I am working on a series of two or three paintings set in the swamps and bayous of south Louisiana. I realized that I seldom include flora and fauna in my work and wanted to remedy that in a big way. These will be chock full of it. This one is a bit smaller than many of my paintings and I hope to crank it out somewhat faster, stealing time from sleep to work. It has been quite pleasurable to work in greens on the vegetation. There is a soothing repetition to it both in creation and observation, I believe. By the nature of it, I am forced to work in layers much more than usual and I am anxious to see the results of that.
Inspiration for this work was drawn from my daughter, a lover of nature and all creatures big and small. One of the greatest joys we have together are weekend camping trips and it was on one of these excursions to nearby Palmetto Island State Park that the idea began to gel in my mind. Dwarf Palmettos grow in such abundance down in that area of Vermilion Parish. It is an experience to walk the trails among their unique foliage beneath the cypress, magnolias and water oaks. Plenty of feral hogs as well! There aren’t many places in America, indeed the world to enjoy that ecosystem.
I have been absolutely obsessed with You see Me Laughin’, a documentary on Mississippi hill country blues musicians. It follows the last of a dying breed of musicians, practitioners of a very pure form of blues. Reminded me of the Swamp Pop performers in my part of the world. I can’t get enough, at any rate. I’ve watched/listened to it a half dozen times while painting.