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!

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.

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.