Wekiva Paint Out

Wekiva River Spring
24x36 inches
acrylic on wood panel
See at the Florida Museum of Natural history through May 2010

See my paintings HERE

Newest Press Release

For more information or to obtain a photo of Linda Blondheim, e-mail: skcarey1@gmail.com

Feb. 15, 2010


Noted Southern landscape artist to paint at Wekiva State Park March 1-6

GAINESVILLE – Southern landscape artist Linda Blondheim will return to one of her favorite painting spots at the upcoming Wekiva Paint Out, scheduled March 1-6. Artists paint in and around Wekiva State Park, including the Wekiva Island and throughout the Wekiva River Basin.

This is Blondheim's fourth consecutive year at the invitational event, which she says is her very favorite of all the paint-outs she participates in.
“I have never missed one,” she said. “I feel that I come home each year when I arrive, unpack the car and go out with my paint box each morning. This paint-out is unique because it is the only one that allows the painters to live together in cabins on-site for the entire week.”


Blondheim said the housing arrangements and free range artists are given to the park, the river and Wekiva Island (formerly known as Wekiva Marina) during their stay leads to an immersion experience unlike any other.


“The hospitality for the artists is first class,” she said. “We are pampered by the event director, the staff at the paint-out and by the owners of Wekiva Island. They bring in a pontoon boat with a captain who takes us out on the river to paint each day. We can paint wherever we wish to and on our own schedule.”
Artists are provided with meals each day, so there is no need for them to cook, Blondheim said, adding that the camaraderie among participating artists is both stimulating and fun.


“The park is absolutely beautiful and the river is wild and pristine, with many beautiful birds, reptiles and otters in full view,” she said.


Widely renowned for her Southern landscapes, Blondheim is respected by patrons and fellow artists alike for her commitment to land and water conservation in Florida as well as her refined painting skills. Always original, always exciting, Blondheim's work makes thoughtful and interpretive use of color and composition and reflects her deep familiarity with “Old Florida” scenery as well as other venues in North Carolina and the Deep South.


Her landscape scenes range from public and privately owned pastures and farm fields that remain home to livestock and horses in the region, to coastal marshlands and pristine ocean and rivers. Blondheim's work captures Florida's rich agricultural history as well as its entrenched reputation as a tropical haven for visitors from Northern climates.
Much of Blondheim's subject matter is captured off the beaten path and resonates with both Florida natives and others who have come to call Florida home.
Visitors to the paint-out will have the opportunity to purchase an original Blondheim work of art at a reasonable price, but also to feel good knowing proceeds from all paint-out sales will go to the Friends of the Wekiva River organization to better preserve and maintain the quality of the river and the state park.


Artists will be painting daily, from Monday, March 1 through Saturday, March 6, with most beginning at first light and painting until sunset. Finished artwork will be available to view and purchase in the Wekiva Island Wetroom/Art Gallery, which is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. To 6 p.m. And from 10 a.m. To 4 p.m. On Saturday.


Wekiva Island is located at 1014 Miami Springs Road in Longwood. Turn off Wekiva Springs Road and onto Miami Springs Road, which is the north side of the intersection with Hunt Club Blvd. And Wekiva Springs Road.
In these times, more and more people are choosing “staycations” over more expensive travel opportunities, opting to stay home and enjoy their own environments in more creative ways. What better way to support state land and wildlife conservation efforts, invest in original art, buy American and support a local artist than to nest at home with your favorite landscapes captured in an original Blondheim painting?


To learn more about Blondheim and see images of her work, go to www.lindablondheim.com.
To learn more about the Friends of the Wekiva River organization, visit www.friendsofwekiva.org.
For more information about the Wekiva paint-out, go to www.wekivapaintout.com.
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