE PAINTING

The original landscape painting Honeymoon Island No. 1 is part of my series of six watercolor seascape paintings titled Summer Escape: Dunedin. A popular adventure spot forty minutes outside of Tampa, the lush landscape of Florida’s Honeymoon Island is beautiful with four miles of unspoiled beaches, wildlife, and three walking trails.

This contemporary landscape painting measures 6 x 7 inches and is painted on archival smooth watercolor paper using premium watercolors. You can see other paintings in the series.

Creative Inspiration

You drive into Honeymoon Island via the Dunedin Causeway which is a two-mile bridge that ends at the island. Once you get to this state park you have many activities to choose from like swimming, fishing, or hiking. If you are going with creative aspirations like photography or painting, you might want to go in the winter, on a weekday, when there are only a few people there. But, if you want a traditional summer beach vibe with white sand and clear waters go in the summer. Be prepared, it’s a popular place during the summer season. It’s mostly families on vacation and locals that will be there, so it has a friendly feel. You can read more about the island and the area here.

©2022 Erica MacDonald, Honeymoon Island No. 1. Watercolor, 6 x 7 inches.

SUMMER ESCAPE: DUNEDIN SEASCAPE PAINTINGS

I’m excited to announce that you can now buy seascape paintings from my series Summer Escape: Dunedin. I’ve painted this series over the last several months. Now, I’m finally releasing it. The series includes six watercolor & gouache original paintings that feature Three Rooker Island, Honeymoon Island State Park, and the Dunedin Causeway.

Buy Seascape Paintings

Summer Escape: Dunedin includes three original paintings that measure 6 x 7 inches and the rest are 8 x 10 inches. The smaller ones were painted with only watercolor while the larger paintings include both watercolor and gouache. Besides seascapes, there is one original landscape painting in this series. All artworks are painted with professional artist-grade lightfast paints on thick 300 lb. archival watercolor paper.

Creative Inspiration

I love travel and art related paintings, so my creative inspiration was from treasured family vacation photos. My twins were younger when we took this trip. Since then, it has been a favorite destination because the Dunedin area truly has some of the most picturesque views in the state. There’s something special about this little city with its small-town allure.

Dunedin & Honeymoon Island

Dunedin is in the Suncoast region of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico and is located about forty-five minutes outside of Tampa. It’s an idyllic and low-key small town with an artsy downtown area. It has easy access to Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island via the Dunedin Causeway. Clearwater and Tarpon Springs are not far away.

Honeymoon Island is one of my favorite beaches in Florida. The beautiful Gulf Coast views are definitely worth the trip. It includes walking trails with four miles of beach and it’s family-friendly. There are multiple other parks in the Dunedin area too.

Three Rooker Island

Another amazing spot that sparks my creative inspiration near Dunedin is Three Rooker Island. It’s a barrier island that lies to the north. It’s popular with the locals, especially on the weekend. We visited on a weekday and we were the only ones there for part of our excursion.

It was a fun experience to be on a tiny island without others around. I have a feeling that being alone in this popular spot is not a normal occurrence because another boat did show up on a random weekday.

Honestly, as a rule, I usually do not travel to the same spot twice. But, we love this area so much that we plan to return soon. I am unfamiliar with all this area has to offer, so on my next trip, I will check out more of the Dunedin area. Of course, a day trip to Tarpon Springs to eat and shop will be a must-do on my list. If you are wondering about nearby Tarpon Springs it’s a unique and diverse city that offers a blend of sponge diving 1900s history, natural beauty, and Greek traditions. It's popular for its Greek cuisine and has several festivals throughout the year.