Florida's Cattle Ranches, I'm a Florida Cracker

Produce at the Wood Swink Store
8x10 inches
oil on panel
"MAKE AN OFFER"

This week's Make an Offer painting was done during the Heart of Florida Paint out earlier this year. It was cold outside so a group of us set up our easels in the store to paint Freddie's produce. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.

Offers for the painting must be at least 10.00 and you must pay a 4.00 shipping fee and .0625% Florida sales tax if you are a Florida resident. Send offers to lindablondheim@gmail.com an put OFFER in the subject line.

Current High Offer on the above painting is $55.00.




Here is my latest Florida Farms and Ranches painting.

Palms at Florida Cattle Ranch
20x24 inches
oil on Birch Panel
Wired and ready to hang, unframed.
1600.00
shipping 95.00 or pick up at my studio.
Purchase HERE

Many people think that cattle ranches always look like Montana or Colorado. Here in Florida, we have a variety of flora and fauna on our ranches. North central Florida has stately old Live Oaks with Spanish Moss dripping off them and rolling hills. In south Florida, there are vast cattle ranches with tall graceful exotic palms and tall grasses instead. In North West Florida there are majestic old pines in the landscape. All of these ranches are beautiful and exciting to me and I'd love to be able to paint them all. If you own a cattle ranch or horse farm in Florida, or know of one that the owners would allow me to paint and photograph, please email me at: lindablondheim@gmail.com

I'm a real Florida Cracker. There aren't so many of us left these days. I was born in Gainesville and grew up there. My Mother's people are from the White Springs and Lake City area. In fact, my ancestors came to Lake City in a covered wagon, long ago. They established a little community called Falling Creek and built a church there, which is still used once a month today. An itinerant Pastor comes for the service. The graveyard has the graves of Confederate soldiers who were killed in the battle of Olusti near Lake City. They used to have reenactments of the battle and I imagine they still do. The family still owns the old home, which was a Cracker house with a dog trot between the kitchen and the rest of the house.

My mother was born in White Springs Florida, a very interesting old town adjacent to the Stephen Foster State Park on the Suwanee River. Her grandparents owned a store and a boarding house. I have painted in that park many times and at one time did demonstrations there.

It is well worth the drive to visit the beautiful park and see the old town, an artist community of sorts.