Florida: Dynamic Artist Capital

It is not surprising that Florida is considered a haven for artists of all mediums. One doesn't need an artist's eye to simply look up and notice the puffy white clouds unique to the sunshine state; clouds that look as if Monet himself reached up to paint the sky. The light in Florida is surreal at times, sun-drenched and casting of shadows throughout the trees, a rainy day abruptly interrupted by a break in the clouds by streams of yellow sunshine, oft times followed by a glorious rainbow.

The unique flora and fauna in Florida inspires an artist to want to paint, and inspiration is as easy to come across by simply stepping out one's front door. The trees are scaly and prehistoric looking, overgrown palms shoot up to the sky bending to the sun and ocean, century old oak trees with Spanish moss are scattered about in central and on east coast Florida, the waters and marine life are glorious shades of blue and emerald green.

Here are the artists from folk art to fine art that have contributed their skill and added to the richness of what has become known as "Florida art."

The Highwaymen

I first wrote about the Highwaymen artists in my 2002 book Antiquing in Florida, and various articles at Associated Content and online since 2007. Since the 1950's, this group of African American artists from Ft. Pierce Florida have painted and continue to paint glorious landscapes depicting Florida's natural and beautiful past in the form of what is called landscape art. Their location on the east coast along the Indian River banks, ocean and marsh areas were the perfect inspiration to "fast paint," and produce affordable works that could easily be marketed by car and on foot door to door, since they were not welcomed to sell in galleries due to the prejudices of the time. The Highwaymen artists have since been inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Purvis Young

Master contemporary abstract artist Purvis Young is one of the most celebrated living contemporary artists, that goes beyond the label of Florida artist. His works fetch quite a bit of money, and are stunning depictions of life as he saw and continues to see it in the underbelly of Miami's city streets. He uses symbols, stick figures and horses, among other forms of expression to create art projecting uprising from an oppressive life, and race relations as well.

A.E. Bean Backus

A.E. Bean or "Beanie" Backus, as he was known to his friends, was a famous Florida landscape artist, one of the most famous, who was also famous in his time, and taught the first Highwaymen artists Alfred Hair and Harold Newton his technique for painting with a palette knife. The Highwaymen artists used the Backus technique, yet put a spin on it, to create works quickly to sell, whereas Backus; who had the advantage and could sell in galleries, took his time and created more of a fine art form. The Highwaymen, depending on the artist, created a more folk art type of landscape, though some of the works were done slowly and are considered fine art in general. There are some second generation Highwaymen artists such as R.A. McClendon Jr. who paints fine art Florida landscapes to this day. His father's works are quite fine as well.

Backus had a studio on lush grounds in Ft. Pierce, and he taught art, known as the "BackusSchool." His students differentiated between professional and non-professional types alike, and he had a community of friends that were his students, and an overall interesting life in Florida. He also painted pictures of Jamaica and its people, though his Florida landscapes are most well-known. Backus was influenced by Monet, and one can see looking at his work, the puffy white clouds-his trademark, which the highwaymen artists emulated most skillfully.