Alligators May Be Present, 6x8 Oil on Canvas, Ballard Park, Melbourne, Florida, Tropical Scene

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My friend Mary and I braved the heat to paint in plein aire at a favorite park, where signs proclaimed, "Alligators May Be Present." I thought that would be a perfect title. I do think it would be more efficient to just have signs say, "Do Not Feed the Alligators Under Peril of Attack." I say this because so many people who move here seem to leave their brains at the Florida-Georgia Line (and I'm not talking about the country singers), and they think it's cute to feed the gators (and I'm not talking about the football team). 

Just because a reptile moves slowly and has a toothy smile does not mean it won't enjoy a big chomp of human, and it can run very fast when motivated.

And don't even get me started on the woman who fed dog food to bears in an Orlando suburb!

Carmen

There Will Be Light, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

We were driving across South Florida on an emotional day, seeking medical attention for a family member. It was very stormy, but there was bright light on the other side of the darkness. After a blinding rain we finally came into sunny skies. I am praying that the same thing will happen for my loved one and a very weird illness will just be a bad memory.

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River of Grass, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

We painted on site at the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook, and it was so nice chatting with all the travelers who came through. This is the dry season, so most of the grasses are high and dry right now. 

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Sunset

Very Gator-y Place

Gumbo Limbo Trail

Present and Accounted For

I posted this photo on a blog called "Present and Accounted For." Karen Appleton, the blogger, sends anyone who asks a little gift-wrapped box. You just take it someplace interesting where you live and take a photo. Mine is of manatees in a nearby canal, where they stay a bit warmer from the cold. Check out the blog, there are some very interesting locations.

Cypress Knees, 5x7

Cypress trees are so pretty, and their knobby knees are so interesting. Lamps made of the knees used to be all the rage...long, long ago. These were growing at Rock City Gardens.

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Bok Tower, 5x7

When I was a kid, every drugstore had a rack of Bok Tower and Cypress Gardens brochures and post cards. They were the sum total of tourism in Central Florida. When Disney came it all changed, and now Cypress Gardens is becoming Legoland. Bok Tower remains, serene and beautiful. It sits atop Iron Mountain (in Tennessee it would be a mere bump). We actually have hills in Central Florida, so comparatively, Bok Tower is on a pretty high one. This would be a nice spot for my painting group to do some plein air painting.

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Florida Road, 5x7

It's hot, it's bright, it's the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, and it's a beautiful place. We even found a spot where there was a whole group...? herd...? passel...? of manatees.

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Umbrellas, 5x7 Oil

These umbrellas are at a restaurant called Squid Lips on the river in Melbourne, Florida, and I enjoy seeing them when I drive over the bridge. I like the pastel chairs too. I just finished a big project and I really enjoyed getting back to the daily painting. Before I committed to being a daily painter, I saw it as daunting and wasn't sure I could keep up. Now it's just part of the rhythm of a day, although it is still daunting. A sensible daily painter would not paint a complicated scene like this one. I'll learn eventually.

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Cassadaga House, 5x7, Original Oil

Cassadaga is a quirky little Florida town that was settled as a Spiritualist Camp. People flock here for psychic readings, and the whole place is very quaint, but I especially liked this little house. It is so typical of the depression-era houses in small towns all over this state.

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White Pelicans, 12x4

When will I learn to simplify? I am attracted to complicated lines and shapes, and that is hardly ideal for a daily painter! I couldn't resist this one, though, with all the reflections of the pelicans all in a row. This was in the Everglades, and there was an alligator sneaking up slowly in the water, but the birds had an eye on him and gave him a wide berth when he came near.

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