I don’t know how far south in the U.S. Bald Cypress trees grow. I know you’re not going to find one growing in Minnesota. My first experience with this type of tree was at Lake Botankus, a North Carolina lake my parents used to fish. I had a photography assignment in college to do a series of slides, so I went with them one day to one of their favorite fishing holes. It was maybe my first and only photo assignment in color. Remember slides? Remember carousel slide projectors? It’s odd now to think that at one time those obsolete gadgets represented new technology.

Many Bald Cypress grow in and near the water. They’re the species of trees most associated with Southern swamps. Although there weren’t any visible at this location, the trees are also known for their “knees”, readily available wood-etched or assembled as lamps at many kitschy souvenir shops in Florida.

The strong verticals in this scene are what most struck and inspired me. And how often for subject matter does an artist stumble across trees growing in water? To me, painting these trunks and their reflections was a no-brainer. See below “Threes”, the second painting I did on this late spring excursion.


“Threes”
11 x 14" oil on panel