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

Prairie thrills

At certain times of the year the grasses and bushes in the prairie are tall and thick, making access challenging.  Once winter sets in they turn glorious colors of golds, oranges, browns and purples, then gradually the vegetation thins.  During this time the prairies receive their winter visitors ~ birds on their migratory routes dipping down to forage and thrill us with their circling calls.  Smaller birds dart from bush to bush.  Often when I'm painting I will suddenly be surprised as a flock of small birds I hadn't noticed flees from a nearby bush, started by a noise I may have unconsciously made!  I always return from these trips refreshed and rejuvenated!

As you will have read, our big event at Prairie Creek Lodge is just around the corner!  The postcards are ready and are being mailed and we're inviting everyone we can to come and see what we've done and hopefully purchase our paintings to support art and the invaluable work being done by the Alachua Conservation Trust.  ACT has gone out of their way to prepare a fun day for this project on February 25.  It will run from noon to 9 p.m.  One or the other of us will be painting on location throughout the afternoon, so you can come and watch and talk with us as we work.  There will be live music and hors d'ouvres.  This will also be a great opportunity to learn about the educational and land acquisition projects of the Alachua Conservation Trust.  If you'd like more information, you are welcome to contact them directly at 352-373-1078.  We hope to see you there! 

Mary Jane Volkmann

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

Autumn Dance

It was such a colorful autumn in northern Florida this year.  Was it a combination of dry weather and a seemingly slower changing of the seasons?  I just finished this painting of Paynes Prairie.  I was attracted to the scene because of the colors and design everywhere I looked. As I observed I had the feeling that autumn was dancing in the landscape. 

Over the next couple of weeks I hope to put the finishing touches on several prairie paintings I have in various stages towards completion. I'll post them as they find their resting points. 

Mark your calendars because our big event at Prairie Creek Lodge is drawing near!  On February 25 the Six Artists Six Prairies Project will combine forces with the Alachua Conservation Trust, showing and selling the prairie paintings we have done in an effort to support conservation and artists.  More details will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Happy New Year to everyone!  May this be a special year for each of you!

Mary Jane Volkmann

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.

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

Prairie Riot

Walking in the prairies at different times of  the year I am always delighted to observe how nature changes her drapery.  From exposed branches and the tangled design of grasses to the riot of color as the buds burst into bloom, each season brings both its subtle and bold changes, never ceasing to point out to me something I haven't seen before! This painting is from a spot I often visit along the La Chua Trail in Paynes Prairie.

Mary Jane Volkmann

Sundog over the Prairie

Living where I do in Florida, my view of the skies is rather limited by the surrounding trees.  When I walk through the overhanging oaks, pines and bushes at the edge of the prairies and emerge into their vast open spaces, it almost feels like a theater curtain parts in front of me, teasing my imagination in wonder at what lies beyond the vast expanse of sky in all directions.  The open view pushes my thoughts from the close up to the distant.  I like to look at the change of color in each part of the sky, to watch the birds winging their flight above and to see the clouds skirting by as they do their dance from the wispy to the billowing, becoming small in the perspective of distance. As I was walking in Paynes Prairie late one afternoon, watching the shadow of jet trails on the thin veil of clouds I turned and saw this beautiful sun dog!  Below my photo I have cut and pasted what I learned about them from Wikipedia.

"Sundogs are made commonly of plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals in high and cold cirrus clouds or, during very cold weather, by ice crystals called diamond dust drifting in the air at low levels. These crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays passing through them with a minimum deflection of 22°. If the crystals are randomly oriented, a complete ring around the sun is seen — a halo. But often, as the crystals sink through the air they become vertically aligned, so sunlight is refracted horizontally — in this case, sundogs are seen.
As the sun rises higher, the rays passing through the crystals are increasingly skewed from the horizontal plane. Their angle of deviation increases and the sundogs move further from the sun. However, they always stay at the same elevation as the sun.
Sundogs are red-colored at the side nearest the sun. Farther out the colors grade through oranges to blue. However, the colors overlap considerably and so are muted, never pure or saturated. The colors of the sundog finally merge into the white of the parhelic circle (if the latter is visible)." ~ Wikipedia

Mary Jane Volkmann

Paynes Prairie in the Morning Mist

Early one morning I drove into Paynes Prairie to have a look around to see what had changed in the landscape.  I often do this.  It's part of finding peace, solitude and inspiration.  As I rounded one of the first corners, the sun was rising through a thick veil of mist, casting pearls of light on the dew covered flowering grasses which had sprung up after a fire the year before.  It was so beautiful!  There was design everywhere I looked.  I got out of my car and just stood there, trying to take it all in.  Those of you who know me know my passion for detail and how the intricacies of nature leave me rather breathless with excitement.  Now that it's too hot for me to paint outdoors, I decided to challenge myself to paint this scene in acrylics, working from some photographs I took that day.

Mary Jane Volkmann

Face to Face with a Green Anole in Paynes Prairie

Anyone who sees me get out of my car with all the gear I take with me to paint might chuckle because I like to anticipate all the things I might need while I'm out there.  I've pared it down quite a bit over the years, but I always have certain essentials with me such as my camera, my binoculars and my Audubon Field Guide.  These days my smartphone serves as a camera and has field guides!  While I paint I sometimes see something I will down my painting tools to photograph.  One day in Paynes Prairie I observed this little lizard.  I didn't see her at first because she was lying straight in the middle of one of the palm fronds, green as could be.  We eyed each other for awhile, then she slowly turned to the side and cautiously started stepping across the fronds, changing colors as she moved.  I read that she is a Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis), a member of the Iguanid family. The Smithsonian's National Zoological Park online guide gives some fascinating facts: "Green anoles have adhesive lamellae on their foot-pads for crawling along walls, much like geckos. Able to change color, the green anole can be anywhere from bright green to browns and grays. One thought is that the green coloration is related to dominance. Their color varies depending on their mood, temperature, humidity and health. They are often referred to as the American chameleon, although they are unrelated to chameleons. ...Males are distinguishable from females because males have a pink dewlap, a flap of skin that hangs in an arc below their neck. This dewlap is used for attracting females and in territorial displays...Green anoles have a stereotyped set of behaviors. Male anoles perform rituals of dominance and territoriality. They show their dominance by bobbing their heads, usually through pushup-like movements. They also flare their dewlap. When threatened by another male, the opponents begin with head bobbing and flaring. Then they extend their throat (different than dewlap) to enlarge their body profile, they turn lateral to their opponent, showing the side profile of their body. They also erect crests along the back, and form an eyespot. These performances are intended to intimidate the other anole. The loser of the confrontation performs submissive head bobbing and retreats to a different territory."  Oh, and they eat spiders, too.  I wish she'd stay next to me and feast on the insects that like to feast on me....

Mary Jane Volkmann

Mary Jane Volkmann's paintings at the Florida Museum of Natural History

Over the course of this project the six of us will be sharing with you news about other shows in which our paintings are featured as well as art events in which we have been invited to participate. This will give you an opportunity to see the variety of subjects we paint and give you a taste of the activities in the lives of artists!  Next week will be the last opportunity for you to see the "Barrier Islands ~ Creations of Tide and Time" show I am in at the Florida Museum of Natural History.  This show was held over until August 7.  It will be moving to other venues down the line, but if you are in Gainesville and have not yet seen it you still have a few days.  Many of the paintings I have hanging there are paintings I did on location.  The larger ones were completed in the studio.  Enjoy!

Mary Jane Volkmann

Accessing These Beautiful Prairies

One of the increasing challenges we have as landscape painters is accessing pristine land, as so much of it is privately owned and fenced or difficult to reach through the overgrown vegetation.  During this project you will hear us asking around for help in getting to vantage points where we can paint and photograph these beautiful  prairies.  We so appreciate the offers of help from our conservation partners, friends and the public!  This past weekend friends took me to the farm of a kind, retired professor.  His property abuts Kanapaha Prairie. After walking under majestic overhanging oaks and dangling vines we reached the fence line.  How thrilling to stand there gazing at the panorama that opened before my eyes!  That part of the prairie is being grazed by cattle and is also home to countless birds. I made some new friends along the way, as you can see from these photos!  (I also learned that perhaps I should not have worn a green shirt around the goats...)
~ Mary Jane Volkmann

Clearing the mind and sharpening the senses...

Painting in nature gives me the quietude I need to clear the clutter from my head so I can immerse myself in the incredible world around me, appreciating the fascinating diversity of flora, fauna, colors and design.  As I settle in, I become aware of the smell of the grass and the pine needles baking in the sand.  My ears start tuning in to the music of nature: the call of the birds, the rustle of a critter in the bushes, the cicadas and grunts of alligators. As I focus in on the subject I am painting I become keenly aware of changes around me. I keep a camera handy to record the unexpected and the beautiful. I remember a precious moment of one hot day in particular.  I had my easel up against a bush to try and catch a bit of the shade when suddenly a little bird landed on a twig which was caught on the top corner of my easel.  Knowing the bird would never stand still for me to reach for my camera, I caught my breath and held my brush in mid-air so I could memorize the moment.  I identified it later as a blue-gray gnatcatcher, a bird I had never seen before!  Obviously it flew away, so I cannot share a picture with you, but here is another one I took in Paynes Prairie.  Is this bird enjoying life, or what!?!

Mary Jane Volkmann