Friday, June 19, 2015

Cabbage Palms

Cabbage Palms, 8x10" oil, plein air, ©Diane Mannion

Heatstrokes

Painted with the Heatstrokes yesterday at Manasota Key Beach.  Fine HOT weather!  But we didn't mind while standing in the shade with a sea breeze coming in from the Gulf.  Folks were toasting right out in the sun, turning colorful shades of pink to scarlet orange. 

Another study for a larger painting.  Now that I know my plein air sketches are simply a way of gathering information, I feel less pressure about finishing on location.  A lot more fun!  Happy with this one.  Focused on color, light flow and composition.

Historical notes from Wikipedia: (also, an alert FB friend said they are a favorite food of bears.)
The cabbage-like terminal bud has been eaten as hearts of palm. The bristles on the sheaths of young leaves have been made into scrubbing brushes. The trunks have been used as wharf piles. On June 28, 1776, Charleston patriots under William Moultrie made a fort of palmetto trunks and from it defended successfully against the British in the Revolutionary War.[13]

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