About The Series - "The Everglades Passage"
600 years ago - in the late 15th century - mankind envisioned a sea route giving access from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean opening up a possible shorter trade route between Europe and Asia. Several explorers became obsessed in their quest to discover that passage through one of the last frontiers on Planet Earth - the pristine wilderness of The Arctic.

In June , 1903, a young Norwegian by the name of Roald Amundsen set sail from Oslo in his 47-ton, 75-foot sloop, the "Gjoa" and with his crew of six other brave seafaring men, headed west. For the next three years their quest took them from the Atlantic Ocean, through the Arctic Ocean, along the coast of North America via the waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Islands to Alaska. On August 17, 1905 they finally arrived in Cambridge Bay. Young Amundsen found his way to the nearest telegram office in the City of Eagle, Alaska and news of his feat was transmitted to the world ...
"The Northwest Passage" had become a reality - shaving off 4,000-miles
(2-weeks modern-day travel) from the previous route via the Panama Canal.

In June, 2008 - over a century later - a youngish (hhmmmm ??) American artist by the name of Riley Geddings set forth from the Gulf of Mexico on the Southwest Coast of Florida, with his trusty paint brush in hand, and headed east. For the next several months, Riley's quest will take him through one of the last frontiers on Planet Earth - the pristine wilderness of The Florida Everglades. Riley will paint his way via the Ten Thousand Islands to The Big Cypress National Preserve; The Everglades National Park; and eventually Key Largo at the entrance to The Florida Keys in Southeast Florida.

Riley's "The Everglades Passage" will become a reality - in the same way that
"The Northwest Passage" became a reality for Amundsen, a century ago.

Background About Big Cypress Preserve
This is my third and final scene from the "Big Cypress Preserve" area of the "Everglades National Park". The topography of "Big Cypress" is comprised of varied landscapes including vast primitive swamps, shallow wetlands and the unending plains of Sawgrass - originally called "Sedge", one of the oldest green plants on Planet Earth. The higher ground of these plains gives way to the lowlands with its lakes, ponds, and marshy swamps. Located within some of these pristine swamps one can still find a few ancient Great Bald Cypress Trees - some of which are 600-years/700-years old ... escapees of the lumberjacks ... located out-of-reach of the relentless harvesting of these majestic trees by present-day, dollar-hungry lumber barons. A few of these Great Bald Cypress Trees have a girth of 4 long-armed adults holding hands around the trunk of the tree ... imagine that !!

This Original Painting
The location of "# 5 - Cypress Marsh, Big Cypress Preserve" is a pristine swampy area where one can admire the majesty of a few Great Bald Cypress Trees emerging from the shallow waters of this lowland swamp. The short outstretched limbs of these ancient trees form a perfect home for some of Florida's typical flora - orchids and bromeliads. These magnificent trees form a perfect backdrop for this moment in time when this artist was fortunate to capture this rare sight. Wading along the edge of the Cypress head is a popular Florida bird, the Great White Heron, pursuing his daily hunt for nourishment. The floating water hyacinths in the foreground provide perfect shelter for the unsuspecting bream - the Heron's favorite food - and leads the viewer to the partly submerged fallen tree on the nearby opposite bank.

This fallen tree trunk is the favorite perch for one of The Everglades' rare birds who is just about to land and partake of his favorite food that he clenches in his beak. We speak of the endangered "Snail Kite Hawk" of which there are less than 1,000 still existing in the entire Everglades area. This rare member of the hawk family is relatively small (16"-18"), with a wingspan of 4-feet, weighing about 12-ounces. Contrary to the bird species per se where we find the males are ususally more beautiful and colorfully plumed than the females ... the "Snail Kite Hawk" is just the opposite ... the male is a solid blackish-blue color, whereas the female is vibrantly endowed with brown, beige and white multi-colored feathers. In addition to eating small rodents, crabs and turtles, the favorite food for this "Snail Kite Hawk" is how he got his/her name ... it is the whorled-shelled, golf-ball-sized "Apple Snail" which makes its home in the shallow waters of swamps in the Big Cypress Preserve. Judging from the number of empty snail shells on the ground surrounding the fallen tree trunk, one can assume that this bird is a successful hunter. Completing this painting, on the shores of this embankment leading to higher ground, are two Florida Cabbage Palms in the foreground, underneath which we see a few Sawgrass Palmettos.

One final thought/coment from we wildlife-loving conservationists (artist plus author) relates to the dire situation of The Florida Everglades in general ... and the "Snail Kite Hawk" and the "Apple Snail" in particular. Many moons ago, some of our forefathers, in their ignorance, had decided to control the natural ebb and flow of water through The Everglades by building floodgates, canals and re-routing natural rivers. Attempting to control the course that Nature had followed for millions and millions of years proved disastrous for Florida's wildlife - including the featured star of this painting and its food source. Several individual governmental agencies (still fighting each other) have now decided to attempt to rectify this disaster by seasonally closing the floodgates along the Tamiami Trail which stacks high water in nearly 90,000-acres of land north of the Trail and thus effectively drowning out tree islands and killing off this Snail - the Kite's primary source of food - and thus killing off this wonderful bird of prey. Developers continue to encroach on The Glades - house by house by unending house in the name of progress ..... lumber giants continue to harvest the Cypress Tree giants ..... it never ends ..... numbers are in a sickening free-fall from the compounded effects of all of this .....
Shame on you Uncle Sam !!

All that having been said .... let us continue our quest of
"The Everglades Passage" .... The destination for my sixth painting will include a moderate sunset .... "# 6 - Shark Valley, Everglades National Park".

Let the journey continue ...

This original Florida art - framed canvas-on-board was completed in August, 2008, and was signed by this artist, R.Geddings. This painting has a double application of professional-grade Acrylic Polymer Varnish to protect and to bring out the deep sheen of the colors as well ! It actually appears as if it were an oil painting !

Framed
This painting has been mounted in a new, solid wood frame which has been beautifully finished in 2 tones of dark and light Ivory with a gold inner bead ! Many of our clients appreciate receiving their paintings ready to hang - immediately !

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Price...........Original has been sold, SORRY !

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