Aiming to capture the glorious effect of early morning sunlight in the maritime forest along North End Road, I set up my easel early and began what turned out to be one of the more challenging paintings I have done on the island. In this scene, the interior of the forest is flooded by sunlight streaming in from the open marsh immediately to the east. The resulting jigsaw puzzle of partially backlit and silhouetted maritime vegetation—especially palmetto fronds—demanded my extra attention and time before they would become convincing elements on the canvas. As much as I wanted to paint this work entirely on location, the briefness of sunrise and the complexity of the subject matter required me to complete it in the studio.
Begun on location August 2, 2012, but painted mainly in the studio the following October, Sunlit Forest now hangs in the museum room of LSSI’s hunting lodge.
The location of the viewpoint is a few yards off of North End Road near its intersection with Myrtle Pond Road. (Google Maps: 31.27605, -81.29639).
Exhibition History
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The Wild Treasury of Nature: A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island
February 20 - May 22, 2016
Morris Museum of Art
Augusta, Georgia
July 9 - September 11, 2016
Marietta Cobb Museum of Art
Marietta, Georgia
Publication History
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The Wild Treasury of Nature: A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island
Published in conjunction with Philip’s 2016 exhibition at the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia, and the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, Georgia. Contributors include: Philip Juras, essay and artwork; Wendy Paulson, foreword; Kevin Grogan, introduction; Dorinda Dallmeyer, essay; and Janice Simon, essay. Published by the University of Georgia Press, 2016.
