The Saturday Morning Magazine tradition of having a guest blog for the month of December continues – meet Natural Florida Artist Linda Blondheim, a five – star Plein Air painter who lives outside Gainesville. I’ve admired her work for years, taken several of her classes, consider her a friend and am fortunate to have a few of her paintings. I asked Linda to share her thoughts on painting outdoors in Florida and her favorite places.
Here is Linda Blondheim in her own words:
Thank you for honoring me with a guest blog post, Lucy Tobias. I’ve been one of Lucy’s fans for a long time. I own several of her books. She is awesome!
I’ve been an outdoor painter for many years. Back in the day, we called ourselves out door painters. We weren’t familiar with the French term Plein Air. Back then I had a pick up truck and used an aluminum single mast studio easel to paint on. I brought a card table with me to set up painting camp for the day, setting up in a spot with many views for paintings. Sometimes I would work on large paintings, spending the day on one painting.
Some painters still bring out their entire studio to paint. When you work on a day long painting, you have to ignore the changes in light, atmosphere and local color as they change hourly. To me it makes more sense to begin a painting at one time and continue on it each day at the same time until it is finished.
I like to start paintings and tweak them to finish in my studio. The marriage between outdoor and studio work at its best. Small format up to 12×16 works well for me out side. I now save larger paintings for studio work.
I traveled Florida’s east and west coasts and the rural areas from west to east and down as far south as Vero Beach on the east and Venice on the west coasts. I’ve loved these travels and learned much about natural Florida. The truth is I’ve never cared much for cities or urban areas. I don’t paint tourist areas like boat marinas or city scapes. Instead I am a farm, ranch, and natural Florida painter. I don’t care for South Florida so I’ve not painted there.
I have painted many rivers in Florida, as well as marshlands, wetlands and occasionally the sea on both coasts. My true love is the farm and ranch land of upland Florida. I was lucky to have an eight year residency at Fair Oaks in Evinston Florida, a 160 acre estate, pristine and natural Florida at its best.
In my years there, I was given use of a golf cart each week and I stayed one week per year in the old plantation. I used the golf cart to explore the fields and trees, as well as the hidden nooks and crannies that few others knew. I learned so much about the natural world and about light and atmosphere during my time at Fair Oaks. I like to think that I became a real landscape painter there. I did hundreds of outdoor studies and larger studio paintings. I still do studio paintings of Fair Oaks from the many reference photos I took.
Linda Blondheim has a full plate of favorite painting sites around Florida
I have many favorite painting sites around Florida. The Ormand Beach Loop, Butler Beach, St Augustine Beach, Ponce Inlet, Merritt Island Wildlife Preserve, Canaveral Seashore, Pelican Island, Big Talbot, Little Talbot, Ft George Islands, Kissimmee Prairie, Payne’s Prairie, Fish Prairie, Tuscawilla Prairie, Blue Cypress Lake, Whitehurst owned Black Horse Prairie, Ozello, Crystal River, Suwannee, Bird Island, Cape San Blas, many ranch and farm lands, privately owned. These are but a few examples of Florida’s natural lands. To name all of the rivers, lakes, and unnamed places I love, would take a book.
State and county parks are really good locations. They are fairly safe and many are really beautiful. I like to explore the camping areas of these parks. Week days are excellent, because the parks are sparsely populated during the week.
I enjoy meeting the fishermen and looking at their catches in the parks with lakes, rivers and sea. University owned lands are also good painting spots. There is a major land grant university in my town. Their agricultural lands are near my studio. They always welcome me.
It is important to feel safe in painting locations. If you have a dog, bring him along. Bring a friend. They can always read a book. Tell someone where you will be painting and what time you expect to be home. Never go far from a roadside where others will see you in a strange place. Some painters carry a hand gun. Check out property and ask permission before painting on private land.
Always have your phone on you, not left in the car. Lock car doors but leave the driver’s door unlocked if you are in site of your car. You might need to get in your car quickly and leave. If you feel unsafe, get in your car and leave without packing up. Come back with help to get your equipment. I have painted alone for many years and had many encounters with snakes, Bobcats, Black Bear and Alligators. I always keep an eye on the ground and area as I paint. I have even had a negative encounter with a human or two. Be careful out there!
These days I like to paint on Deer Woods Trail carved through my own land. My Country Studio is steps away from the trail. I’m 69 years old with RA. I can’t run as fast as I used to.
I pack a lot lighter these days. I use a wood pochade box on a tripod with a bottle of water and a hat. I can move easily from my studio to the trail, with little fuss or bother. I start paintings in the woods, bring them back to the studio to tweak a bit. Often I leave my box set up in the woods in between sessions, just close the lid. I learned to place a large heavy duty trash bag over the box and tie it closed at the bottom.
My tripod is metal. It can stay in place for several sessions over a period of days. I just bring canvases back and forth from the studio to the trail. I can take my brushes in to wash between sessions too. Having a beautiful painting place down the trail from my studio is perfect for outdoor painting.
I still travel but I use that time to take more reference photos unless I have a week long residency, where I am in one home base and can set up to paint each day. I’ve become a much better studio painter, thanks to my many years of outdoor painting experience.
Come on out to my Country Studio 15 miles from Gainesville.
3032 N W 161st Court
Gainesville, FL 32609