Banyan Tree, 5x8, Pen and Ink Drawing in Cypress Gardens, Florida

My friend Kathy Garvey and I went to Legoland recently, which is on the site of the former Cypress Gardens. To our delight, Cypress Gardens is still there as a section of Legoland.

Cypress Gardens gave us an opportunity to sit, rest, and sketch in our journals. Above is the giant Banyan Tree that was planted in the 1930s. My drawing is only a small portion of the tree (see below). It's so big that paths wind through it.

There are no longer belles sitting around in big dresses, but there are some made of Legos.

When I was six years old Esther Williams made a movie at the Gardens and my mother took me there. Ms. Williams was sitting around with no makeup and no one noticed her but my mother, so I got to meet the star who inspired me to learn to swim. She was very nice, which made me love her even more.

Carmen 

Zentangle Tree, 8x10 Pen and Ink

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Getting all Zen with a pen. Sometimes the only thing I have time for is drawing at night, and I find Zentangle drawing very meditative. I need that, because I am still listing my most irritating things we put up with, and here is my latest: went to a furniture store, took pictures of sofas and their prices, then returned later for the "40-80% off sale" to find that the prices have been marked way up, then slashed to appear to be a bargain.  The worst part is, they cost more than they did two weeks ago when we took the pictures. Deceptive and disgusting. I'm not buying from them, period. 

So, No. 4: Deceitful practices in retail stores.

Shoreline, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

The Olympic Peninsula has everything to offer: seashores, mountains and rain forests. Take a jacket, though, because one minute you are in a cold mist and the next the sun is shining brightly and everything changes from gray to color. In the distance in my painting you can see Vancouver Island in Canada--until the mists roll in.

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Green Forest, 5X7 Oil on Board

Greens can be so difficult to get right. This was a cool forest with bright meadows, and is the preliminary to a larger painting of the same area.

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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

Piney Island, 5x7 Oil on Canvas

This scene was painted  in plein air very near our campsite in the Everglades. The only wildlife was an alligator lolling at the shore and a huge black spider that got on my paper towels, possible a Regal Jumping Spider, though I can't be sure. I flicked him away without introductions.

Painting the scene

 

These photos are courtesy of Kathy. Here Cindy and I are in the mangrove forest, a wonderful tangled, twisting example of some of the world's most amazing trees. 

Leap of Faith, 8x10 Oil on Canvas

This painting just returned from my exhibit and I am now putting it "out there." I find this painting exhilarating, capturing the spirit of childhood and fun. I paint so much that I am forgetting to have other kinds of fun. I need to correct that. I could go jump off a big rock into a river, but Florida doesn't have big rocks. We are as flat as a flitter (whatever that is).

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River Cave, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

I haven't posted for a while because we were in Virginia during the hurricane, and we delayed our return home. My heart goes out to the citizens of New York and New Jersey. As Floridians we are very practiced at preparing for hurricanes, and the number one item on my checklist is: Evacuate! I so wish everyone had heeded that warning.

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On a more peaceful note, the scene above is no longer accessible to the public, so I am glad I got this done. I've painted it twice, and here is a painting of me painting it. It's called My Happy Place.

Fuzzy Bear, 8x8 Oil on Canvas

Aren't bears both cute and terrifying? Since there was a fence between the bear and me, "cute" applied. If no fence, "terrifying." I did meet a bear across a stream in the Smokies once. I was trying to take a picture of some rhododendrons, and he ambled out of the bushes on the opposite side of the stream. I did not stick around to get the bear picture, as we were in a convertible and a quick getaway was in our best interest. He didn't look at me in any threatening manner; in fact, he appeared rather bored with my appearance and just strolled into the stream as I was skedaddling away. "Skedaddle" is such as useful word for that sort of situation, isn't it?

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Mountain Stream, 5x7 Oil on Board

I live by the ocean, but I enjoy the soothing environment of a mountain stream. What a wonderful place to be.

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Pathway to Art, 5x7 Original Oil on Board

The Pieces of 8 were on Grandfather Mountain, scattered about painting, and I saw Mary at the top of the path painting a big view. Since I enjoy dappled light it I was more excited about painting the path leading to Mary. It was such a beautiful spot.

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Green Pond, 16x20 Oil on Canvas

What is  more calming than a setting like this? The reflections in the pond, the trickling of the water--it is hard to be stressed in such a peaceful place.

This is one of my larger paintings, 16x20.

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