The Project Ends but More Projects to Come

A Big Thank You!

We have come to the end of this specific project: Six Artists Six Prairies, and would like to thank our sponsors and each one of you for your interest, encouragement, appreciation and support.  It has been an interesting time for all of us.  We learned so much ourselves, not only about prairies, but more importantly about the role artists can play in bringing about an awareness of the unique world around us and the need to protect and conserve it.  Art and conservation are natural partners!  Stay tuned as we continue our artistic journeys and projects....

 Linda Blondheim

 Mary Jane Volkmann

 Steve Andrews

 Charles Dickinson

 Scott Hiestand

Fish Prairie

Ferns on Fish Prairie April

 Fish Prairie February

Fish Prairie

18x24 inches

acrylic on canvas

February

Notes From Fish Prairie

I spent a week at Fair Oaks as part of my residency project there. Part of Fish Prairie is on the Fair Oaks property and I love painting there. The staff has cut nice trails through the prairie and I spend very happy hours deep in the prairie painting. I was traveling through March, so I missed the gradual transition from winter to spring. Yesterday I drove around back there in the golf cart, thoughtfully provided by the owner for my painting excursions. It looks so different from the winter time I painted last that I thought I was lost a couple of times. It is now jungle, with tangles of vines, weeds, huge ferns and rich greens. I could have been in the rain forests of Latin America with a bit of imagination. Though our project will end in June, I hope to continue to paint at Fish Prairie for years to come.

Linda Blondheim

Alachua Conservation Trust Hosts Six Artists Six Prairies

Prairie Creek Lodge

Our paintings will be on display at Prairie Creek Lodge from February 18- March 16, 2012.

Our main event will be February 25, 2012 from Noon-9PM. We will be painting in front of the lodge from noon to dark, rotating artists throughout the day.

Come meet the artists, watch us paint and purchase original framed paintings while enjoying hors d'ouvres and live music. Our painting sales will support the efforts of Alachua Conservation Trust and their many educational and land acquisition projects.

This will be our last formal event for the project, so we are looking forward to seeing our many friends. If you miss the party on February 25, you will have several weeks to browse the paintings and make your selections. You will also have the opportunity to purchase a painting for the permanent collection for Prairie Creek Lodge through their purchase award program. A plaque will be placed next to the donor's painting.

 Linda Blondheim

A Day at Tuscawilla Prairie

Charles Dickinson Hard at Work

Mary Jane Volkmann With a Lovely Painting in Progress

Linda Blondheim Enjoys the Prairie View

Steve Andrews, Mary JaneVolkmann and Charles Dickinson Take a Break

We had a nice adventure on Tuscawilla Prairie today thanks to the Alachua Conservation Trust who graciously provides us with the Prairie Creek Lodge and the Tuscawilla Cabin, both with spectacular views. We are making an effort to get out on Tuesdays when time permits. Scott Hiestand is out of state traveling for awhile, so cannot join us regularly but keeps up with the goings on, checking in and posting his paintings to the blog.  Mary Jane and I took a tour around the praire in the car early in the morning through narrow paths which have been mowed. That was a wonderful treat.

Fall Color on the Prairie

Landscape Paintings

Sometimes it's fun to push the color on a painting, particularly in the fall when all of the possibilities on my palette are available. The landscape comes alive with rusts, purples, reds oranges and wheat colors added to the Florida greens that grow year round. Lots of fun mixing these delicious colors even though they are exaggerated.

Linda Blondheim

From the Alachua Conservation Trust Newsletter

Six Artists – Six Prairies

It can be said that inspiration is the life’s blood of our species; without it, we would not have evolved to our current state nor grown together into the varied and unique societies that exist today.

Many things inspire us as individuals – our relationships with one another, our connection to the earth, the balance of nature and the beauty that is all around us. We at Alachua Conservation Trust are always seeking ways to inspire those within our community to a higher love of nature, and are equally pleased to join with others who endeavor to do the same. That is why we are partnering with Six Artists – Six Prairies in 2011-2012 in its efforts to inspire the community both to appreciate all things artistic, as well as the unparalleled natural beauty and diversity of our local prairies.

Six Artists – Six Prairies itself is a consortium of six professional artists who, over a twelve-month period, have commenced to paint and educate about Fish Prairie, Hopkins Prairie, Kanapaha Prairie, Ledwith Prairie, Paynes Prairie and Tuscawilla Prairie. In addition, they are using their blogspot, http://sixartistssixprairies.blogspot.com/, to promote the mission of ACT, and are planning to hold a paint-out event at ACT’s Prairie Creek Lodge on February 25, 2012 (details forthcoming). While the artists themselves – Linda Blondheim, Steve Andrews, Charles Dickinson, Scott Hiestand, Jackie Schindehette and Mary Jane Volkmann – will be selling their works at this event and throughout the year-long program, they are also donating 30% of their proceeds from painting sales to ACT and two other recipient conservation organizations.

Please support ACT and Six Artists – Six Prairies by visiting their blogspot, viewing their incredible prairie-inspired works/writings, and by attending their paint-out events at Prairie Creek Lodge and throughout the area.

On a prairie tour with Hutch

This morning we went to Prairie Creek Lodge to meet with “Hutch” (Robert Hutchinson), the Executive Director of the Alachua Conservation Trust.  He took us on a tour of the properties surrounding Prairie Creek lodge, along the way explaining the ecology, the response of the land to hydrology as well as their monitoring and observations about the recovery of the land from its past use for grazing.  Hutch showed us different wildflowers and berries, osprey and eagles' nests and so generously answered our many questions!  Driving through thick and tall bushes, we followed along and then crossed over Prairie Creek,  learning about cypress trees and the distinct signs of prairie rims.  We walked along the creek for a ways looking at the amazing array of cypress knees.  At one point we came upon a little pool of water in which Hutch pointed out a rather large gator just under the surface.... We learned many interesting things about the different types of prairie habitats and plants. We also saw the Green burial cemetery, which is in a beautiful and peaceful setting. The headstones have been so tastefully fashioned from tree trunks, cypress knees, and other natural materials. We are looking forward to observing and painting this beautiful land in different seasons.  We came away with such an appreciation of the work being done by the Alachua Conservation Trust to purchase and preserve tracts of land for future generations.  We hope that our prairie project will help spread the word about the importance of supporting our conservation partners.  Thanks again, Hutch!

Mary Jane Volkmann and Linda Blondheim

Pines

Pines

24x18 inches

acrylic on canvas

I have a great love for trees and particularly for pines. I often see tall pines that rim prairies. This time of year there is an abundance of wildflowers and of Goldenrod. Pines are a challenging painting subject. Their tall, graceful statures and interesting canopies are beautiful. I really love their bark and color. When I was a child there was a tall pine in the school yard and we all spent much recess time carving our names and symbols into its bark.

Linda Blondheim

Ponds Turn Into Prairies

Fair Oaks Dry Pond

8x10 inches

acrylic on birch panel

This dry pond on the Fair Oaks Estate has become a miniature prairie over the last couple of years. It used to be full of lily pads and water birds. Now it is a dry prairie. It is really a lot more interesting to paint as a prairie than it was as a pond. There are endless colors and textures in the grasses, and dips here and there. It is one of my favorite painting subjects. It is rimmed by cypress trees and grand old oak trees. I often see hawks and cattle egrets, shopping for dinner.

Linda Blondheim

Paynes Prairie State Park

12x16 inches

acrylic on panel

palette knife

There is an area inside the state park that I really love to paint. It is between the entrance and Puggy Road. It is full of weeds, tall grasses, and palms scattered among the giant oaks. In the fall and winter, the colors turn to blues, rusts, wheats, and olives. That's my favorite painting spot in the park.

Linda Blondheim

Angeline, Thanks so much for writing and I'm glad you like the blog. That was a fun workshops and I'm so glad I was able to be a positive influence for you in painting.
Love,
Linda

Oak Savannas

I have always been crazy about trees and have spent a lot of time in the last few years studying and painting trees. Here is some interesting information about Oaks Savannas.

Oak savannas once dominated a vast acreage in the prairie-oak transition. These forests have experienced significant decline primarily due to fire suppression and land use changes. The oak savannas of today represent only 0.02% of the original range making them the most endangered community in the prairie. Oak savannas are areas dominated by low-density oak trees with an understory consisting of a diverse array of grass and herbaceous species. The historical fire regime in these systems was frequent low intensity underburns occurring every 2-12 years that consumed primarily the grass understory. Climate and ungulate migration may have also been determining factors in the expanse of these systems. Savanna oaks and the accompanying understory have adaptations that help them withstand fire, drought, and other disturbances. Fire suppression has resulted in forests with closed canopies, which limits oak regeneration while favoring favoring more shade tolerant hardwoods. Along with this change there has been an increase in litter layers, decreased species diversity, and decreased savanna wildlife.  Restoration is the primary means to reintroduce these systems. Oak savanna restoration requires reducing canopy cover to change structure and reintroducing fire to restore process. Often additional treatments are needed when prescribed fire proves to be incapable at reducing canopy density. Regardless of the restoration process, the oak savanna has to be continually managed to ensure regeneration. Restoring these ecosystems leads to an increase in understory heterogeneity and a unique assemblage of oaks and savanna species.

From: http://www.forestencyclopedia.net/

Linda Blondheim

Kanapaha Prairie Trees

18x24 inches

acrylic on panel

One day a couple of weeks ago, I walked down this road with Mary Jane Volkmann while we explored Kanapaha Prairie. I have been fascinated by the differences in the prairies we all are studying and painting. They are exceptionally diverse and all beautiful in their own way. They are all lush with summer green right now. I look forward to painting them in winter with a more diverse palette.

Linda Blondheim

Prairie Sky

Prairie Sky

Prairies offer us the vistas that are hard to find in Florida. Florida, thank goodness is a tree state. Lots of green canopies everywhere. The dry prairies offer us a different view and a chance to study clouds. I like to think that clouds are our version of mountains in Florida. We have spectacular clouds!!

Linda Blondheim

Tuscawilla Trees

5x7 inches

I've always been fascinated by portals or windows in nature which lead from space to space. Tuscawilla Prairie is rimmed by these gorgeous trees, which give me a peek out into the prairie. Fish Prairie is like that too and they both challenge me.

Linda Blondheim

Storm Clouds

18x24 inches

oil on stretched canvas

I have painted at the Florida prairies for years. Once I was painting along early in the morning at Paynes Prairie State Park, on a bridge that spans the edge of the lake. I heard someone approaching on the bridge. Often visitors stop quietly to watch me paint. I wanted to finish one spot on the painting before greeting the visitor. It took a few moments. I put my brush down to turn to my visitor with a smile. I stared into the face of a doe who was about 2 feet from me, watching intently. It was a thrill I must say. We watched each other for at least 30 seconds before she turned with a flick of her tail and took off running off the bridge into the bushes. One of the joys of my job are the encounters I have with birds and animals in the wild. Though I have had close encounters with alligators and snakes, most of my visitors are harmless and wonderful to observe.

Linda Blondheim

Solski Trail on Fish Prairie

24x24 inches

acrylic on stretched canvas

This is a wonderful trail that skirts the rim of Fish Prairie from Fair Oaks in Evinston, FL. Fair Oaks is my very favorite place in the world. I have been painting there for about four years now. I am blessed to have free range of the 160 acres with my friend Rick's golf cart. I load up my back pack with my paint box and tripod, and in the cool season, my bulldog Henry. We check out the pastures, watching the birds and occasional deer. There is a lovely picnic table dedicated to Sebastian Solski, who worked so hard to make the trail, at the trail head. I like to stop there and paint often. This painting was done from a reference photo I took a few weeks ago on the prairie rim. Henry likes to snooze while I paint. I turn on my Pandora radio and listen to Puccini. It's heaven!!

Linda Blondheim

Prairie Hyacinths

Prairie Hyacinths

I love these plants. Sometimes they are as thick as a carpet on the prairies here in north Florida. They range in colors from pinkish lavender to blue. I like the blue ones the best. I remember picking them in bouquets and dragging them wet and dripping into my mother's house when I was a kid. They would quickly turn slimy. I'm sure my mother was appalled with that gift but she always acted like she was thrilled to have them.

Welcome to Conservation Trust for Florida

We are proud to partner with

 Conservation Trust for Florida

 CTF works with private landowners on a voluntary basis to help them address their concerns and provide viable land conservation options which allow families to maintain their farm or ranch business and protect the rural and natural character of the land, as well. Many landowners feel pressured to sell their land due to encroaching urban sprawl, rising land prices, and taxes. Since 1999, CTF has successfully protected approximately 9,100 of rural landscapes through publicly funded land conservation programs and privately donated conservation easements. In cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection / Office of Greenways and Trails CTF initiated the Camp Blanding to Osceola National Forest Ecological Greenway. This greenway is part of a documented Florida black bear wildlife corridor that connects the Ocala National Forest to the Osceola National Forest Greenway (O2O).

I will be the Six Artists Six Prairies representative to Conservation Trust for Florida for the duration of this project.

Linda Blondheim

After the Storm

After the Storm

Paynes Prairie

This is a palette knife painting. One of the things I am most interested in as a painter is light and atmosphere or what artsy people call aerial perspective. I have studied both of these for many years and continue to. The prairies offer the vistas which make aerial perspective very apparent to the viewer. I find the gradual shift of colors from warm close to me, to cool in the distance, very interesting and beautiful.

Linda Blondheim