Bayside Shallows

By coming to Florida, we’ve traded the stunning Caribbean blue for a new emerald green. Each place has it’s own palette. The brilliant white sand, the sunlight shining through clear water, and the pure white snowy egret with his yellow feet stridng along the sugar-sand shore are part of the palette here. What matters is not the colors or the subjects before us, but…

Enchantment

Concern with the modern world’s problems can lead to frustration not knowing how to help fix them. But in that frustration and the rush of daily life it is easy to lose sight of why it matters. The editors’ comment in the March-April edition of Orion Magazine says it well: “What is much harder is to live life in a way that does not…

Thinly Veiled

Arriving in Florida after 12 years in the Caribbean, I find myself surrounded by a manicured suburban environment, rather than the inherently picturesque disorder of nature and barely restrained tropical decay more common in the Caribbean. Perhaps it is the difference that makes me notice, instead of take it for granted. The gloss on the landscape along with the shiny baubles for sale in…

Bromeli-eyed Inflorescence

People often anthropomorphize, sometimes seeing facial or other human features in plants or inanimate scenes, and often ascribing human feelings and emotions to pets, to wild animals, and even to important religious abstractions. This human tendency to anthropomorphize can provide comfort or cause unease, depending on the situation. The desire to find human attributes in the non-human may reflect our social nature and the…

The Power of an Orchid

With the world in turmoil, new wars piled upon wars, disasters natural and man-made, and increasingly mean-spirited politics, take a moment to contemplate the innocent but sensuous beauty of the orchid. Rather than an escape from reality, a few moments spent with the beauty of nature can be a source of balance and peace, and perhaps provide some of the wisdom needed to discern…

Those Coy Koi

Koi, those large highly prized Japanese goldfish, are a frequent subject of painters. It’s probably the colors and graceful motion, and perhaps the traditional symbolism of the koi as perseverance in the face of adversity, strength and good luck. Step up to a koi pond, and the fish seem very coy, shyly approaching, then quickly swimming away. It may be foolish to ascribe a…

Leaves, but not of Grass

Despite the extended drought in Florida, the diversity and beauty of the plant life is stunning. The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, where these original images were taken, is a wonderful place to see some of these plants. A light rain had just ended, providing an extra sheen to the already shiny leaves. The top image is of a plant I cannot name….

Soft Landing

The transition from island life to mainland life is underway. These images also suggest the beginnings of that transition reflected in my art. Nature has always been an inspiration, and that theme is carried forward here with the soft pastel interpretation of the famous white sand beach at Siesta Key, and in the colors of the morning sun slanting through the trees in a…

Changes

We are moving. After nearly 12 years living in the Caribbean we decided last fall that a return to the continent would be the next step in the adventure we began back in 1999 when we sailed off into the sunset. Of course, the islands do not let one go easily. It is only through luck, and a large dose of serendipity that we…

Circles

A circle of tightly clustered snails near the water’s surface seems to overlap the circle of rock polished by the action of the sea. Below, an arc highlights a cluster of red globules on the beach next to the round seagrape leaf. While the circle is not always an easy design element to work with, it has always been a powerful symbol and metaphor….