Monday, November 25, 2019

Trail 3 A




I had a tree down across the A portion of trail three for a few weeks. I've been taking my hand saw down to the tree for a little while each day, sawing across the limbs that are blocking the trail. It has been hard labor as you can imagine, but I got enough cut off to be able to walk the trail again. This morning at 7 AM I was out the door on my way. 
It was glorious this morning, about 50 degrees. Mr Sun was just below the tree line so the light was good but not yet blinding in the east. I don't usually walk the trail on Saturday and Sunday, so it has been three days since I was there. The color change was huge, back on trail three A. The hickories are at last beginning to adorn themselves with the deep yellow gold robes of late fall. Walking through A trail, seeing that beauty in the distant light was breathtaking. I must remember to take my camera tomorrow for a shot of that lovely view. 
As I walked along the trail, I thought about why we only learn about these important understandings so late in our lives. I am doing my best work as a painter now, hopefully with more improvement to come. What if I had been this disciplined and knowledgeable about my own land and as skilled a painter when I was a pathetic painter at 25? Why do I allow myself to be so busy with other obligations when every moment I have left is so valuable as a painter and lover of the natural world? I am going to make some changes in January, to give myself more time here in the woods.
Artists have a wonderful life........

Saturday, November 23, 2019




Today I’m getting ready for a nice tea party with collectors. It made me think about artists who want to give up, feeling despair at poor sales. These collectors had dropped off my radar a few years ago for some odd reason. Artists meet thousands of people every year and collectors come and go. One of these ladies happened to come to my last party in October. I had not seen her in about 6 years. She is so nice, I’m glad she came. She wanted to come back in November with her sisters and so they will arrive for a nice tea party today.

I think some artists think negatively during slow times. They don’t realize that this is part of the cycle of being an artist or being in any business for that matter. They don’t have faith in themselves or their work. They end up in a downward spiral which is hard to get out of, once you have that mind set. I have had up and down times like every other artist in my long career, but I never let it cripple me. When times are slow, I spend more time in front of the easel, to expand my skills. I must learn new technique and improve my work if I want to sell in this highly competitive market. I spend more time connecting with my collectors. I spend more time marketing so that when the good sales arrive, I am ready. Each night before I drift off to sleep, I say to myself “I will sell a painting tomorrow”.

One problem I see for emerging artists, is that they try to get into the business too soon. This is a real problem in many ways. They do not have the business acumen to succeed. Their paintings are not really good enough yet to have wide appeal. Their friends and relatives tell them to sell before they have earned that ability. Many baby boomers have jumped into the art business as a hobbyist before they are ready.

Most artists, especially women, don’t really have to sell their work. They are retired from a steady job, they are married to a successful spouse, they have an inheritance to live on. There are few like me, who can actually live on art sales alone. It can be a hard road with many disappointments, but if one is positive and has faith, ability, and a solid work ethic, it is possible and loads of fun.
Artists have a wonderful life……

Friday, November 22, 2019

Back Roads Color


Linda’s Web Page

I took the back roads over to Micanopy today to deliver three tree paintings to Christine, who with her husband owns Blackbird Farm and Gallery. The little gallery is just precious! I love showing my work there and she is a wonderful host. The tree show has about 15 artists, so you will see some lovely and interesting varieties of the theme. She had a field full of lovely very tall yellow flowers and sunflowers today. I admired the field as I arrived. Her farm is so charming and so is she. Go to her opening for the exhibit next Friday and the following two weekends. You will enjoy it. Take Division Street all the way to the right curve, then turn left on Whiting Street. Her farm is just after it turns into a dirt road on the right. Blackbird Farm in Micanopy.

As I drove home, scouting out CR 346 and then the road to Hawthorne Road, I so enjoyed the change in colors. The River Styx was in full regalia as I passed by. I was going back and forth to Evinston each day just a few weeks ago and now the tall green grasses and trees have changed to their Fall color, beautifully.

Now I see miles of rust and wheat in the grasses. I have an interest in wild grasses. Today many were standing tall, with puffs of cottony fluff on the tops. They re so pretty and varied. I studied painting grasses one year as one of my study projects and learned some about them. There are many wild varieties here in this part of Florida.

The swamp maples are in full color, along with many bald and pond cypress I viewed. The cypress leaves varied from golden yellow, to burnt orange and then oxide brown. Sometimes I like the North Florida Fall color better than the further north brilliance. In Florida, you get a variety from the blue grays, to green, to splashes of orang, red and gold, which makes those warm colors really stand out.

Life is wonderful for artists....

Wednesday, November 20, 2019




I've been thinking about my years as a chef. I worked as a restaurant line cook, and pastry chef/baker/caterer for 13 years. There are endless stories during that period.
I learned how hard that work really is. I started as a pot washer, moved up to prep cook, then to line cook. On my own time, I studied with a pastry chef at another restaurant, and taught myself the fine art of garde' Manger. (Cutting up fruit and vegetables to look like flowers and birds) Sadly, that is becoming a lost art, due to cost cutting. It is labor intensive. My years in art school, studying sculpture and carving came in handy for that art. As a caterer, my knowledge of color mixing made my arrangements of crudités very pretty.
The camaraderie of restaurant kitchens is wonderful. There are plenty of loud arguments, and jockeying for position among cooks, but a good kitchen is a well oiled machine. Aside from the head chef, the expeditor is the top of the food chain with good reason. Orders are lined up as they come in, but different cooks do different parts of the order in different times. The expeditor must be able to coordinate this in his/her head through sometimes hundreds of orders. At one restaurant I worked in, the average lunch number was 400. Chaos quickly ensues if the expeditor loses track.
Of course I am too old now to do kitchen work but I believe all of that practice influences my self discipline, coordination and love for puzzles and challenges as a painter. I believe all of our non art life experiences are very important to our painting skills.
Life is good for artists...

Sunday, November 17, 2019






I will be gradually moving out of the studio at Paddiwhack Gallery from January through March of 2020. Paddiwhack will close in March, for a few months and re-open in a different location with a different theme. I have enjoyed my time with Paddiwhack Gallery and  it is now onward to new adventures in 2020. 


My Country Studio is thriving and I’m looking forward to more parties, tea parties, and constant visitors for fun and trail walks out in the country. You are always welcome, and if we plan ahead, I will give you a fine tea party when you visit. You can purchase my paintings every day on my web site https://www.lindablondheim.com  I charge low shipping rates too. You will find directions to my Country Studio at the bottom of my web page.


My thanks to Chuck Sapp for his fine work as my dealer for all the years we have had together. I wish him great success with his new plans for 2020. When one door closes, another opens.


Life as an artist is wonderful! 

Saturday, November 16, 2019





I like to do some research every day about science. I learned today that scientists have proven that trees pump water from their roots up into the leaves at night. It was formerly thought that it was an automatic process, but now they discovered that the limbs move up and down deliberately at night, pumping the water upwards from the roots. is that cool or what?

I have always loved trees, since my early childhood. I was at that time a champion tree climber. I had my share of falls too. Once I fell out of the tree in the yard and it knocked me out cold! My sisters were shocked when the teenager next door carried me into the house. He had been outside and saw me fall. My sister called my momma and told her I was dead, then hung up on Momma. I came to and they called her back to say I was ok.

Trees have been my friends for my entire life. I began to paint them in earnest about 20 years ago. I definitely feel their communication and wisdom when I stand under them. Can you imagine the stories they can tell over hundreds of years? Some are thousands of years old.

We really owe our very lives to trees. I like to look at species from around the world. Some are so exotic that they look alien. They have adapted to fit the climate they live in. Peoole make fun of "tree huggers" like me, but we must become aware of the life giving resource that developers are cutting down faster than they can grow. 
Artists have a wonderful life.

Thursday, November 14, 2019





Today I encountered a lovely site on Deer Woods Trail. A flock of wild turkeys were foraging along the trail in front of me. What lovely birds! They took off in flight at noticing me, so I was able to view their large wing spans. It took me back to my childhood days of being out in the woods with my daddy and his friend Mr Bailey.

This time of year is my favorite. The leaves are slowly turning, and the grape vines are dotted with yellow and oxide colors. There is such a wonderful feel to th walk in the woods each day. I see the fields turning to wheat and rust. Some trees are silver and gray now, having already lost their foliage. There is an odd little grassy plant that grows in one section. it is a spiral of stems coming out from the root, looking like Don King's hair.


I read an article this morning about the benefits of hiking in the natural world. I have often thought that being urban, away from the natural world was harmful and now I have proof.

"The researchers noted that increased urbanization closely correlates with increased instances of depression and other mental illness. Taking the time to regularly remove ourselves from urban settings and spend more time in nature can greatly benefit our psychological (and physical) well-being."
Article By Alanna Ketler

Life is wonderful for artists.........

Tuesday, November 12, 2019




This morning I was out early on the trail. There are lots of interesting fungi growing on trees this time of year. I picked up a sample that was growing on a piece of pine bark, next to the trail. I have two small jar terrariums for moss on the window sills of my studio. I added this sample to one of the terrariums. I like to pick up interesting things off the trail to add to my collection. I recently found a tiny bird's nest near the trail. I saved it. There were no eggs but I found some made with clay that look completely natural and fit nicely in the nest. 

What is it that I love so much about trails? Especially owning the land they are cut through. There is a simple magic to them. I never know what new object I might find. A nest, foot prints that were not there yesterday, the bends and turns with mystery just beyond my vision. The caw of crows overhead, the piercing call of the hawk high above me. The rustle and crashing sound of the deer at the perimeter of my vision, racing away.

Some people love to shop, some love to chat in cafes, some are movie fans. I love the woods and fields like no other place. The fine old trees along the path, the tortoise dens dug deep under ground. The filtered light bouncing off the leaves, making patterns along the trail. The waves of grass across the fields of a lovely farm, speak deeply to me.

Artists have a wonderful life.....

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Plein Air Fun



I am making a bit of progress now with getting back outside to paint. Today is another beautiful day here in north Florida. When I arrived at my paint box there was a lovely doe in the woods. She flicked her white tail and bounded off into the sun. A beautiful sight indeed. 

Today I brought an 8x10 raw linen canvas. I prepared it with Golden glazing medium, which gave it a nice paint surface for acrylics. My palette was five colors, cad yellow lemon, Payne’s gray, titanium white, red iron oxide and ultramarine blue. Simple and easy to mix. 
The kiss rule always applies to my plein air work. 

I am always amazed by the plein air painters I see at events with cart loads of equipment. Tables, chairs, huge easels, lots of paint and brushes. They are basically moving their studio outside. I take a small paintbox with 6 colors, a couple of knives, three brushes, paper towel folded, a painting panel, tripod, water, hat. That is it. Everything fits in the box except the water and hat. I am a minimalist by nature, less is more.

I feel better about today’s effort. My muscle memory for paint box painting is starting to come back. Today I felt better in my own skin. It was no longer alien to me. Using the shade effectively, turning and moving the box as the sun changed was more natural today. Spending time on the trail is always the best part. Leaving my box set up and just bringing fresh water and a canvas is a fantastic way to paint out doors. There is a magic to painting your own land or land that you know and love so much, like Fair Oaks. 

Painters have a wonderful life....



Saturday, November 9, 2019



What a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I decided it was a good day to take my paint box out on the trail. I set up and brought along a tiny 4x4 inch canvas. My friend Diane Brody, kindly gave me these canvases, as she doesn’t like the tiny ones. She is a fine painter, using painting knives. 

I chose a spot along Deer Woods Trail with a portal of back light for today’s effort. I could feel the breeze, smell the good earth under my feet, and talk back to my friends the crows as they passed over my head, saying “un uh” to my work. Critics are everywhere! The light filtered in and out, and I repositioned my box a few times, to stay in the shade. 

I’m not a great plein air painter. I consider plein air work to be a study for larger studio work. It is not the painting for me, but the beauty of my surroundings, and learning that are of value. Surprisingly, some people really like the messes I make out in the field. 

After my painting session, I took a nice walk around the trail. The great thing about owning the land you paint on, is that I can leave my box out on the trail with a plastic bag tied over it. I can go out on the next day or so and paint again. 

Life is good for painters.....