Happy Holidays from the Six Artists Six Prairies Project!

It's the time of year when so many of us are preoccupied with preparations for those special days we share with family and friends.  The past couple of years I've taken time out to walk in the prairies with those close to my heart.  We enjoy the quiet togetherness, sharing thoughts or none, exclaiming when a bird suddenly jumps out of the bushes and smiling at their calls and song.  This year the prairies seem particularly beautiful and the Sandhill Cranes are still flying overhead, calling as they circle.  It's a great time to be in nature, appreciating that we still have these pristine places to enjoy in peace.  We are so grateful for our conservation partners! The artists of the Six Artists Six Pairies Project wish each of you the happiest of holidays and the joy of wonder and wander! 

Mary Jane Volkmann for SASP

Gaining momentum...

This has been an exciting week of making plans with one of our new sponsors and one of our conservation partners.  We are busy finalizing opportunities for the public to meet us, to see and buy our paintings in support of conservation and art, and to get to know our conservation partners, what they do and how we can all support their efforts to preserve our natural world for future generations. 

Early in the week I met with our newest sponsor, Gainesville Wild Birds Unlimited. In case you don't know them, Bubba (that's him in the photo) and Ingrid opened Wild Birds Unlimited in Gainesville a couple of years ago.  It has become a haven for bird and nature lovers seeking everything from creature comforts and food for our birds to guidebooks to natural bugspray ~ a must for those of us who paint outdoors!  Bubba is also the chair of the field trip committee for the Alachua Audubon Society.  They have planned 30 field trips this season! Some of the trips are through the very prairies we are painting.  The schedule will be published this week and can be found at www.flmnh.ufl.edu/aud.

Today I drove out to Prairie Creek Lodge to meet with Hutch and Lesa of Alachua Conservation Trust. It was a beautiful drive under the billowing clouds which kept the temperature manageable and gave me a glimmer of hope that cooler weather is on the way. The lodge itself was a hive of enthusiastic activity punctuated by the ringing of the telephone and the happy smiles of those at work on various projects. Soon the weather will have cooled enough for us to really get out into the prairies to explore and paint on location. Hutch told me that the normally wet prairies are so dry at the moment that in places the cypress knees are totally exposed and so tall. Perhaps it has been the very hot and dry weather, but there seems to be a noticeable absense of the plants which usually give the prairies their unique colors at this time of year. Once we have them finalized, we will share with you news of the plans which Six Artists Six Prairies and the Alachua Conservation Trust are making.

Watch for news about November and February....

Mary Jane Volkmann

Getting out in the Prairie

Fish Prairie Outskirts 16 x 20

I’m Steve Andrews and I’m thrilled to be involved in this project. I’m a “full-blooded Floridian”, which is rare these days. I was born in Orlando. Both of my parents were born in Orlando. I grew up in Titusville and now live in Tallahassee. So I’ve seen a lot of changes in the Florida environment. I’ve been a professional painter for more than fifteen years. I concentrate on Florida landscapes, and one of my continuing themes is capturing the vanishing landscape of Florida.

So this project is right up my alley. Six artists creating paintings of six Florida prairies in North Central Florida with an added benefit of supporting conversation efforts related to those prairies. "Prairies in Florida?" You ask. If you've driven I-75 you've seen Payne's Prairie just south of Gainesville. The Interstate and Highway 441 cut right through the middle of the prairie. It looks like a giant swamp or a drained lake or something but if you get out in the prairie you will see that every square inch of it is teaming with life.

A good place to check out is the elevated walkway on Highway 441 that leads out about a hundred yards into the middle of Payne’s Prairie. It’s definitely worth a detour if you’re traveling on I-75 and you get a chance to stop. If you’re headed south on I-75 take exit 382 (Williston Road) and head east. At the first intersection turn right on SW 34^th St. and take it until it dead ends into Highway 441. Turn right (south) on 441 and observation walkway is in the middle of the prairie. To complete the detour just head south on 441 to CR 234 and turn right. Interstate 75 is only a couple of minutes away. If you’re heading north just reverse these directions. Last weekend I made this detour while heading back to Tallahassee. Unfortunately I arrived at the same time that this thunderstorm arrived. Fortunately, I stayed around a while and got great photos so you will probably be seeing this storm cloud again.

If you’re like me you’ve driven across this prairie countless times and wondered what the heck was going on. Take a minute to check it out.

Thanks for looking.

Steve Andrews

Does anyone know anyone who would help us with prairie access?

Yesterday we went on a prairie exploration to try and find places from which we could paint or at least photograph some of the prairies closest to us: Tuscawilla, Ledwith and Kanapaha.  Armed with Google Earth on a cell phone navigator, we went down every road we could find.  I had a step ladder in the back of the car so we would be able to see over vegetation if need be.  We found some wonderful views of Tuscawilla Prairie, but what we were not counting on was the vast extent of private property, private roads with locked gates, fencing and tall vegetation blocking so many potential viewpoints of the prairies. Our appreciation of the work that is being done by conservation organizations and the park service to preserve our natural places and allow the public a chance to explore and be part of them was most certainly reinforced, and we came away with an even greater longing to discover and paint the fascination of these places hidden!  We made a delightful new friend during our explorations.  She found us while we were peeking over fences and was able to thrill us with stories of the bird life, vistas and stars at night at a prairie near her home.  So now we ask you: do you know anyone who might help us with prairie access?  We are artists.  We don't want to intrude.  We simply want to capture on canvas the amazing world in which we live.  We will so appreciate any help you can give us.  Thank you in advance!

Mary Jane Volkmann and Linda Blondheim

Fishin

Fishin'
 20" x 24" Acrylic

  In my opinion, Little Blue Herons are the most beautiful of the heron family. They can be easily found on any of North Florida's prairies and seem to be sociable enough to get to get some good photographs. I once watched a heron use pieces of bread to catch minnows. The heron would take small pieces of the bread, walk it to the waters edge, and drop it in. As the minnows would gather about the bread, the heron would pick them off. Interesting how birds will use tools.

Scott Hiestand