Florida's wild hogs are often referred to as feral hogs or swine and are of three general types. These include free-ranging swine that come from domesticated stock, Eurasian wild boar, and hybrids of the two. Although technically, feral refers to free-ranging animals from domesticated stock, all wild hogs are typically referred to as feral in Florida and all are considered the same species, Sus scrofa.

https://www.floridiannature.com/Floridawildhogs.htm

Satchel Paige was the greatest baseball pitcher of the Negro Leagues and quite possibly the greatest pitcher ever. He became the oldest rookie ever in the major-leagues when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948 at age 42. They went on to win both the pennant and the World Series. Major League Baseball made Satchel Paige a legend in his own lifetime. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Satchel Paige was the first player to be inducted from the Negro leagues.  read more

The red fox has the appearance of a small dog and weighs from 10 to   15 pounds and measures up to 2 feet long with another foot for a bushy tail. The end of the tail is black, tipped with white. The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail usually with a distinctive white tip. The "red" tone can vary from dark chestnut to golden. Because the gray fox  frequently has quite a lot of red hair, it may be confused with the red fox. The red fox is   essentially a nocturnal animal, but it occasionally feeds during the day, and more at dawn and dusk.  read more

F

l ori

da is well known for its most famous reptile, the alligator. Alligators were once endangered but they are now listed as threatened, although it is hard to go to any source of freshwater in the state of Florida without spotting an alligator.  Lakes,  rivers , ponds and even retention areas are all filled with varying amounts of gators. They are also found in brackish waters, but not very often and certainly not to the extent of crocodiles, who prefer the brackish waters near the Everglades.

When Spanish settlers first saw the Alligator they named it " el lagarto ", meaning "the lizard". The Florida alligator is an ancient reptile that is only found in the Southeastern United States, from Texas to as far north as North Carolina. The only other species of alligator in the world is found in China, but that one is much smaller and very rare. read more

Not everyday is warm and sunny in Citrus County Florida. Sometimes we end up with some frozen oranges hanging on the trees. For my more information or to purchase this painting go to Michaelarnoldart.com

Steamboat on Withlacoochee is a 18" x 24" acrylic painting by Florida artist Michael Arnold. This painting reflects a time gone by for the Withlacoochee River that marks the borders of Citrus County. The painting can be purchased on our website or on Amazon and prints and novelty items can be purchased on Red Bubble .

A collection of artwork created by award winning Florida Artist Michael Arnold. "I enjoy many different styles including impressionism, pop art, abstract expressionism, naturalism, post-impressionism, art deco and contemporary. All of these styles influence my work, but do not define my style."I primarily work in acrylics, but have produced works in pastels, graphite, charcoal colored pencils and ink."Art for me is a creative release, therefore I have no boundaries in my work. I work on what moves me spiritually, visually and creatively."

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1731403828

“The Magic Tree” is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by artist Michael Arnold. This painting was inspired by a movie I was watching that had a very unique fig tree in it. I loved the way the tree seemed to have a life of its own and wanted to incorporate its unique shape into one of my paintings. I decided to go with a more whimsical look rather than realism. The painting can be purchased on our website: http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/Magic_Tree.htm

The lighthouse is an original, acrylic painting measuring 24 inches x 36 inches.

My first lighthouse painting inspired by the

master of maritime painting Ivan Aivazovsky. I started with a gray underpainting and layered thin glazes of paint over it.

It can be purchased on my website @ http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/lighthouse.htm

This painting was a gift to our daughter in law who is also a talented artist. Visit our website to see a full collection of our art for sale  www.michaelarnoldart.com

"Old Boots" is an original, signed acrylic painting on

canvas by Citrus County Florida Artist Michael Arnold.

I set out to paint from start to finish a work that copied how the old masters used to paint. They would first paint the entire painting in grisaille (black and white) and then layer thin glazes of paint over the top. Interestingly, many painters had their students do a lot of the grunt work on the grisaille portion and the masters would come along and lay down the color.

I began with a layer of sap green, then added burnt sienna in some areas. I then switched to cobalt blue to deepen the shadows. I worked some Hooker's green into the shadows as well and then came back with some yellow ochre and more burnt sienna. I added more blue and greens into the shoes on the right to get them to black, while I tried to get the shoes on the left to brown.You can purchase the original  painting on our website http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/shoes.html   

Prints and other items may be purchased at Fine Art America https://fineartamerica.com/featured/old-boots-michael-arnold.html

"The Swamp" original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

The Swamp is an abstract using acrylic over gold leaf. It was my first attempt at the process and I enjoyed it and will try to incorporate it into future paintings. I named this painting The Swamp because I think it gives off a reptilian feel. As a big Gator fan I consider the swamp to be a compliment to the piece.

You can see additional views and purchase this painting on our website:

http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/swamp.htm

"The Rooster" original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

I created this rooster after remodeling our kitchen. We were looking at French country decor and everything pointed to roosters and chickens. I created this piece by using the handle of my paintbrush instead of the traditional method of using the brush end. In the close up pictures you can see the lines made by the paintbrush handle. You can see additional views of this painting and purchase it on my website http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/rooster.htm

Steam Engine 519 is a gallery wrapped, acrylic painting measuring 45 3/4 inches x 34 1/2 inches.

I have been intrigued by the idea of painting a train and settled on a steam engine. I wanted to create a mood of the engine chugging along at night covered partially covered in steam. I enjoyed developing the various textures including smoke and metal.

This painting can be purchase at Michael Arnold Art.com, where you can also see additional views of this magnificent painting.

"Mother Nature" is an original signed acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold.

Mother Nature is my second attempt at this subject. The first one was given away as a present and at my wife's urging I decided to try to create a new painting with this theme. This is the first painting that I completed since my neck surgery in June 2017 and I am excited to able to paint once again.

For additional views or to purchase Mother Nature visit our website at http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/mother.htm

Girl with a cardinal is an original acrylic painting on canvas by award winning artist Michael Arnold. The painting displays a child sitting with some sunflowers and is joined by a cardinal. This original acrylic painting on canvas can be purchased on our website: http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/girlcardinal.htm

This is painting of jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter is an 18" x 24" original acrylic painting on canvas.

I have wanted to return to the subject of the saxophone in a painting for some time and hoped to this time include it being played. I also wanted to experiment with painting different surfaces - like metal and glass. My technique for this painting was to paint and underpainting using dark purple and white. 

Once I had my tones set and the underpainting completely finished. I glazed over the base painting with thin layers of paint. I used sap green, has a yellow, burnt sienna, Prussian blue and pyrrole red glazing to finish it out.

You can purchase Jazz Sax Player on our website and also view additional photos of this unique artwork.

I have been using a new process (for me anyway). It is one used frequently by the masters. You lay down a grisaille under painting and then glaze over it. I just finished one of old boots that turned out pretty well. This is the finished work.

I started a new one in a similar fashion. I chose a jazz/saxophonist as the subject matter and I hope to have him emerge from the darkness. I imagine him in a dark, smokey lounge belting out the tunes of the day.

I started by covering the entire 18x24 canvas in several coats of dark purple. I then sketched out the subject using a white pastel pencil.

 I then covered the background with a thin glaze of Prussian blue.

With a mixture of dark purple and titanium white I began to create a two-tone under painting.

More progress has been made on the under painting.

Pardon the variation in colors, I have been taking the photos in the closet without the flash. The dark background makes it tough to get a good read taking the photo outside or under fluorescent lighting

I wanted to give a big shout out to my daughter in law Megan for starting her online art gallery and working to become a full time artist. Megan's art is featured at her website The Den: Art & Photography by Megan Arnold. 

Her artwork is unique and refreshing and some of my favorites include:

Abstract Deer - a 16" x 20 " 2017 acrylic on

canvas painting by Florida Artist Megan Arnold. This artwork was

inspired by me trying to do something different and steeping out of

my comfort zone.

 

 "Voodoo Part Deux" - a 11" x 14" 2017

acrylic on canvas painting by Florida Artist Megan Arnold. This

artwork is the second installation of my Voodoo series. be sure to

check out Skull and

Hoodoo .

"Jelly" - a 16" x 20" 2017 acrylic on canvas painting

by Florida Artist Megan Arnold. This artwork is my first attempt at

a jellyfish and is part of my sea life collection. This piece is currently displayed at Waverly Florist in Crystal River and can be both viewed and bought there.

"At Peace" - a 2017 16 "x 20

" acrylic on canvas painting

by Florida Artist Megan Arnold. This artwork is a combination of

teals of dark grey.

"His Holiness" -  is

a 2017 acrylic on canvas painting by Florida Artist Megan Arnold.

This painting  of

Buddha is a

16" x 20" acrylic on canvas. No paint brushes were used, I finger

painted the entire painting. Lots of texture from heavy paint usage.

I was inspired to paint this thanks to constant curiosity with

Buddhism. And what better way to paint something so ethereal than

with your actual finger tips?

" Dorothy " is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by Citrus County

Florida artist Michael Arnold.

This acrylic 4-foot-by-3-foot painting is a closeup

view of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

I originally had it more like a sepia toned photo but

decided midway through to add color. In the movie, this was from the

black and white portion of the movie before they got to Oz and

everything turned to color. This is the fourth in a series of

Hollywood icons.

This artwork was created using acrylic paint on a high quality wrapped

canvas. Acrylic paint works very well on stretched canvas. When

purchasing artwork many people aren't sure what the difference is

between acrylic and oil paintings. The main difference between acrylics

and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to

blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying

aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in

other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast

evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the

use of acrylic retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or

glycerin-based additives.

This painting can be purchased on our website or on Amazon

Giotto

di Bondone , better known simply as Giotto, was an Italian painter and

architect from Florence. Giotto was described by Dante as the foremost

painter, displacing the elder Cimabue in fame and fortune. Posterity,

however, has seen Giotto in stronger terms, as the revolutionary who

altered the course of painting in Western Europe, striking out of the

Gothic and Byzantine styles towards the

Renaissance .

Giotto di Bondone studied both nature and the human body which he saw as

invested with great dignity, deep emotions, and humanity, and he placed

his human figures in free, albeit shallow, space. It is to the credit of

his contemporaries, artists and laymen alike, that Giotto di Bondone's

genius was recognized and accepted immediately. The old forms of art

gradually vanished, first from Florence and then from other Italian art

centers, to be replaced by new art forms from which there could be no

turning back.

Richard

Estes is an American painter best known for his photorealistic paintings

which generally consist of reflective, clean, and inanimate city and

geometric landscapes. Estes is regarded as one of the founders of the

international

photo-realist movement of the late

1960's, with painters such as Ralph Goings,

Chuck Close , and Duane Hanson. Their work

exhibits a high finish, fine details and an almost photographic fidelity

to reality.

 Richard Estes, in some ways, is like an urban

Andrew Wyeth . While Estes devotes his attention to newness and Wyeth

emphasizes weathered use, there is a similar minuteness of attention to

detail, texture and brushwork. Underlying each brilliant technique,

however, is emotional content of a differing kind of somewhat aloof,

stand-offishness in Estes, a melancholy sense of loss and the passing of

an era in Wyeth.

Richard Estes is the best of the Photo-Realists in terms of handling

paint, building forms and expressing himself in his work. There is mind

and emotion at work in Estes, though he would deny the latter quality.

His concern for visual observation is so acute, his awareness of

symbolic or emotional content apparently so minimal, that it might be

said of Estes, as it was of Monet, that "he is only an eye; but what an

eye." Estes has exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide. Richard

Estes's work can be found in public and private collections including

the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

in Washington D.C., the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of

Fine Art, both in New York City.

" The Kid " is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by Citrus County

Florida artist Michael Arnold .

This painting is from the publicity poster for the

1921 silent film "The Kid," written, directed and starring Charlie

Chaplin. The painting is 11.5 x 45.5 on canvas primed several times with

gesso and tinted with a gesso/cobalt blue as the final coat. I then used

layers of Prussian blue to paint the image. I utilized a watercolor

effect with liquid acrylic and water mixed with the blue.

This artwork was created using acrylic paint on a high quality wrapped

canvas. Acrylic paint works very well on stretched canvas. When

purchasing artwork many people aren't sure what the difference is

between acrylic and oil paintings. The main difference between acrylics

and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to

blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying

aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in

other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast

evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the

use of acrylic retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or

glycerin-based additives.

Purchase on Amazon 

$200

"Paul Newman" is an original, signed acrylic painting on canvas by Citrus County

Florida artist Michael Arnold. 

This painting is the first in a series of Hollywood Legends paintings I plan to work on. This is a painting of Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe in the film Howard Hawks film The Big Sleep. It is painted in acrylics using three colors - cobalt blue, burnt sienna and yellow ochre. I also used a little titanium white. I built the canvas 3-foot by 4-foot and stretched gessoed canvas over it. I prepped the canvas using gesso tinted with burnt sienna. I had a lot of fun and the painting went pretty quick. I used loose strokes, which gives the painting a lot of texture when viewed closeup. Once you step back 10-15 feet, the painting takes on a whole new look.

This original acrylic painting by award winning artist Michael Arnold is

on a quality canvas. The sides are  painted and it does not need to

be hung with a frame. Each Michael Arnold painting is an original

one of a kind signed piece of art and comes with a certificate of

authenticity.

This artwork was created using acrylic paint on a high quality wrapped

canvas. Acrylic paint works very well on stretched canvas. When

purchasing artwork many people aren't sure what the difference is

between acrylic and oil paintings. The main difference between acrylics

and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to

blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying

aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in

other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast

evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the

use of acrylic retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or

glycerin-based additives.