The Everglades at sunrise is a blessing for all who dare to show up. It is now almost summer, so the bugs are out and it gets hot fast. The magic is over in about one hour. Show up, set up the easel, and paint color notes of the experience. Completion of the painting depends on the memory of light.

The Everglades at sunrise is an epic drama that lights up the river of grass. As the sun rises in the east, it dapples the tips of the sawgrass. This opus lasts only a few minutes – pay attention because it is over in a flash. Painting au Plein air is the only way to capture the color notes in this performance. Then I complete the painting in my studio from memory.

The light at the beginning and end of each day is spectacular. As the earth turns, the spectrum splits into complementary color mixtures. Complements are opposite colors on the color wheel. The light creates beautiful neutral clouds that change every 30 seconds. You cannot photograph this experience, You have to remember it.

I live between The Everglades at sunrise and the Atlantic ocean (above and below the surface). I am blessed to show up for incredible light displays. The Everglades at sunrise and sunset and the Atlantic ocean (anytime) make me appreciate mother nature. I compare my community to the light at the bookends of the day. Our international community is a spectrum of culture, language and experience.

Our diversity is like the color wheel – we often come from opposite places and mindsets. The mixture of opposites results in the most interesting neutrals. The FAÇeADE Project explores the human complement through portraiture. Check out these visual biographies. Painting people from life is au Plein air of the soul.