Feast of Flowers part 1

Beginning a series

Big Passion 48”x60” oil on canvas 2012 collection of Ron and Hilah Autrey

During the year 2010, or there-a-bouts, The State of Florida put out a call-to-arts for artists of various media to create content supporting the five hundredth anniversary of the naming of Florida.

On March 1, 1513, or there-a-bouts, Ponce de Leon, a politician and itinerate explorer left Puerto Rico in search for a magical healing fountain. After being blown off course his expedition found itself in uncharted waters. On April 2 he put his spyglass to his eye and scanned the distant shoreline. It was Easter Sunday, Pascua Florida in Spanish. “Land ho, We’ll name it in honor of Easter Sunday.” Or so it goes. The english translation stuck. Feast of Flowers. Later the name was shortened to La Florida. As with most mythic events reality is subdued in favor of drama. Nevertheless somewhere along the way the Floridian peninsula was claimed for Spain.

And so it began. Estimates put the indigenous population of the sand bar at somewhere near a million people. The local population flourished in the subtropical paradise for nearly ten thousand years. The abundant natural springs and a wealth of available food sources made a land of easy living for the various native peoples.

When I started thinking about what I could produce as a working Florida artist I poured through books and images of my adopted state looking for a proper hook on which to hang a body of work. My concept was to mount an exhibition at a Florida museum entitled Feast of Flowers. This exhibition would provide a glimpse into the peninsula as it existed in pre colonial times.

I contacted Hope McMath, then director of The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens with a late-night proposal. A few weeks later the phone rang, “Jim?” It was Hope. “I’m in. let’s do this.” Weeks of negotiations coupled with dreams and plans left us with an exhibition plan. The show was scheduled to open in December of 2012. We all got to work.

Luckily my studio at the time was in the newly opened CoRK Arts District. I occupied 2500 square feet with nearly twenty foot ceilings. Plenty of room to create work in order to fill the Stein Gallery at the museum.

My studio assistant at the time was the energetic, visionary and immensely talented, Staci BuShea. “How in the Hell are we going to do this?” I was at the point of tears. “This is the biggest thing I’ve done. We have little to no money and time’s-a-wasting.”

Staci patted me on the arm. “Don’t worry, Jim, we will do this. Let’s start with a Kickstarter campaign.” I had no idea what she was talking about but we got busy.

“I also think we should do a book.” I watched Staci gulp hard with that statement. “Are you up for this?”

“I might have to quit my job waiting tables at Carmines Pizza.” Staci opened her eyes wide. “I’m all in.” And so it began. We went forward with the paintings and the book. In the planning stages we laid large pieces of brown paper on a table between us. We scratched and scribbled ideas for paintings and concepts for the book. The next year and a half became a blur. At one point I remember getting down to less than fifty dollars in my business account. I raided my personal account. Begged and borrowed from everyone I knew.

I looked at Staci fighting off the tears brought on by impending failure. “We have to believe we can do this.” Miraculously, a couple of painting sales came along and we were flush again. The Kickstarter campaign rendered almost fifteen thousand dollars. We were in business.

Tar Flower 48”x48” Oil on Canvas 2012

Jake and Pam Ingram were the first collectors of the paintings for the exhibition. “I’ll deliver it as soon as the exhibition comes down.” I said knowing their check was not only a life-saver but also a good shot-in-the-arm to cure my depression.

This is the first article in a series about the exhibition, the digital anthology and the community programs that followed this body of work.