Everglades in Trouble, Book signing, and The Big Green daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

The Big Green, Jo-Ann Sanborn, 2012

Acrylic on board, 5" x 7"

The Everglades, our big, beautiful, picturesque, magical, exotic, and unique green landscape is in trouble.  Just a little research shows we are on the edge of a potential natural failure in this part of the world. 

Some of the indicators are:

A 90-95% reduction in wading bird population!

Over 1.5 million acres under attack by invasive plants and animals!

A million acres under health advisories for mercury contamination!

68 endangered species of plants and animals threatened!

Decline in fish populations, with fish kills and deformed fish occurring!

Am I an alarmist?  I hope so, because I have faith in our ability to clean up after ourselves and to do better once we understand what the problems are. 

Which Everglades preservation organization are you supporting? 
You can google Everglades Preservation to find your own, or find a list of several good ones in my book.  There, in addition to photos of my paintings through the years, you will find words about the systems of the Everglades. 

A dollar from the sale of every book will go towards Everglades preservation.  The Friends of the Fakahatchee and the Everglades Foundation have already benefited with donations.    

You can pick up a copy at the Art Center of Marco Island on Thursday, March 22, 3:-4:30.  I'll be joining artist Bill Mosley and photographer Joel Gewirtz for a book signing.  My first!  Should be fun.  

Fakahatchee Safari, Almost Spring painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Almost Springtime, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

While the frozen northlands are suffering with a wild and snowy winter, you can take a walk on the wild side of sunny Southwest Florida!  The Friends of the Fakahatchee are holding a Fakahatchee Safari fundraiser to support Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve on Saturday, February 26th.  

During the Safari you can explore the natural environment with guided swamp walks, birding walks, photo workshops, scenic tram ridges and swamp buggy rides.  Learn about the ecology of the area with live exotic animal demonstrations, interactive presentations, and view local art work and photography.  I'll be particpating with some of my Everglades paintings. 

You'll also enjoy the camp ambiance of the area with a BBQ cookout, a wine reception, bonfire, live music, story-telling and a market place.  It should be a really fun time and a very special event.  Last year it was a sell out, so make your reservations today!  See you at the Safari! 

Earth Day and the Everglades

I have strong feelings about almost anything, and that passion hasn't moderated much with age, even though I may be a little clearer on the fact that there are some things I can do something about and others not.

Yesterday was Earth Day and the Earth is something I'm passionate about. We should be taking more care and have more reverence for the land that sustains us. There are too many of us for us living the way we do to sustain the earth into the future. We won't have enough water, and without it, not enough food. Since a good plague doesn't seem to be working, we need to take action. I do what I can in my studio, my life and my home, but I know it’s not nearly enough.

What I can do is paint, and bring a small measure of awareness and attention to a small part of our fragile planet. I've limited my work to the Southwest Florida environment, particularly the Everglades, in the hopes of bringing some small measure of awareness of their value to others. The Everglades have become my muse and my mission.

I had an almost viceral response when I first saw the land, and I fell in love. I love the way the light dances through the fronds of a huge palm under the slightest breeze. I love the way the bold palm forms thrust up into the bright blue sky and the way they soften in the evening light. I love the slow gurgle of the shallow water moving across the landscape to the gulf and the bumpy shapes of the mangrove fringes with their heads high above their legs in the water. I love the grasses, rough and course, bowing gently in the afternoon breeze, and the drama of the billowing thunderheads that gather each afternoon in the rainy season.

If you didn't do anything about Earth Day, and wish you did, it's not too late to send a small donation to one of the organizations who are working to preserve and protect this land, vital to the health of the gulf, and our planet. I'm donating a portion of my sales to the Friends of the Fakahatchee in April. Thanks if you've contributed by your purchase this month! The Friends of the Everglades, the South Florida National Parks Trust, and the Nature Conservancy of Florida, would also welcome your donation.

I've often written about the natural systems and cycles of the Everglades and their value. Perhaps you've seen the light and want to help too.

Dancing on a Foggy Morning by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Dancing on a Foggy Morning

11x14 acrylic on canvas

$325.00

Today's Everglades painting was started as a class demo in my recent Color Confidence class. Many instructors will finish a painting during the demo, and find that sales to students can supplement teaching income. I'd rather the students get to work on their own paintings rather than watch me work to the finish, and the time frame is usually too small to create a quality work.

So I use my own paintings to demonstrate techniques and applications during the class, not worrying about the final outcome or a good finish. This little painting was used to demonstrate a variety of discordant color techniques, and way to bring them together, so it was a mess of color and composition errors.

Still, there was something worth searching for in it and I couldn't just discard it. Gaining the final moody harmony was a struggle, but the results are quite satisfying.

By the way, we had a lovely time at the Friends of the Fakahatchee annual dinner last evening at the Port of the Isles. They're my charity for the Artists at the Esplanade Give-Back month and will receive a portion of my sales for April.

Giving Back, Two large Paintings by Everglades Artist JoAnn Sanborn

High Tide

30x40, acrylic on canvas

It's been a really busy couple of weeks, so I'm a little behind on everything! Exchanged out two large paintings that were at the Morgan Stanley office here on the island, and exchange the painting at the Drs. Polling office on Saturday.

That will bring some fresh new large paintings into the Studio, so if you're looking for a large painting there's some new selections for you to consider. Just received some new daily painting panels, primed them yesterday, so you'll be seeing a new one soon!

Fishing Hole

30x40, acrylic on canvas

The Artist Colony at the Esplanade is fortunate to be in a great location, visited by people from all over the world. We are all so appreciative and grateful for our studios and gallery space. In order to show appreciation, April will be “Give Back” month for a number of Colony artists. Artists will donate a portion of their sales to the local charity of their choice in an effort to benefit the entire community. It's the right thing to do!

I'm going to donate a percent of my April sales to the Friends of the Fakahatchee State Preserve. The Fakahatchee Strand is home to more varieties of wild orchid than any other place, I love the fabulous light and bold forms, and love the time I spent painting in the Fakahatchee. The Friends do good works that help do to preserve and protect this wonderful landscape through introduction and education, so it's a good fit for me.

You can help, too, by picking up a nice painting this month. It will bring you much pleasure and help save a small portion of the Everglades at the same time. Thanks to those who have already purchased!

Panther Month, A Little Peace, daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

A Little Peace

11x14, acrylic on canvas

$400

March is a wonderful month to visit the Everglades. Temperatures have warmed up a bit, it's not too hot for hiking, and because it's dry season there's not many mosquitoes.

There are well marked hiking trails throughout, and I've got a map in my studio that I'm happy to share if you need one. If you're not too sure about venturing in alone, you can get a guided tour with one of the groups that introduces people to the Everglades.

The Friends of Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve is a growing, active organization. They hold weekly hiking and guided canoe trips as their Discovery Series to show you around and to help you learn about the importance of the Everglades landscape.

This month is Florida Panther Month and the Friends of Fakahatchee Strand have a lot of activities planned. There's a Panther Lecture tomorrow, A Panther Fund raiser at Cathy O'Clarks on Marco Island on St. Patrick's Day, an open house in the Panther Refuge on Saturday, biking trips and a poker run fundraiser.

The Friends of Fakahatchee Strand believe that the protection of this jewel of the Everglades Ecosystem, the Fakahatchee, is achievable through public awareness and participation. It's not money to become a member, and they welcome your support. You can download a membership form and learn more here.