In June 2016 I went to my 30th High School reunion in
Defuniak Springs, Florida. It’s the
first time I’ve been able to spent any appreciable time there since 1992 and it was good to be home. The first night of the reunion we had a
bonfire on the beach. Driving to it (Defuniak
is 40 miles from the Gulf of Mexico…) I noticed all the development that had
taken place; some good, some bad. There was a public beach access spot near the bonfire location nestled amongst condominiums to the left and right. In the 1970’s as kid, I remember going with my parents to see my
grandparents. We’d drive along Highway
98 and from the point we left Destin to nearly Panama City we could travel miles and miles without seeing any development; just coast
grasslands, scrubby flatwoods and pine forest. Now it is nearly all concrete and metal, car
horns and mini-marts.
Prior to the trip I had just finished reading “The Swamp:
The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise.” As a misplaced Floridian I keep up with the politics, history and goings-on of the State. The book detailed the effects of development on
South Florida (and Florida as a whole) and the attempt to drain the Everglades.
The damage done to nature by Florida’s development engine really became
apparent on my journey home. Places I
used to surf; I couldn’t get to. Fields
I remember seeing were gone; built over or paved. What we are seeing is a universal tale; the
struggle between man and nature, the power of pride and the price of hubris.
I had been invited to take part in a group show with a theme of "prohibited" before I left. With the changes I'd seen an idea started to germinate. A bird had to be in it as that’s my “thang.” I needed the right bird to capture what I’d
read about and seen. The Florida
Grasshopper Sparrow is one of the most endangered birds in the US and has been
left isolated around the Everglades.
It’s been prohibited from its natural habitat by development and its effect
upon the Everglades.
Along with the coastal development there have arisen disputes
over who owns the beach. I saw it epitomized by signs...no trespassing,
no public beach access, etc. I’m of
the opinion the beach should be public domain from the high tide line to the
water, but honestly it should be public domain for nearly 1000 yards from
the water to preserve the beach ecosystem. I decided to use a “No Public Beach Access”
sign. It's something my 16-year old, beachcomber self would readily ignore.
I recently started using old maps as a
background for my paintings and paring them with the right birds in a
series I’m calling Maps & Legends.
This one is anchored by a map of Florida. Maps trigger the memory of a
place long lost but still crystal clear; a grandfather's yarn beginning with
"I remember when my Daddy and I used to go…"
Birds
have ingrained memory being able to return to their breeding grounds or winter
ranges year after year. Due to habitat loss they are experiencing more and more
of what would be our version of "remember when there used to be…" As
the climate changes and unmanaged development continues, wildlife is pushed
to margins of existence. These paintings might mark an unfortunate place
on the map for "remember when we used to see..."
The
piece is named “That Side Was Made for You and Me.” It’s from “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody
Guthrie. The song has the following
stanza that sums it up:
As I
went walking I saw a sign there
And on
the sign it said “No Trespassing.”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing,
That land was made for you and me.
That land was made for you and me.
