Stillness On The Tomoka, Florida Oil Landscape of Palms, River, Egret by Judy Batterson

On the Florida east coast, the Tomoka River is a pristine wilderness river. I was asked by a friend who grew up there to capture this in a painting . I did site visits, sketches and took photos. There was such a sense of peace with the gentle flow of the river. Some areas had dense mangroves, palms and underbrush. Other mangroves opened up to the sky, allowing sunlight to reflect off of the water. A white egret stood out against the dark water while birds flew overhead. This river is "old Florida" appreciated by nature lovers everywhere. The commissioned 24 x 36" original oil is sold, but giclees are available ($425).

Stillness On The Tomoka, Florida Oil Landscape of Palms, River, Egret by Judy Batterson in a painting sequence.

The finished painting!! This is the sixth photo in a sequence of a painting of the Tomoka River. It is now complete with the foreground of an egret and large trees. The highlights of the palms are finished as well as the birds flying in the distance. The river twists and turns among the mangroves with the sun reflecting in the water. This is natural, untouched "old Florida". For more Florida oil landscapes, go to www.judybatterson.com.

Stillness On The Tomoka, Florida Oil Landscape of Palms, River, Egret by Judy Batterson in a painting sequence.

This is the 5th photo of a painting sequence of the Tomoka River. The next photo will be the finished work. Now the highlights are painted over the shadows, the reflections in the water are painted, and the tops of the palm trees are established. The light source is from the right side of the painting. Next, the foreground will be painted to complete the landscape. Stay tuned! For more Florida oil landscapes, go to www.judybatterson.com.

Stillness On The Tomoka, Florida Oil Landscape of Palms, River, Egret by Judy Batterson in a painting sequence.

This photo is the fourth one in a sequence of a painting of the Tomoka River. After starting with the background, now the foreground and underbrush along the riverbanks are painted using a stiff bristle brush to achieve the effect of foliage. These dark areas form the shadows before the highlights are painted in. For more Florida landscapes, go to www.judybatterson.com

Stillness On The Tomoka, Florida Oil Landscape of Palms, River, Egret by Judy Batterson in a painting sequence.

This is the second sequence of a painting of the Tomoka River. I paint in layers, building the darks and lights. The details don't happen until the very end, often after 10 to 12 layers. In this layer, after first painting some guidelines for the composition, I start to gently fill in some color masses to form shapes. I use my on site photos and sketches of the Tomoka as references. I also found a 1905 photo of the Tomoka River which shows that it has not changed much. It is still a pristine Florida wilderness river that is beautiful. For more Florida landscapes, go to www.judybatterson.com