March sketching in Fakahatchee

Bletia purpurea terrestrial orchid, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

 

Saturday we enjoyed another plein air sketching and painting day at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.  We met at the Harmon industrial building on Janes Scenic Drive so we could have a combination of natural and man-made subjects to draw or paint.

The metal-sided structure is a remnant of the days when the Harmon family leased the rights to quarry rock and fill from the area.  Several of the nearby lakes are a result of the quarrying process; most of the land in Florida is underlain by limestone bedrock, which is excavated and used for gravel roads and cement.  According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website, our state is fifth in the United States for industrial mineral production. 

Across the street, one of our group discovered a blooming terrestrial orchid, Bletia purpurea, also known as pine pink.  It was growing on the side of the road, in full sun and in what looked to be sand and gravel.  What a tough but beautiful plant.  I sat down next to Sue, author of the blog “Journeys with Sue.” It was a pleasure to meet her in person after getting to know her online! 

(Click on image to view larger)

After lunch, I moved to another location behind the building to sketch a gumbo limbo tree.  I love the papery copper-colored trunks of this tree.  Under the papery covering, the trunk is smooth, with traces of green along with the copper.  This time of year the foliage is yellow green against a warm blue sky. 

Nearby, other artists worked with different subjects in different media.  Beth painted in oils, while Diane and Karen worked in pencil.  Sue and I used ink and watercolor, and Kerri painted a watercolor portrait of a striking oak laden with airplants.  In the distance, we heard the melodic calls of red-winged blackbirds as they darted through the cattails. 

Other wildlife noted were a trio of red bellied woodpeckers, warblers, swallow-tailed kites, a group of black vultures, a great blue heron, and a green anole nibbling at the base of a blooming tillandsia growing near the park offices.  Karen, our park ranger, speculated that it was either sipping nectar or eating tiny insects (ants or aphids) that are attracted to these airplants. 

On the drive back to Naples, I noticed several great white egrets and a wood stork along the canals that parallel the Tamiami Trail.  Overhead, the kingfishers kept sentry duty atop the power lines that run along the road.  All in all, a wonderful day – sketching in plein air in one of our beautiful parks, with good friends and pleasant weather.   Click over to the Events tab to see a slideshow of images for that day.   Thank to everyone who came out!

Sketches were done in my:

Nature Sketch sketchbook by Pentalic
6x12 in, (15.24x30.48 cm),
Black Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen S and XS,
Daniel Smith watercolors.

Butterfly orchid

Butterfly orchid, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

A friend of mine presented me with a cluster of these pseudobulbs after one of the cypress trees in her backyard died and fell over. What a wonderful gift! I’m pleased to see them still blooming and thriving every summer, and always have great plans to do a large and detailed painting of them.

Well… time is not my friend this year, so I settled for a small study in my nature journal. If you’d like to read an article I wrote some time ago about this lovely little orchid, you can access it here from the Palmetto’s online repository. The Palmetto is a quarterly journal published by the Florida Native Plant Society.

While I was observing the flowers, I noticed a busy honeybee wrestling its head into each of the blooms. Each time its head emerged, it was topped by an ever-increasing “hat” of bright yellow pollen. This bee was almost too large to fit into the blooms, and had to work quite hard, so I’m sure the rewards must have been delicious!

Clicking on the very top image will take you to my Flickr photostream.

Orchid study and playing with gesso

Last year I tried to paint this orchid, a vibrant pink-purple Cattleya orchid given to me by a friend.  I was not happy with the result, partly due to the elusive nature of the fluorescent pink undertones.  It's starting to bloom again now, so I should have plenty of time to practice!  One of my artist friends on Flickr, Sigrid Frensen, suggested that I try a color called Opera Rose, and so far I think I'm on the right track.  I did some color trials (below left), and settled on Opera Rose, Quinacridone Pink, and Ultramarine Blue.  I tried these out on a three-quarter view and a top view of one of the blooms.

The colors didn't scan exactly the same as the original, but I think you'll get the idea.  Below is a larger image of the three-quarter view.  These are painted in transparent watercolor on Arches hot-press paper, 90 lb.

Then I tried something completely different.  I've been wanting to try painting over  gesso on watercolor paper.  This was inspired by one of Cathy Johnson's small paintings here.  I had already prepared two pieces of cold-pressed watercolor paper with a single coat of loosely brushed clear gesso made by Liquitex.  I waited until it was completely dry, then I did a VERY loose painting based on the same orchids.

Wow!  I moved from almost total control with the hot-press paper to almost none with the dampened gesso-coated paper.  Next time, I'll try dry-brushing instead of dampening my paper.  But I have to say that I was intrigued by the unpredicability of free-flowing color over the gesso.  I was able to lift and push around pigment in some places, which allowed for interesting effects. 

The gesso on watercolor paper is something I'll remember for the future.  it would be great for moody or atmospheric pieces, and especially nice for collage elements.