Packing for the Crystal River Residency

Artist In residency Project Paintings

Notes From My Residency Journal

I'll soon be off to Crystal River for a week. I'm staying at the Daly House, on the marshes, so I'm very excited to have this opportunity. Thank you Linda Daly for this sponsorship!!

I've made my list of places to visit and photograph and will go out early to explore each day, spending my afternoons painting the marsh from the house.It is the hot, mosquito infested part of the year here in FL, so I don't plan on plein air work. I will gather as much reference material as possible to use later in my studio. I will enjoy waking up each morning to the coastal marshes. I'm really excited!!

The Internet is turned off at the house so posting to this blog may be sketchy. I will try to get to the public library there to post a couple of times. When I get back, I'll tell all.

Mini Fair Oaks Residency 07/15/2012

The Pond

5x7 inches

acrylic on panel

The Pond

Field One Clouds

Purple Flowers

Fairy House

Notes From My Residency Journal

I headed out to Fair Oaks early today. Rick was just getting ready to hurry off to get supplies for his new pontoon boat. Yay!! Pontoon boat gives me visions of painting in the boat. Let the begging commence!! 

 The heat has become problematic for painting late in the day. Afternoon storms come up suddenly as the heat and humidity rises.  I took a quick turn around the fields on arrival as I love to do. There are constant changes between my visits which might not be noticeable to a person unfamiliar with nature. 

There is a primal quality to Florida in the summer. A more ominous feel to the land. It seems to become more wild in the hot months. The sea of knee to waist high weeds and grasses make me wonder what is lurking in the grass, waiting for me to step out of the cart. The pond has returned in it's glory, and that brings Moccasins back, so I must be more careful. Also the Poison Ivy and clouds of mosquitoes are challenging. 

 Surprisingly, the heat has not bothered me much this year. I am able to do at least one small painting on each visit and take many good reference photos. As much as I love being there year round, I long for fall and winter to come, with its rich color, texture, and low humidity. Just a few more months before Fair Oaks will be in its full glory. I'm sure the staff and the dogs, Buddy and Shane look forward to fall. Henry does too. He misses Fair Oaks so much in the summer. He loves Rick, Buddy and Shane and so do I.

Fair Oaks Mini Residency - July 1, 2012

 The fairy houses are placed around the fields.

These are natural fairy houses. I'll be decorating them as time permits.

Golf cart stuck first. Tractor stuck trying to pull it out.

 Big tractor pulling the little tractor out.

Rick in the tractor going back to the barn.

View of Field Three

5x7 inches

acrylic on panel

Notes From my Residency Journal

Today was very interesting and fun for the most part. Not so much for the staff though. Fair Oaks has been very dry for a long time and I have forgotten how to navigate there in the wet season. The recent tropical storm left a lot of water there. The pond has come back and is lovely. I counted several white egrets and a blue heron as I drove by. First on my agenda was going around the fields and placing the little houses I made. I got three settled in their new homes and decided to go back into the woods to place the last one. All was fine until I saw the large tree across the path. I decided I would just skirt around the tree and get back on the path. I often drive all around through the woods so I thought it would be a snap. It wasn't until I got half way around the tree that I noticed I was in ankle deep water. At Fair Oaks, water means sticky mud.  I bogged down and could not get out. I tried to push the cart out but I wasn't strong enough. 

I called the house and the boys promised to rescue me. In a little while Scotty came driving along in a tractor. As he backed in he got stuck too. Off he went to get a bigger tractor. He pulled out the first tractor but could not get in a good spot to pull the golf cart out. We gave up temporarily and headed to the house for lunch. Will made a shrimp sausage rice stew that was delicious. I made a coconut crusted cheesecake for dessert, so we ate well at least. Of course I had to endure many jokes about my driving ability.

After lunch, Rick helped the boys to push the cart out of the mud. I promised to be careful and not get stuck again. Famous last words. I stopped for a little while to do a little painting and then decided that I'd  move to another location.  I skirted the edge  a plowed field carefully.It seemed high and fairly solid. I got so close to the lane where I would have been safe and boom, there I was, buried in mud again. Rick and the boys were very busy, so I carried my supplies back to my truck, left a note apologizing and left for home. I was so frustrated with myself for being so dumb, not once, but twice.

 I'm sure they would like to hang me with onions and shoot me for stinkin!!

Painting From My New Smyrna Residency

Artist in Residence Paintings

Notes From My Residency Files

This is a painting done from one of the images I took while on location at Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve. It is lovely to have so many reference photos on file to choose months after my time in a location.It brings back the beauty and joy I experienced there. I hope to have another residency there in January or February of 2013. That is the ideal time to be there. The color is lush and beautiful then. The temperature is pleasant and no bugs!! The preserve is just south of New Smyrna and is owned by NASA . There are hundreds of trails that wind through the marshes and large pine forests and palm hammocks. The waterways are lined with very old red cedars that have been sculpted by wind and rain over the years. A marvelous wild place to explore in Florida.

The painting is not so pinky purple. It is sometimes hard to get the right hue in the imaging software. 

My First Fairy Houses

These are  houses I built yesterday in my painting studio. The top is a clay flower pot and the second is an old strawberry flower pot turned upside down. I used pine bark for the roof shingles. To put texture on the bottom pot, I used paper towel pieces dipped in paint and glue and smoothed them onto the pot.  I like the idea of the clay pots, as they will last indefinitely and I can replace the roof and awnings as they degrade. I will seal them with varnish to help the paint last a bit longer, but as they age, they will begin to blend into the landscape. Hopefully moss and lichens will attach to them as well. I have painted them with neutral purples,blues and grays with just a bit of color here and there on trim. I have seen fairy houses that are bright colors but I don't like them. I want them to look as natural as possible. When I get them on site, I will add paths and ornaments of nuts,berries and dried leaves to make them welcoming for our fairy friends at
 Fair Oaks. I will make a Popsicle easel and do a tiny painting as decoration.

I'm going to be making some of the houses to put in my loft studio as well.  More houses to come....

A Fair Oaks Project- Fairy Houses

Notes From My Residency Journal


Being an artist in residence is not just about being a painter. Being a steward is part of the package. I roam the  land every time I go to Fair Oaks, looking for trees down, trash left by a careless visitor and checking that the neighborhood livestock have not wandered onto the property. The owner and staff have so much to do, they don't have as much free time as I do. I like to help them in small ways when I can. My next Fair Oaks project is to build some Fairy Houses around the woods and fields. Fair Oaks has long had fairy residents in Holy Ground Field. They make fairy rings in the grass and I can feel their presence there from time to time. I think some homes for them would be a good idea. Thankfully, Rick is a patient man who allows me to do fun projects on his land.

My favorite fairy houses are the all natural ones. I'm not crazy about the fancy store bought varieties. I have begun to gather materials to build the houses. My father was a wood worker/machinist. I think he instilled the love in me to do projects. I'm  not skilled with tools, but I have figured out how to use pre-made construction, like bird houses, baskets, and cardboard boxes as the buildings and cover them with natural materials for roofing, walls, doors and windows. I can use a hammer and nails and wood glue, so I have the plan.

Here are some materials I use for the houses:

tree bark
pine cones
dried and pressed leaves like Sycamore,Magnolia and Maple. Large leaves that can be dried flat work the best for wall covering, floor rugs, and roof tiles.
pebbles
sticks
popsicle sticks
seashells
Spanish and decorative mosses
grapevines
cardboard
wood scraps
clay pots
tape
hammer
wood glue

These little houses are left in the elements to gradually break down, so they will need to be rebuilt from time to time. That is part of the fun. I'm looking forward to building these houses as a project. I will leave a tiny painting on an easel in my favorite one.

The Daly House

The Daly House

Notes From My Residency Journal

This is a rendering of the next residency home I'll stay in at Crystal River.It is out on the marshes with glass windows so I'm going to really enjoy it. It is also right next to the state park so I won't have to travel a lot to see great scenery. I'll be there from July 23-29. More to come.....