Crystal River

John and I brought four value paintings to an easily readable level, and we began another black and white drawing on of exterior of one of his class folders. It was time for use to add colors, but also time for me to leave town. I seem to have wooed John into coming to Jacksonville after he wrapped up some obligations he had in Miami, tentatively two or three months worth of obligations. I am thrilled to have aonther potential collaborator of such high caliber whom I can work well with. I packed two of our value paintings (watercolor paintings) to work on in his absence, with the idea that I might ship him the paintings with new developments once I've had some time in the studio with them. He expressed wanting to do the same with the two paintings of his, to keep our exchange going.

I drove north to my parent's house in Crystal River, where I was greeted warmly by my mother, father, and their two wonderful dogs, Mandy and Mac. Although I have never lived in their new home (new as in their moving in three years ago), it is beginning to feel more like home than before. It is always a place where I can rest, wash, and not worry about creating anything. Invariably though, after a day or two, I become consumed by the urge to create. The love in the home, the beauty of the southern landscape, and the solitude are enough to jumpstart a big project within my imagination. I often try to curb it by making small drawings, which I can finish in one sitting, but with the tools and time alloted, I tend to make small projects into larger ones, for sake of keeping my hands busy, or something. My sleep schedule usually begins to bend into the late hours. It is a marvelous place. 

I took the dogs on a wonderful morning walk as the sun began to rise, diffused by miles of fog- that is, the sun rose like a soft light growing in intensity. It was nearly three hours after the first sign of light that I could detect even the faintest qualification of hard light and shadow. I took many photos with my relatively new camera and was delighted with some of the images I captured of the dogs. I also took many shots which I intend to use as reference for illustrative works. 

I invited my best friend, Sarah, to come down to Crystal River to join in on the atmosphere. My parents left this morning to visit my sister in Panama City, and Sarah arrived shortly thereafter. My beautiful grandmother, Donna, arrived as well with her little dog, Trixie. Sarah and I went for a walk down a lovely trail along the Rainbow River. As the sun set we observed hundreds if not thousands of fireflies along the trails' edge blinking their messages to one another. 

Tomorrow, Sarah and I plan to go Kayaking.