Sheer Heaven portable watercolor palette

Getting ready to paint, using a new type of palette!

Last Saturday I wrote a blog post about our plein air get-together at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, but I didn’t tell you about my experience using SheerHeavenTM  paper as a field watercolor palette.

An online friend and blogger, Sue, of “Journeys with Sue” brought us all sample of Sheer Heaven paper to try out as portable palettes.  What a thoughtful gesture (thank you, Sue!), as well as a wonderful new tool to add to my field sketching kit.

One of the problems I have with art supplies is that I tend to pack much more than I really need.  I’m sure I’m not alone on this issue!  The beauty of using this paper is that it is flat and can be cut to any size required.  When the watercolor paint is dry, simply slip it into your sketchbook or a handy plastic baggie. 

Sheer Heaven^TM has two sides: one side is smooth and the other has a slight tooth.  For use as a watercolor palette, Sue instructed us to use the “toothy” side.  I laid down some saturated splotches of watercolor paint in the colors I thought I’d need, and got started on my field sketch.  Since we were in the sun, my palette dried almost immediately, but the nice thing about this material is that the rough side is non-absorbent and my paint lifted immediately for use.

Another thing I like about this product is that it’s a translucent white, which I could use to check my color mixes against my journal or watercolor paper.  I felt like I was a step closer to my painting than using my plastic palette – it was more immediate, if that makes sense.   It stayed flat, and didn’t wrinkle or buckle under my wet puddles of paint.  It’s a nice material, and I can’t wait to try it as an actual art medium rather than just a palette.  

For more information on Sheer heaven:

http://www.dotcalmvillage.net/sheerheavenart.html

P.S.  You can see my finished field sketch in the previous post here. 

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.

Prickly pear in bloom

Prickly pear in bloom, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

This native cactus grows throughout Florida, growing both wild and cultivated.  I sketched this prickly pear cactus blooming along the boardwalk at the Naples Preserve.  I’ve seen prickly pear growing behind the dunes at the beach, sandy scrub areas like those found at the Preserve and some spots in Rookery Bay, and in pinelands. 

Florida has several prickly pear species, and I’m not sure which this might be – possibly Opuntia humifusa (sometimes referred to as Opuntia compressa), which is common throughout the state, as well as the eastern United States, and even northward into Canada.  They prefer full sun and well-drained soils, the flattened pads popping right out of the sand. 

The pads are jointed together, and are armed with large spines and small hair-like spines called glochids.  The clear yellow blooms have numerous stamens at the center, which must have something very delicious to offer – I saw numerous blue-green bees foraging with great abandon!  At Naples Preserve, prickly pear also provides food for the resident gopher tortoises, although humans have used it for centuries.

I’m familiar with the edibility of the fruits and pads; one can visit the local supermarket and see both for sale in the produce department in season.  I knew that some Opuntia species are home to the cochineal, an insect that produces carminic acid which is used to make a red dye (think carmine red).  What I didn’t know was that the plant was used for food, dyestuff, medicine, and trade by the Maya and Aztec peoples. 

More recently, Luther Burbank developed a spineless variety of Opuntia in the early 1900’s.  He suggested that all of the parts of this versatile cactus could be used.  The more I read about this plant, the more I realize that Prickly pear cactus is a useful and fascinating plant.  I’m not going to be able to tell you all about this cactus in one blog post, so I hope you’ll have a chance to explore on your own.

Strathmore Windpower Watercolor sketchbook (cold-press, 140 lb.)
6x9 in, (15.24x22.9cm),
Black Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen S and XS,
Daniel Smith watercolors,
dip pen with watercolor paint.

Links for more information:

Wikipedia, on Opuntia species.

Cochineal insects see what they look like and how to dye with them.

WikiHow: Preparing prickly pear for eating.

Sky-blue lupine

My nature journal entry (click to view larger)

I had a chance Saturday to visit some scrub areas at Rookery Bay, and sketch the subtle beauty of the sky blue-lupine, which is blooming now.  Sky-blue lupine (Lupinus diffusus) is well named – the pea-like flowers are a delicate blue and white that echoes the atmospheric colors overhead. 

Amazingly, these native wildflowers grow in one of our harshest habitats in Florida – scrub.  The soil is almost pure sand, a “concealed desert” as described by Dr. W. H. Simmons in 1822.  Imagine surviving in the intensity of a full Florida sun, the light and heat enhanced by reflective white sand that drains quickly after a rain.  Yet these lovely wildflowers are thriving, and new seedlings are emerging.

I chose a small plant to draw as lupines are quite complex!

Sky-blue lupines are on the endangered species list and protected by law.  Their beauty made them irresistible to past collectors; however, they do not like to have their roots disturbed and don’t survive transplanting.  The seeds require specialized soil, and take a long time to germinate.  The sandy scrub they call home was rapidly developed in the past because of its desirable higher elevations.  These factors make for a rarely seen wildflower. 

Larger sky blue lupines,
growing  right out of the scrub's sugar sand.

A member of the bean or pea family, Fabaceae, sky-blue lupine fixes nitrogen in the soil, which is typical of many legumes.  The alternate leaves, stems, and seedpods are covered in very fine silvery-white hairs.  

The genus name of Lupinus derives from the Latin word for wolf, "lupus.".  Explanations I’ve read include the idea that the lupines wolfishly devoured the nutrients from the soil so other plants could not grow; another story is that they grow alone, like the lone wolf.  The species name of diffusus is also Latin, meaning "spread out or wide."

Sky-blue lupine ranges throughout Florida and as far north as North Carolina, and west to Mississippi. I sketched these in pencil first, then drew in black ink, adding watercolor and a touch of watercolor pencil.  Thanks to my companions, Jeanette and Cyril, for an enjoyable morning!

Details: Mechanical pencil, .7 mm (generic)

Pitt artist's pen in black, XS size for drawing, S size for writing

Daniel Smith watercolors and Niji aquabrushes

Kimberly watercolor pencils

Pentalic Nature sketch sketchbook

Web resources and more photos of sky blue lupine:

• Photos and growing conditions:
   Hawthorn Hill’s blog on native Florida wildflowers
• General information and some wonderful close-ups of the individual flower: 
  Dan Tenaglia’s website on Alabama Plants

Bracken fern

(Click on the image to view larger)

I have a fondness for ferns; they grow in secret spaces, in unexpected places.  This is a partial piece of a bracken fern that I sketched with my Pitt pen (S size) in a sketchbook I received for Christmas.  I don’t know what kind of paper it is – but it’s silky smooth and takes pen marks well.  I added some light watercolor washes to show the varied browns of the dried frond. 

Ferns are fascinating in themselves, especially their reproductive cycle.  They are also a visual treat: lacy, intricate, unfurling in a spiral pattern.  Although not a true fractal because they are finite, the repetitive pattern of ferns is a good example of natural fractal patterns.  

Fractals are patterns where the parts are the same or similar to the whole.  For instance, in my drawing you can see that the pattern of the tip repeats in the branching leaflets.  The whole frond resembles the leaflets, as you can see in this photo from the University of Florida. Needless to say, this makes drawing a fern a bit mind-bending. 

Bracken ferns like to grow in open spaces; I sometimes see them on roadside and woodland edges.  Bracken fern is common, occurring throughout the world.  It has been used by humans for multiple purposes, including food.  The fiddleheads (unfurled baby fronds) are eaten regularly in Asian cultures. 

Although bracken fern contains a carcinogen that often causes cancers in livestock, cooking and/or soaking the fiddleheads in water reduces the risk to humans.  A caveat:  the carcinogen, ptalquiloside, varies with fern populations.  Always research thoroughly and know exactly what you are eating and how to safely prepare it; older ferns should be avoided entirely. 

Other past human uses for bracken fern include: fibers for basket weaving, starch from the rhizomes for flour, medicinal teas and decoctions for ailments such as chest complaints, headaches, and burns.  It was also used for thatch and kindling, livestock bedding, and for dyeing cloth and fibers. Despite a tendency to become invasive, bracken fern is not only a beautiful plant, but a useful one as well.

 

Sketching at Fakahatchee

Lake Harmon, Fakahatchee Strand, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park was once christened “the Amazon of North America.” A forested watershed of cypress and mixed hardwoods, the Fakahatchee Strand is a linear-shaped wetland, about 20 miles long running north to south, but only 3 to 5 miles wide east to west. The Strand is the main drainage pathway for the southwestern part of Big Cypress Swamp.

Apple snail

During the wet season, sloughs, ponds, and lakes flourish. The water moderates temperatures and creates a haven for epiphytes and ferns. In the dry season (November through April, sometimes May), parts of the slough dry up completely, leaving only a few year-round ponds and lakes. In the dry season, we may only get 15 inches of rain of our typical average of 54 annual inches.

As part of the En Plein Air ~ Arts in the Fakahatchee event, a small group of us met near Lake Harmon, a year-round man-made lake. Created when limestone rock was quarried for fill and road surfacing, the water depth is easily 30 feet in places. The lake is named for the family who owned and operated Harmon Brothers Rock Company. Lake Harmon is just off Jane’s Memorial Scenic Drive, an 11-mile gravel road that follows the path of an old logging trail.

Snake eggs, already hatched!

The Lake Harmon area offered several interesting spots to sketch: the lake itself, a nearby cypress dome, and a recently burned grassland with lovely greens and browns. I painted the lake first in watercolor (top  image), trying to catch the quickly shifting clouds and rippling surface of the water. In the foreground are grasses and cattails, the opposite side of the lake is bordered by trees and the edge of a cypress dome (on the left).

The cypress trees are bare this time of year – with grayish bark and branches that almost gleam white in bright sunlight. Another artist and I walked over to the nearby cypress dome to explore. Less foliage means it’s easier to get around and to see things that we might otherwise have missed. At the edge of the dome we found numerous apple snail shells, a few crawdad shells, and two vacated snake eggs!

Sketching the recently burned area.

Later, I sketched the grassy area that had been a controlled burn not long ago. One cabbage palm tree caught my eye – the burnt trunk and the changing tiered colors of the palm fronds. The lowest fronds were burnt a dark brown, in the middle the fronds were dry and yellowed where the heat, but not the flames touched them, then the top fronds of living green that escaped the fire. The surrounding field was greening up, but there were still some of the rust and yellow-ochre grasses peeking through the new greens.

Tillandsias growing on a cypress trunk.

After a quick lunch, Park Ranger Karen Relish took us for a short walk into a cypress dome off Janes Scenic Drive. The ground was dry this time of the year, but there were some damp and watery places still deeper inside the dome. Once again, we saw apple snail shells scattered over the ground, and here and there the new growth of ferns and tiny wildflowers. Several airplants were blooming, and I marveled at the large buttressed cypress trees. We learned from Karen that our native epiphytic bromeliads are under attack by an exotic weevil that has been slowly spreading through the state of Florida. We also learned about the scents around us: the lemon-resin smell of the crushed Bacopa leaves beneath our feet, the spicy odors of bay and wax myrtle as we brushed by.

It was a beautiful sunny and breezy day, filled with good company and time to sketch. I also learned more about the habitats of Fakahatchee and came away with a greater appreciation of the plants and animals and history. Thank you Karen, for creating the opportunity to draw and paint in this beautiful space. And thank you as well to Cyril, who created the wonderful signs and made sure we got to the correct location, and fellow artists Kerri and Linda.

If you click on the top image it will take you to  my Flickr photostream where you can see it larger and read about the materials I used; clicking on the other images will allow you to view them larger in a slide show format.

Wild tamarind ~ scars

(Click to view larger)

“There is something beautiful 

about all scars of whatever nature.  

 A scar means the hurt is over, 

the wound is closed and healed,

done with.”

~ Harry Crews

Last month I spotted this tree trunk near the post office parking lot and had to sketch it.  I didn’t have my sketch kit with me, but I did have some ruled/graph paper and a mechanical pencil!  My attention was caught by the healed-over scars and the smooth bark of the tree.  I’ve been feeling a bit scarred by life, and I felt a kinship with this tree and its visible history of wounds.

Last week I parked near the same tree again, and took a moment to collect a seedpod and leaflet to sketch later.  I believe this is a wild tamarind tree, Lysiloma latisiliquum (also L. bahamensis).   

The seedpod is cream-colored with deep brown markings.

A member of the bean family, Fabaceae, it produces bean-like seeds in a flat pod which remain on the tree year-round.  .  The flowers are fragrant white puffballs that appear in the spring.  The feathery leaves look a bit tattered right now, but I can imagine how lovely they’ll look when the new growth emerges.

The bi-pinnate leaf.

The leaves are bi-pinnately (or double) compound. In other words, they aren’t just compound leaves, but compound times two.  This adds to their delicate and lacy appearance.  I sketched the leaf and the seedpod with an ordinary mechanical pencil on white printer paper.  

Its fast growth, broad canopy, and wide tolerance of soils and growing conditions make this a tree a popular choice for shade.  It’s also salt tolerant, which makes it a good choice for coastal areas.  Wild tamarind is native to South Florida, the Bahamas, and the West Indies, so you’d be right to suspect that it’s not cold tolerant.  The bark is a soothing shade of light grey, with a light texture. 

I hope you enjoyed my drawing of one of our tropical trees, despite the scars.  Like the words in the quote above, I find something beautiful in them.  What I didn’t fully realize before I came across this quote, is that the very nature of a scar signifies a triumph.  So I dedicate these sketches to all who bear the marks of Life’s mishaps and mischief.  Your scars tell a story, not just of the pain, but of the healing. 

 

For more information on Wild Tamarind:

Natives for Your Neighborhood