Cord Grass Hammock

Pastel on sanded Arches, 15x11

Plein air painting at Castaway Island Preserve, Jacksonville.

At some time in the past a small channel was dug through the salt marsh, and some of the piles of sand beside the channel have become small islands dominated by marsh grass and small cedar trees.  This painting is one of those small “hammock” that dot the Castaway Island marsh.

When I started this painting, the tide was full.  The sea breeze ruffled the water keeping the reflections indistinct but filled with color.  The cord grass is just starting to show the green of summer, but the spartina in the background has already turned to its summer colors.

After I got home and looked at the painting on my easel, I decided to add the hint of the cedar trunk on the right in order to tie the trees into the foreground.