Artist in Residence Project: St Augustine Residency Wrap Up

Sky Study

2.5x3.5

Beach Study

2.5x3.5

Flagship Harbor Park 

Gamble Rogers State Preserve

Flagship Harbor Park Trail

River to Sea Trail

River to Sea Preserve

 Princess Place

Notes From My Residency Journal

I have arrived home from my residency in St Augustine, safe and sound. It was a wonderful experience full of adventure and exploration. The Hibiscus Condos are exceptionally nice. The landscaping is beautiful and of course, features lovely Hibiscus bushes all around. The pool is very nice and my residence was the best!! I had the loveliest of views in the whole complex and enjoyed painting on the patio every afternoon. The condo was well layed out and very comfortable. Everything was there that I needed. Thanks so much to my sponsors Nan and Bob Sherwood for a wonderful week full of happy memories. This project depends entirely on the generosity of my sponsors who lend me their homes for a week. Nan has requested a flower painting as her reward, so I'll be getting to that soon.

I explored quite a few nature preserves during my stay and I liked all of them. The most difficult to get to was Princess Place, a fair drive from St Augustine. It also has a long rutted road to drive, so that may be a minus for some drivers. It is a lovely park once you arrive.

I had two favorites on the trip, River to Sea and Flagship Harbor. Both of these parks have much to offer scenically and for good exercise.

 Flagship Harbor is the safest and easiest to access. It is an active park with lots of people around but, also easy to find solitude in if that is desired. The scenery is lovely and I got lots of good photos for future studio paintings. The facilities are nice and there is a great pavilion for picnicking.

River to Sea is equally lovely with a nice picnicking pavilion. The trails are good, but it is very easy to get lost on them and the wildlife encounters can be harrowing. It is very quiet. I did not see a soul on that journey. In future, I would be inclined to stay in the front area and paint the wonderful water views if alone. The trails would be great with a companion.

I also liked Gamble Rogers but it is tiny with limited access to views. It would definitely be great for water exploration in a boat. Bings Landing is quite small, mostly a boat ramp, so not much to tell about that location.

In short, it was a wonderful adventure and I hope to go back in 2013. Both trips, first in May( Chad and Sarah) and then September (Nan and Bob) gave me a wonderful understanding of that part of Florida's Coast. I now have a long list of great places to explore and paint.

With any luck, I'll be back at beloved Fair Oaks next Sunday for a mini residency. I love to travel but Fair Oaks remains as my favorite residency.