About Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Thirty tyears ago, I moved from New England to South Florida.  Everything about the natural landscape was alien to me.  My response was immediate and visceral.  I fell in love!

The Everglades has a story to tell.  The forms of the palms, water and skies are ancient and familiar—but their composition, light, and colors are unique to each day. I do not want to merely recreate the images, but to integrate their specialness into moments of lasting memory. The horizontal and vertical aspects of the forms within the Everglades intrigue me. Compositional balance and color harmony are important to me.  The light source is another important aspect to be examined and explored. 

My Everglades paintings are most often created on a fabric support--canvas, linen, or archival hardboard.  I most always use acrylic paint. The quick drying, forgiving nature of acrylic allows me to build and trim the forms until I’m satisfied.  It takes many layers of paint on and around the images to give them depth and the rich breath of the life they deserve.

The Everglades is one of the important systems that make our world healthy.  It’s a nursery to the Gulf and to the Atlantic and it's slowly moving water creates food for birds, insects and mammals.  It's a prickly but fragile land filled with biting and stinging things, telling us humans to beware.  But when the sun comes out from behind some magnificent clouds, my heart beats just for the purpose of making a painting.  

I hope my paintings of this landscape will bring the joy of nature into your home.    

Jo-Ann Sanborn

Marco Island, FL