Old Florida Corkscrew Swamp Sentinels

 Corkscrew Swamp Sentinels

Giant Bald Cypress at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples, Florida
oil/linen 16" x 24"

Florida Slash Pine Hammock

 Florida Slash Pine Hammock

Old Florida Backcountry Painting of Florida Slash Pine

 and Saw Palmetto Forest

24" x 12" oil/linen

Artwork of Florida website

 Artwork of Florida website

I've just launched my new Artwork of Florida website 

www.artworkofflorida.com

Discover the breathtaking world of Keith Gunderson's selected Florida work. Immerse yourself in captivating Florida landscape paintings that will transport you to another realm.

Robert Gruppe Florida Paintings

Robert Gruppe Florida Paintings

Robert Gruppe, accomplished plein air painter and son of the famous Emile Gruppe, is a master at capturing the light of Florida. Here are a few of my favorites...

Florida Paintings at the Cici and Hyatt Brown Art Museum

Florida Paintings at the Cici and Hyatt Brown Art Museum

More of my favorites from  Cici and Hyatt Brown Art Museum in Daytona.

Backus

Backus

Herzog

Florida Beach House

Florida Beach House

the intense tropical light, blue shadows, and lush colors are what I sought to achieve in this sketch of a Florida Beach House in Key West

Bob Ross in New Smyrna Beach

Bob Ross in New Smyrna Beach

After doing some grocery shopping at Publix in New Smyrna Beach we discovered the Bob Ross Art Workshop and Gallery, which occupied a storefront in the adjacent strip mall.We entered to find a room full of students, all learning about landscape painting on their way to becoming certified in the Ross technique

Bob Ross is known for the The Joy of Painting is an American half-hour instructional television show hosted by painter Bob Ross which ran from January 11, 1983 until May 17, 1994. In each episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. Ross used the wet-on-wet oil painting technique, in which the painter continues adding paint on top of still-wet paint rather than waiting a lengthy amount of time to allow each layer of paint to dry. From the beginning, the program kept the selection of tools and colors simple so that viewers would not have to make large investments in expensive equipment. Combining the wet painting method with the use of large one- and two-inch brushes, as well as painting knives, allowed Ross to paint trees, clouds, mountains, and water in a matter of seconds. Each painting would start with simple strokes that appeared as nothing more than smudges of color. As he added more and more strokes, the blotches would transform into intricate landscapes

.Video of Ernie, one of the instructors.

Seahorse Dance at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach Florida.

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We were enthralled to these magical creatures. So delicate and perfect in every way. And so fragile.

What beauty,

More from New Smyrna

A few more paintings and stuff from last month's New Smyrna Beach painting trip.

Moonrise over the palms

16" x 20"

oil on linen

 Sunrise

 New Smyrna Beach View

Palms

 Morning on the Beach

Florida Moonrise

Florida Moonrise

Here are two versions of Florida Moonrise that I painted over two days. While finishing up a  plein air painting on the property of the Conservancy of Southwest  Florida  https://www.conservancy.org/ I noticed the moon peeking over the palm trees and quickly batted out a 10" x 14" sketch of the effect. I resolved to come back the next day and try a larger version, arriving well before the effect of the moonrise but also allowing for the later moonrise time so that I could lay in the great masses and composition so that all would be ready for the final color adjustments once the lighting and moonrise were at peak effect.

Florida Moonrise 10" x 14" oil/canvas

Florida Moonrise 16" x 22" oil/canvas

High and Dry

This is a painting I made plein air at the Conservancy of Southwest Flordia in Naples, Florida. Not far from the Carribean Gardens zoo, the conservancy occupies the Flieischman property which once was vast orange groves. As I was painting this scene I became lost in thought, as plein air painters often will, to be startled back into reality by the roaring of a lion. My first thought was that it must be a Florida panther and I kind of freaked. After a moment , I realized it was coming from the zoo, but the sound of the roaring lion carried through the orange groves and palms and really sounded like it was very close!

Honeymoon Island.

North of Clearwater is a favorite place of mine. It;s called Honeymoon Island and there I can indulge in painting one of my most favorite motifs- palm trees.

Big Cypress

I painted this scene in Big Cypress swamp, halfway between Naples and Miami. I love painting palms and being far out on the boardwalk painting the scene in the middle of the jungle is exhilarating.

Along a Naples Canal

I was scoping out suitable places to paint one morning and found this little scene nearby.
The bougainvillea was crawling all over a column from a retaining wall that reminded me a lot of French rococo artists- Fragonard in particular. He popularized a type of garden landscape painting that collectors prized. This view was also an excuse for me to paint my beloved palm trees.

Bougainvillea

When the Bougainvillea is in bloom it is a sight to behold.This is a scene that I painted on a path near Pelican bay that meanders through a small park. With the late afternoon sun hitting the foliage, I knew this is where I had to stop and paint.This painting comes with a custom 12" x 9" frame as appears in the photo. It's a frame that I acquired a few years back that has an interesting Gothic shape. I cut some panels to insert into the frame and glued Claessens linen canvas to them and primed with oil. I had one of these stashed in my plein air pack for a moment just like this.

Sunlight and Clouds over Naples, Florida

This is a view I painted from the bridge near Gulf Shore Blvd. in Naples, Florida.Late afternoon often finds huge thunderheads over the gulf which collect light and reflect it into the water. It's quite a stunning effect.

Florida Pines

Here's one just completed...

From a series of Florida inspired paintings.

Florida Watercolor Paintings Honeymoon Island

Honeymoon Island

Watercolor paintings from Honeymoon Island in Florida.

Falling Water State Park

The falls and the sinkhole gorge at Falling Water State Park
Falling Waters State Park is a 171-acre Florida state park located three miles south of Chipley, Washington County in northwestern Florida. The park contains a 73-foot waterfall, the highest in the state.