Hydrangea from Oven Park, Tallahassee, FL. A non-invasive non-native that performs beautifully in the South.
It has been nine years since I ended my self-propelled residency in Monroe, LA. I spent every two weeks in Monroe, LA and driving through Louisiana and back and forth to Texas. During that time, I saw parts of Louisiana I had never seen as a child growing up in Baton Rouge. It was exciting and very illuminating. I met some amazing people and saw the results of the different cultures - Native American, African American, French, Spanish and English in people and the marks that they made on the land.
Spanish and French created land allotments differently. That is still apparent in the way that neighborhoods, shopping centers and private lots are shaped and named. The influence from the different cultures is very strong. Things that I had not anticipated, the effects from the Great Flood of 1927 are still talked about as are the centuries old struggle between Catholics and Protestants that started in Europe. Many people in Louisiana still talk about the seperation between Catholics and Protestants and how that had effected their families and communities.
During the last seven years I have not only explored Louisiana but parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
I am still creating artwork about the South and drawing and painting portraits. I have started a teaching blog, partially for young family members but also because I found Art Education in southern rural and even urban areas to be so limited.
Some art centers and museums work very hard to engage a lot of people in their communities - young, old, different incomes and different races. Other institutions focus mainly on one group of people and are not inclusive. I am hoping to share information about art all over the world from different eras and different cultures and to create lessons for young students from PreK to adults who want to continue to learn and try new projects.
My work is changing and becoming more about color, patterns, nature - all things that were fascinating to me growing up near the very rural city limits of Baton Rouge in the 1960's and 1970's.
I am studying native plants from the Big Bend area in Florida. Most of them are also found across the South and some into Texas and Mexico. I am experimenting with a lot of plants in my own garden, planting, photographing and drawing or painting them. Gardens and agriculture are some of the things prevalent across the South that bring people together. Working farms and garden clubs are common everywhere. You can see the remains of 100 year old or older gardens around abandoned houses. Groves of trees on farms and leading up to little wood frame houses in the country planted over 100 years ago continue to thrive. The food, shade and enjoyment that these plants gave to people hundreds of years ago is still enjoyed and appreciated today.
Invasive non-natives have threatened a lot of native plants. I am trying to do my part to preserve the native plants by planting as many natives in my yard as possible.
