Vero Beach Residency- Day 3

Banyan Tree

9x12 inches

Oil on panel

Notes From My Residency Journal

Today I visited Ft Pierce, FL just a few miles south of Vero Beach. Ft Pierce appears to be Vero Beach's shabby neighbor. I didn't see much of interest there. All of the art focus seems to be on Bean Backus and the Highwaymen.  There was a museum with his work. The Navy Seal museum was there as well. 

I went to the state park at the Ft Pierce Inlet and enjoyed the large Seagrape trees in the park. The wildlife preserve was closed and under construction, so I made my way back to Vero for breakfast at the Lemon Tree Restaurant. It was equally delicious today. I had poached eggs with grits, crisp bacon and an English muffin. The coffee is excellent there too. 

I took a walking tour of Ocean Drive, and found the Laughing Dog Gallery, very nice for glass and 3 D art. I decided to head over to the 14th St arts district. I found a sweet space run by 6 partners, called the Tiger Lily. The ladies were charming and friendly, making every effort to give me information about the art scene in Vero Beach. I enjoyed a short stroll around but it was chilly and overcast so I headed back to the beautiful condo, provided by my friend Judy, to do the above painting. I am enjoying these new trees I find here in South Florida. 

Residency at Big Talbot Island- day 5

Afternoon Palms

Ft Clinch Boardwalk

Fishermen with their catch at Ft Clinch State Pa

Notes From My Residency Journal

For some bizarre reason we were up at 5:30 AM today. It is not an hour of the day I am fond of😫 After a cup a Joe, we were off the Ft Clinch State Park. We enjoyed taking some photos and exploring the park. We ran into these two fishermen who asked us to take some photos of them. We gladly obliged. They went through an elaborate staging for their photos. They are evidently in the fishing business, so wanted publicity shots. They were a lot of fun.

After the park, we headed for Fernandina Beach, to check out this quaint town. We toured two art galleries and enjoyed lunch at the 29 Bistro. They had service out on the porch and it was a cool day so we opted for that seating. The service was very good and so was the food. They serve an upscale version of Southern cuisine. I had the roasted pulled pork Cobb salad. It came with fried green tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese, delicious, and corn bread croutons, with a nutty flavored shredded cheese over greens. It was called BBQ pork, but it was roasted pork with a tangy sauce. Very tasty but not true BBQ. True BBQ must be smoked.  Mary Jane had a pork sandwich with napa cabbage slaw. She said it was good. A very good lunch, well served. 

We headed back to the Big Talbot where I did today's painting, while Mary Jane watched the critters on the marshes. We left for our late afternoon drive to study the light and take photos of Little Talbot Iland. The light was glorious indeed. My last day in paradise. I must get back to my town studio tomorrow and will go with gratitude to North Florida Land Trust for a fine week of painting.

Residency at Big Talbot Island - Day 4

Palms at Big Talbot House

8x 10 inches

Oil on canvas panel

Notes From My Residency Journal

My guest Mary Jane and I had a full day of exploration at Little Talbot Island and Big Talbot and Ft George Islands, all the small and large nooks and crannies. The dune walks and beach boardwalks are especially lovely this year. All of the pink grasses are in full bloom now. I got to spend some time watching th waves roll in on the white sand beach at Little Talbot State Park. I have a great love for the large Red Cedar trees that grow prolifically in the dunes there. 

We toured the Kingsley Plantation, which is beautiful but sobering with the history of slavery there. The tabby slave houses are all still intact. I learned that Kingsley plantation was a major destination for slave boats coming from Africa. It is such a beautiful place to have produced such horror in our past.  The front yard has tall stately palms with a vast view of the marshes. 

After my lunch of tuna fish on potato chips, I settled in to do the above small painting of a view from the Big Talbot House, provided by my friends at North Florida Land Trust.  This house is large and very comfortable, with a lovely view of tall cabbage palms and the distant marsh. There is a fine long dock out on the water with spectacular marsh views. I could paint here forever and not grow tired of it. This chain of pristine barrier islands beats the heck out of St Simons further north. This is a truly splendid part of Florida. 

Tomorrow we are to explore Amelia Island, Ft Clinch, and Fernandina Beach. More from paradise tomorrow.

Marsh Palms

Mary Jane

Salt Marsh

Fair Oaks Mini Residency- August 11, 2014

Notes From My Residency Journal

I brought Henry with me today. I will be bringing him with me again most of the time for awhile. He was so happy to come back to Fair Oaks. He loves Buddy, Shane, the staff and his friend who can speak French with him. The drive from my studio was really hot for him, so I got the idea to bring back a bag of ice for the trip home. It would keep his seat cool. I brought a little pad for him to lay on up in the studio. I am thinking I will get one of those small pad dog beds to leave up in the Fair Oaks studio. He likes to sleep on a little bed. 

We walked into the blessedly cool studio, thanks to the staff who spoils me. While he snoozed, I worked on the painting of the week. I'm just about done after today's session. I'll take one more look at it next week when I get back. The second painting I'm working on is not working very well, so I will have to see what I need to do with it next week. 

When the lunch bell rang, I left Henry in the studio and headed over to the cottage for our wonderful weekly lunch together. I look forward to it each time. We had a special treat today, Pearl Country Store BBQ. I dearly love BBQ and never tire of it. We had pulled pork sandwiches, French fries,baked beans and cole slaw. Dessert was Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and strawberries. Wow! Good eats!  Our topic of discussion was how intelligence relates to success. I love our lunch topics. I always learn so much from these wise friends. 

After lunch we finished up in the studio and headed out in the cart for a quick ride in the golf cart. Henry loves to ride around the fields.

We reluctantly headed for home in Leroy after another marvelous day in paradise.

Henry poses in the studio.

Chris pays a visit to see Henry in the studio. Mark stopped in too. 

East Hay Field

18 x 24 inches

Oil on canvas

Fair Oaks Mini Residency - July 6, 2014

I forgot my IPad today so I don't have any good photos to share. 

I'm getting so spoiled at Fair Oaks. Today the AC in the studio was already on again and the studio was cool and inviting. I was greeted by the 24x24 inch painting in progress. I enjoyed working along on it until I heard the lunch bell. We were treated to an inspired lunch of paella with clams shrimp and chicken and fresh green salad, sliced tomatoes and thick crunchy toast. Dessert was a huge bowl of ice cream with fresh mango slices and chocolate syrup.WOW! My friend Kate Barnes was guest of honor and we all enjoyed her lively stories and interests. 

I made a blanket for my canine friend sweet Buddy. I want him to have a warm blanket this winter when it's cold. I'll start on Shane's next.  

I headed back up to paint a bit after the marvelous lunch and then headed Leroy for home. As I drove along I knew how lucky I am to have my Fair Oaks family who nurtures and supports me.  

Fair Oaks Mini Residency- June 22

I finished this painting at the Fair Oaks studio today.

The Summer Grasses

Reference photo for my next 40x60 inch painting

Notes From My Residency Journal

I arrived today at Fair Oaks and met the newest staff member Becky. She is very sweet and is to take care of Buddy and Shane, my sweet canine friends. After a great cup of coffee, I headed out for a short trip around the fields to take some reference photos for a large painting to come. The grasses seeded out and turned a rusty color as they dried. The fields are a lovely rich green from the rainy season. The birds are everywhere as well as the insects. All is beautiful at Fair Oaks.

I headed upstairs to work on the above painting. I have 2 or three paintings in production at the Fair Oaks Studio most of the time. I start one in my painting studio and then take it to Fair Oaks on Sunday to continue on Sundays. It gives me time away from the paintings for a week so I can look at them with fresh eyes and new ideas the following week. 

The lunch bell rang and I headed to a delicious beef stew, vegetable and salad. Magda and Sebastian arrived and I'm always happy to spend time with them. I headed back up to the studio to finish my painting and then steared Leroy toward my own studio after a swell day in paradise. 

Crystal River Residency - Day 6

My good friend Linda

Our view for lunch

Notes From my Residence Journal

Today I painted with my friend Linda and her friend and painter Ron Affee, http://www.ronaffee.com in Inverness at the town lake front park.

It wasn't too hot. I chose to study some trees and found a good shady spot, so I enjoyed myself. They chose different spots. I ended up in a nice conversation with a sculptor from the town so that was interesting and fun.

Linda and I traveled back to Crystal River and stopped at a restaurant called the Ale House. It was a great place with a covered patio, so we dined alfresco. There was a nice breeze and storm clouds building so it as very pleasant. Linda is an easy going comfortable friend who is easy to talk to. I always enjoy her company.  The food was very good. I had the shrimp basket with perfectly cooked large shrimp and good cole slaw. Linda had a bowl of broccoli soup. It was great fun watching the boats come and go past us. 

I barely made it back to the condo before the sky opened up with a good shower to cool things off. I spent the afternoon washing the bedding and doing a bit of cleaning, as I leave tomorrow morning. I'll stop for breakfast and head for my own stomping grounds. I have a cake order, so I need to get my chef's hat on and get busy with that. I'll be back in the town studio on Friday, with fond memories of this wonderful place. 

If you love nature, this is your vacation home! There is a nice pool, the boat dock is right in front of me and the view from the deck is spectacular. There is a large comfy bed on the top level bedroom and full bath. There is a nice half bath downstairs, a modern galley kitchen, and very comfortable furniture. A cozy, modern condo carefully disguised as a simple cottage, fitting into natural surroundings beautifully. 

The owners rent the condo by the week or by the month. Let me know if you are interested. I recommend this as a marvelous vacation setting.

My heartfelt thanks to the Daly's for this wonderful week in paradise. 

Crystal River Residency- Day 5

Marsh Clouds

8x10 inches

Oil on panel

River Study

 8x10 inches

Oil on panel

Roy Thomas Road

Off Ft Island Trail

Notes From My Residency Journal

I went to A J's Cafe today for breakfast. It is located on Us 19 on the west side if you are headed south. It was a bit nicer than most of the others I've visited in terms of decor. It has a typical breakfast menu. I had corned beef hash and fried eggs with homefries and rye toast, all good with excellent service. I've been impressed with the number of breakfast restaurants in this small town, at least four. Since breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out, I like all these choices, all in the range of 8.00-9.00. 

After breakfast I did some more exploring on my way back to my temporary studio. I found Roy Thomas road, a narrow dirt road that goes through the marshes and eventually dead ends at what I imagine is some sort of fish camp, with a couple of houses and public buildings like a camp.  The views of the river are glorious there. I didn't stay long, not wanting to be a bother. No one seemed to mind or care that I was there. I got some nice quick snapshots of the river and headed back to Ft Island Trail. 

The marshes here are fascinating in color and texture, in one direction they will be greenish bronze, in another wheat. Sometimes they turn to chocolate in color. They remind me of the Forgotten Coast marshes up along Simmons Bayou and Indian Pass, in the Port St Joe area. Exotic and ever changing. This is also a wonderful place to study cloud formations. 

Another day in paradise thanks to The Daly's. 

Crystal River Residency - Day 4

Marsh Palm

5x7 inches

Oil on panel

Palm Hammock

8x10 inches

Oil on panel

Marshes along Fort Island Trail

Notes From My Residency Journal

I started my day with breakfast at a local dive named Oysters. It was quite by accident. I stopped for gas first and the restaurant was right next door. I decided, why not? I'm glad I did. They had a nice breakfast menu with a fair number of options. I discovered a fisherman's breakfast as one of the selections. The fish options included catfish, cod or grouper. I chose Grouper, one of my favs with eggs, grits and toast. It was superb. The fish was fried the old school way. No panko  breadcrumbs or tempura batter here. It was fried the classic Florida way in cornmeal. Crisp and hot and steaming in the middle. It was a large piece and all was wonderful, including the crisp brown toast. The coffee was excellent and bold. This feast was 8.50 including the coffee. What a great way to start my day!

I spent some time photographing Ft Island Trail with its many side roads and got some great reference photos. I headed back to my temporary studio to paint the above two paintings. Just before 4 PM, I headed to my hosts' beautiful marsh house for a second feast for dinner. We enjoyed crackers and cheese first, then grilled chicken, a beautiful colorful salad with poppy seed dressing, asparagus cooked perfectly, sweet potatoes, and corn on the cob, followed by fresh watermelon for dessert with coffee. Truly delicious! I had such a great time swapping stories with them. They are wonderful friends, and Linda is a fine painter. We will be off on Wednesday to a town called Inverness to paint with her painting group. I'll enjoy meeting new painting friends. 

Another wonderful day in Paradise.

Crystal River Residency -Day 3

River Canal

12x16 inches

Oil on canvas

Marshes on Fort Island Trail

Ft Island Trail Park

Notes From My Residency Journal

I woke early and ventured out to breakfast at Granny's restaurant. I had corned beef hash and eggs with hash browns, all tasty. I always eat breakfast there at least once when I visit Crystal River.  I headed back down the trail to admire the lovely marshes along the way. There are several parks and trails off the main drive and I enjoyed stopping along the way to take photos with my IPhone camera. I will go again tomorrow with my IPad that takes very good photos. 

I like this cozy little cottage where I am hosted by the generous Daly family. It fits into the nature of the marsh so well. It is environmentally friendly in that it nestles into the marsh with little disturbance, leaving a completely natural landscape. The clapboard siding is painted a neutral color and the decking and walkways are all unfinished wood, so it grays with time with the marsh trees along the canal. The only paving is in the small parking lot, rimmed by trees. 

As a Florida native, I hate seeing the mini mansions along the River with manicured lawns, devoid of natural plantings. They don't fit into the environment in any way and have no respect for the marshes. I'm not naive enough to wish for no development in our beautiful state, but environmentally friendly development is possible with as little disturbance as possible to the land and sea. I continue to fully support our state land trust organizations and encourage others to do so. 

I'm having an excellent time painting everyday. I'm working on my 4th painting. 

Here's to another wonderful day in paradise.

Crystal River Residency - Day 2

Marsh Morning

 9x12 inches

Oil on canvas

Marsh Palms

8x10 inches

Oil on canvas

Notes From My Residency Journal

This lovely place truly provides all the scenery I could wish for. I feel no need to go anywhere looking for a place to paint. It is all here in front of me. I've been watching the boats go up and down the canal all day, while happily painting. The condos are all on stilts above the marsh, so the tide goes in and out under us. Rustic wooden boardwalks meander through the property, with palms growing here and there through the walkways. It is lovely and natural. As I walk along, I see tiny crabs skittering along the boardwalk.

I will venture out for a bite to eat later. It's very hot so I am happy with my views from the air conditioned condo for the duration of the heat wave. I'll be going out with a group this week to paint in the area for a day.

A good painting day in paradise.

Crystal River Residency - Day 1

View from the deck 1

View from the Deck 2

My lovely abode

Notes From My Residency Journal

I arrived around noon and am settled into this lovely condo for the week. My friends Linda and Tom made this residency possible. Thanks so much to them for this privilege. It is a lovely cottage like building out over the water. Sliding glass doors face the marshes with a generously sized I deck. It is so hot this week that I will enjoy painting the view inside during the day.  I'll head out to explore tomorrow, early and then head back here to paint where it is cool. 

Fair Oaks Mini Residency - May 18, 2014

Sunflowers in front of the old shed

9x12 inches

Oil on panel

Notes From My Residency Journal

I was so very happy to have a day at Fair Oaks. I've not been there as much as I like due to other responsibilities. It was as perfect as Florida ever gets. The fields were full of early summer flowers, tiny and white with yellow centers, tall, like a blanket over the field. So lovely!  The first thing I noticed was a row of Sunflowers in front of the old shed and they drew me in like magnets. I spent the morning painting the scene. 

Lunch was from Blue Highway and delicious. I love their chicken and BBQ pizza and the marvelous salad. Our friend Sue Wood contributed a peach pie, so it was really a great lunch. 

My students arrived and I got them all settled in their favorite spots.  I spent the afternoon driving back and forth in the trusty golf cart, checking on their progress.  At 5:30 we gathered in the pavilion to look at the paintings and talk painting. It was a swell day in paradise. 

The Wedding

Groom and Bride

Bride

Pretty girls Magda and Jackie

Selfie fun with my pal and co- trouble maker Matty.

Saranette and Mary Jane and Becky in front.

Cake top

Groom Cake Top

Cake front

Groom Cake front

Notes From My Residency Journal

The wedding was incredibly gentle and sweet. It was nostalgic, country and wonderful. It was the best wedding I've been to in years. The bride was just stunning, her dress, gorgeous on her beautiful figure. The groom tall and handsome with a fresh haircut, so proud of his lovely wife. We sat on fruit crates under the fine old Live Oak in the back yard at Fair Oaks. What a wonderful setting for this new beginning. Mark and Anna have nurtured and loved Fair Oaks for some time. There were tall wild flowers along the isle in jars, perfection! The youngest flower girl rode in a wagon full of wild flowers, so very sweet. 

I saw many friends of Fair Oaks among the guests, including former employees who now have professions after their college years, artists who paint its beauty and friends of the host of Fair Oaks. A wonderful mix of all who are devoted to this wonderful and magical land. 

The reception was held up the hill at the Ashley and Saranett Wood farm. The tables were set with China and crystal on white linen. There were pine limb coasters holding glass jars filled with flowers and other interesting candles and objects. 

There was a sign on the table listing the local food sources for the wedding, a nice touch. We enjoyed a tomato, mozzerella, basil bruschetta appetizer, beef brisket, green beans,roast chicken, squash, cucumber tomato salad, corn bread, all from local farmers and Mark and Anna's garden. That made the food taste extra special. 

There was a nice classic music style through dinner with tunes from Tony Bennett. After dinner and the toasts, the band cranked up with songs for the young crowd. The lights from the band reflected in the glass jars on tables, making them beautiful. I cut the cake before I headed for home after a lovely day in paradise. 

I'll get back to my other job as a painter tomorrow.

Mini Residency at Fair Oaks April 20, 2014

Mark Anna and James talk about the upcoming wedding at Fair Oaks

The flowers are blooming under the trees this week.

Mentor student Margaret painted one of the fine old trees.

Mentor student Pat was ready to paint the pond roses.

Notes From My Residency Journal

I spent the morning painting in the East Hay Field. I am working on a painting in stages, so this was my second session. I have one more to go and then I'll show it to you finished. Just as I was about ready to clean up, Anna and friend James arrived in time for lunch. 

We wandered over to the big Live Oak with the swing where the wedding will be. I have never had a ride on the swing though it has always been there. Today I decided it was a good day to swing! Oh what a thrill it was! It is the best kind of swing. A single strong rope on a board, so you wrap your legs around the rope as you straddle the board. It goes in every direction. Mark, the strong man, pushed me high up into the tree. I've never enjoyed anything more. What freedom to be like a bird! Marvelous!

We enjoyed lunch of spaghetti with wonderful sausage and sauce with broccoli, fresh fruit and carrot cake. Chef Chris did a wonderful job. Just as I finished my slice of cake my two students arrived for an afternoon of painting. 

It was truly a swell day in paradise!

Mini Residency at Cellon Oak Park

Cellon Oak

9x12 inches

Oil on panel

www.lindablondheim.com

My painting for the day.

9x12 inches

Oil on panel

My friend Tim Malles with his painting

Mrs Tim with their dog. She was our support system for the day.

Notes From My Residency Journal

I paint in this park now and then with my friend Tim. He is a terrific person and a fine painter. We enjoy the time to talk shop as we seldom have time together. It is a relaxed morning and we do one painting before we go our separate ways, he to picnic with his wife and I to head for my studio right down the road. The park is only about 3 miles from my painting studio. 

I've been painting this champion live oak for many years and it challenges me every time. It is so massive that I have difficulty fitting it into a small format. It screams for a large surface. I did a studio painting of it once in 30x36 inch format and it was pretty accurate. I do love the challenge of painting it.

A fun day painting with a friend always hits the spot!