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 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 Painting

Artist in Residence Paintings

Notes From My Residency Journal

Since I returned from Crystal River, I have been studying the reference photos I took there, doing small and miniature paintings from the adventure. Today I finished the first large format painting from the residency. This painting is from the marshes and one of the estuaries in the Ozello area. It is truly a beautiful wild part of Florida that few know. Most of the people in this area are fishermen and hunters. It is quiet and for the most part natural compared to Crystal River. The painting is 20x24 inches oil on canvas. You will soon be able to see it in my loft studio in Gainesville, FL.