Greetings from Biscayne National Park

Growing up in New York City, I developed an early appreciation for the local park, Forest Park, in Queens. Famed landscape architect and Central Park creator Frederick Olmsted designed Forest Park’s main drive on the eastern side of the park. It was there that I first sketched en plein air (in the open air), and attended a private art school called, “The Forest Park School of Art.” After relocating to South Florida, I raised a family and traveled a bit, exposing our children to many national parks during winter breaks and summer vacations, whenever possible. Twelve years ago I opened a studio at ArtSouth, an artist community between Biscayne and Everglades National Parks, in Homestead, Florida. At ArtSouth and Biscayne National Park, I created my first national park-inspired paintings. The color of the Biscayne landscape is both intense and unforgettable. In 2003 Park Rangers Gary Bremen and Michelle Clark inspired me to begin my National Park Artist-in-Residence quest. Since then, I have been invited to paint and reside at eleven national parks. I will celebrate the Centennial at Biscayne National Park this November 2015 through January 2016 with a solo retrospective exhibition highlighting all the parks I have captured on canvas! A tandem show is also scheduled for November 2015 at Big Cypress National Preserve.

Sincerely,
Patricia Rottino Cummins

Biscayne National Park

Located just a few miles from the city of Miami, Biscayne is the largest marine park in the National Park System and preserves the diverse marine environment where the Atlantic Ocean meets Biscayne Bay. The park features a variety of plant and animal life both above and below the water's surface, including the longest stretch of mangrove forest remaining on Florida's east coast and part of the only living tropical coral reef system in the continental United States.

State(s): Florida

Established: 1968

“They have been my inspiration keep on painting!”

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