Three Sisters Spring Pastel

Paddling to Three Sisters Spring, pastel on Wallis paper, 9" x 12." Contact artist for price.

This past weekend I attended MAPAPA's Annual meeting. This year it was held at St. Paul's School in suburban Baltimore. The opportunity to meet with other members was, as always, a treat, and the artists' demonstrations very inspiring. I was particularly fascinated by the work of Maryland pastel artist Lisa Mitchell; her demo made me want to try out some of her techniques as soon as possible.  I worked this small pastel from my photos of the Three Sisters Spring taken during our January vacation.

I blocked in the composition by brushing turpenoid over the pastel for the under-painting, and built up the finished surface with my Sennelier set of soft pastels. Lisa had recommended using a variety of touches to blend colors and sculpt out details. It was fun to try it out. My palette is somewhat limited at this point, as I only have a Rembrandt landscape set (fairly hard pastels) and the soft Sennelier half-sticks to choose from. I would like to acquire a wider range of hues and some suitable trays to carry the pastels out in the field for plein air painting. If any of you know of sales of Unison or Terry Ludwig soft pastels and foam-lined trays, please let me know.

Spring Fever

Yesterday Herb and I got up early to begin spring cleaning in our yard. We had rented a chain saw to cut down some big branches that had broken off during the winter. Mercifully, this year's snowstorms were not as severe and there were fewer branches down than the previous winter, when we spent three weekends cleaning up the yard. We were done in a couple of hours.

In the afternoon the sun came out and the temperature rose--I noticed one crocus flower bud had poked up in my front yard, but all the others seemed to be at least a week away from any bloom. I figured that Brookside Gardens, being closer in town and warmer, is seasonally ahead, so I drove there to scout out painting locations for the coming weeks.

An expanse of mauve crocus flowers greeted me at the entrance by the Visitor's Center. Further up the path, intoxicating scents of Witch Hazel and narcissus wafted from my favorite patch of birches (see last year's posting A Host of Golden Daffodils). It wasn't quite warm enough for painting yet, but there were enough flowers to gladden the heart on this sunny afternoon.

Kayaking Down the Weeki Wachee

Herb with our kayaks at the starting point.

I'd been hoping to be able to post the finished video I had taken of our kayak trip down the Weeki Wachee River this week, but unfortunately I am still editing it, so I thought I'd post some photos of the highlights. It was chilly the morning we drove down to Weeki Wachee, sunny and clear. In fact, the thermometer never made it over 57 degrees that day.

We put out around ten-thirty and agreed to be picked up at two in the afternoon at Rogers Park, the designated pick-up area for the rentals at the state park, seven and a half miles downstream. The starting point is just below the swimming area near Weeki Wachee's headspring, and the water stays crystal-clear for several miles downstream. The flat-bottom tour boat was coming around the bend just as we entered and honked at us to get out of their way.

Drifting downriver.

I got out my camera and started filming while drifting downriver--the six-knot current propels one right along. After a minute or so we reached the first bend, and it was necessary to stop filming so I could maneuver around a small islet in the middle. As I rounded the islet, the flat-bottom boat was heading back, coming straight towards me and blasting its horn like mad for me to get out of the way, which I managed to do in just a nick of time.

Birdsong permeated the thickets along the river, with the occasional sound of a motor from the road beyond or a plane overhead. I kept filming and drifting, and ended up getting tangled in the branches hanging over the river, or running into the banks when I failed to paddle around a turn--the river is all sharp "S" bends in the upper part.

Herb paddling on the Weeki Wachee.

 The river seemed lower than when we'd been there two years before; we found out later there had been a drought last year. There also seemed to be more fallen trees. At one point my kayak got stuck on the branches of a sunken log and I had to dip my arm in the water to push it loose. The water was a pleasant 72 degrees, but as soon as I pulled my arm out, the cold air made my wet sleeve feel really frigid.

Alligator sunning on the bank.

We saw a good-sized 'gator sunning on the banks, and turtles basking on logs as we made our way down the river. At some point we paddled past the house we had rented two years before and recognized the neighborhood--some of the decks by the river had deteriorated quite a bit since then, and others had been replaced.

Herb way ahead.

A blue heron poses in front of a fake parrot.

Downstream from Dawn Lane the color of the water begins to change subtly as it becomes more brackish--we were now entering the lower tidal zone. A blue heron and a belted kingfisher played tag with us, staying just ahead. There were more houses along the banks on this stretch.

Captain Fred had told us about a place on this part of the river called Hospital Hole--it's a fissure that is 160 feet deep, and divers who attempt it without allowing for decompression time end up in the hospital with the bends. He said once he'd made a bet with a local lad who had no idea just how deep this hole was and thought he could free-dive down to the bottom! Manatees like to congregate around the hole.

Looking for Hospital Hole.

We were looking for Hospital Hole, keeping in mind to bear left to stay on the river (a number of canals go off in this area), when we came across a group of fishermen casting from a large boat. They pulled in their lines to allow us to pass by, and we asked them the whereabouts of the hole. This is it, they said, you're directly over it--one could see the color of the water was different here, a deep sea blue-green. There were schools of large fish swimming around, and then I spotted a manatee cow and her calf coming up for air. I grabbed my camera and noticed there were drops of water on the lens--oh-oh!

Herb and I circled around the hole a few times while I filmed. There seemed to be a pod of about a dozen manatees, with at least three babies. Some of my footage came out blurry from the condensation on the lens, but I managed to get two of the mothers with their calves. One pair came so close to my kayak I could have reached down and touched them, and then the baby turned to look up at me--so cool!

Hospital Hole was very close to the end of the run, and soon we were at Rogers Park pulling up our kayaks on the ramp--we didn't have to wait long to be picked up.

Elena kayaking into Rogers Park.

More Crystal River Sketches

Windy Day in Crystal River, watercolor, 10" x 14." Contact artist for price.

Here are few more sketches I did in Crystal River during our vacation. The one above is a watercolor looking out from the front of our house done on a very windy morning. The one below, a small oil of the sunset looking out on Kings Bay on an overcast evening. Our location in Crystal River offered so many wonderful views it was hard to decide what to paint next!

Cloudy evening on Kings Bay, oils on canvas panel, 8" x 10."
Contact artist for price.

Crystal River Archeological Park

Crystal River Archeological Park, oils on canvas panel, 11" x 14." Contact artist for price.

I was surprised to learn that Crystal River had an archeological site dating from 14,000 years ago. The Crystal River Archeological Park gives the visitor a fascinating glimpse into these prehistoric settlements. Six burial and ceremonial mounds are found on the 14-acre site at the mouth of the Crystal River, which was occupied until the times of the Spanish conquest.

Armadillo at the Crystal River Archeological Park

On our way into the park we saw another car stopped by the side of the road. Curious, we pulled up to see why these folk were there--and saw an armadillo cross the road--the creature lingered long enough to allow me to take this shot.

The small 1960's-style museum housed an interesting collection of artifacts and exhibits giving a history of the  cultures who successively occupied the site, as well as the early 20-century archeologists who studied it. Motion-controlled stations with recordings around the site provided a nice self-guided tour.

Herb and I walked by the burial mounds and climbed up the large Ceremonial mound (the highest on the site) which had at one time an earthen ramp that had been removed and replaced by stairs. We saw a stone stele with a face carved on it, a rarity among these early cultures.

The large Ceremonial Mound

The Stele

There were many birds and wildlife all around. The place was pervaded by a quiet elegiac atmosphere, to which the Spanish moss waving on the huge trees probably contributed. I resolved to come back another day to paint on site.

Herb at the archeological park

I came back toward the end of our stay and painted the oil above on a very windy and chilly day--sheltered from the wind behind the trunk of a large live oak, it was much warmer here in January than in Maryland.

Slogging on the Chazz

The Chassahowitzka River

I wanted to explore the wilderness around Crystal River. Talking to the volunteers at the Wilderness Refuge one day, a lady suggested we canoe or kayak down the nearby Chassahowitzka River (the "Chazz" for short) to a side creek where there is a place the locals call "The Crack" at the headwaters of the creek.

It was early afternoon when we rented a canoe at the Chassahowitzka Campground at end of the Miss Maggie Road (they included a small hand-drawn map of the area for our benefit). They told us they had no kayaks available on slow weekdays. That proved to be lucky for us, as it allowed us to explore the creeks at low water.

First, we paddled 100 yards upstream to the springs that feed the river. It was hard to tell exactly where Chassahowitzka Spring was--a first magnitude spring. Presumably it was the first deep pool with a strong current we traversed. Further upstream to the left there was a set of "unnamed springs" that the canoe rental guy referred to as Seven Sisters--a series of vents of varying sizes. The water here was crystalline, one to two feet deep, and the pools startlingly blue-green.

One of the Seven Sisters vents.

We turned around at the uppermost vent and started back downstream. Groups of pelicans flew by, some landing on the water near us, others on trees. Further down the river a flock of vultures perched on a dead tree; blue herons and cormorants fished the banks. A fisherman was working his net in the middle of the river. This was the real old Florida!

 As we made our way toward Baird Creek, we encountered a couple on kayaks who entered the creek ahead of us. They had trouble getting by the shallow mouth marked by a small island, but soon they outdistanced us as we labored through the shallows. We met them again not long after--they'd had to turn around when the course became too narrow for their paddles. The canoe allowed more room for maneuvering, so we were able to paddle upstream almost all the way to The Crack.

We paddled through places with currents strong enough to make us work really hard, through a wide, deep blue-green pool (later I learned this was called Blue Springs), and channels so narrow our canoe got wedged between the banks. We kept paddling through beautiful, thick Florida jungle, seeing wading birds. Where was this mysterious Crack? We met a small group of canoers heading downstream and asked them. Their leader said we were very close, but would likely have to walk for the last few hundred yards.

 

Eventually we ran aground--it was time to ditch the canoe. Herb sank knee-deep into black mud as he was trying to pull up the canoe, but managed to not lose his shoes. We persisted and sloshed ankle-deep in the warm, clear water the rest of the way, until we finally came across The Crack.

The Crack was a few feet across by some thirty feet long, and who knows how deep? The bottom couldn't be seen--it cut across a very shallow swimming hole decorated by a fallen palm trunk that had been carved with initials for apparently a number of years. We couldn't linger very long as it was past four then and we had to return the canoe by five. About this time a few insects began to appear--I can just imagine what they must be like in the summer months.

We high-tailed it out of there and back to our canoe. Later Herb said he hadn't had this much fun in a long time--there might be something in swamps after all. I think Swamp Girl (his nickname for me) has made a new convert!

Herb at the Blue Crack

You can see more photos of our Chazz Adventure on Flickr.

Morning Sketches

Crystal River Morning, watercolor study, 6" x 10."

While vacationing at Crystal River I got into a routine of getting up in the morning just as the sun was rising. After opening the curtains of the row of windows giving out onto the lagoon and fixing a cup of my favorite chai tea, I would get out my watercolors to work on a sketch. The windows had a convenient small ledge on which to set my kit, and sitting on a kitchen stool, I worked until Herb was up and ready for breakfast.

Crystal River Morning, watercolor, 10" x 14."

I never tired of seeing the play of the light on the mossy branches of the trees across the lagoon--such incredible colors! From orangey at first light to golden yellow as the sun climbed higher, lilacs in the shade, they were all so harmonious, and so difficult to render! It could take a lifetime to get this Florida landscape just right. I hope I get enough time after I retire there to learn to paint Florida with a small fraction of its natural beauty.

Three Sisters Spring

Three Sisters Spring, oils on canvas panel, 12" x 9." Contact artist for price.

A few days after our swim with the manatees, the 24th Annual Florida Manatee Festival was taking place. On Saturday, the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge whose headquarters were located a few houses down the street from ours, held an open house at Three Sisters Spring. The land surrounding the spring is part of the wildlife refuge and not accessible to the public, but they were open for a morning as part of the Manatee Festival's activities.

After seeing the springs from underwater, I was really anxious to paint them from above, and this would be my only opportunity. Herb and I got up early that morning so we could be among the first groups to be shuttled by van from a local shopping center to the spring. I brought my Guerilla Painter Box, gear bag and one 9" x 12" panel along with my camera. The refuge volunteers were very kind to allow me to leave my gear at their booth so we could walk around for a bit before I settled in to paint.

Early Morning at Three Sisters Spring.

It was quite chilly--there had been an overnight frost--and mist wafted over the water at the springs, giving a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere. Even at this early hour, snorkelers were already there, and lots of sleeping manatees could be seen in the crystal-clear water.

The Three Sisters Spring area consists of some fifty acres of land around the springs that were saved from development. The purchase took place just last year, and the state of Florida has plans to develop the area as a park with boardwalks and viewing platforms for visitors. The volunteers led us on a guided walk around the spring even though the banks were a bit muddy. We were allowed to explore the rest of the grounds on our own. Herb and I walked over to look at Magnolia Spring, farther downstream on the waterway. Magnolia Spring is in a neighborhood that was developed many years ago and has lovely homes around it--the actual spring was impossible to discern from where we were. Many birds could be seen and heard all about: robins, finches, sparrows, blackbirds, and other birds I couldn't identify.

It was time for me to get started painting. I chose a spot on the side farthest away from the booths and crowds and Herb left me there. Unfortunately, this was the windward side. The Spanish moss swung sideways with each gust of wind. The color of the moss in the dappled shade and the water were very difficult, and as you can see, I didn't manage to get either one right, but I had a great time trying anyway.

By eleven-thirty I was so chilled I packed up and went back to the other side of the springs and took more photos while waiting to get on the shuttle that would take me back.

The springs were now like Grand Central Station--lots of kayakers and snorkelers on the water, crowds on land--poor manatees! They didn't seem to mind much, though. They don't appear to have any fear of humans and in fact, some were quite curious and playful with the snorkelers.

Late morning at Three Sisters Spring

Kayaks entering Three Sisters Spring

If you are ever in the Crystal River area, Three Sisters Spring is not to be missed! More photos here on Flickr.