[By Margaret Barlow · Images courtesy of Christopher Still ]

The Art of Christopher Still

Florida painter Christopher Still will be lending a detail from his painting, "In Ages Past," for the commemorative poster marking 2005 Florida Heritage Month. Still is a native Floridian who received a full scholarship, through a national competition, to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, a European Travel Fellowship, and the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for outstanding accomplishment in Fine Art. In 1986, Still returned to Tampa Bay to explore his home state through his art with "the new eyes" he says he received through his education. In 1998 he received the commission for the official portrait of Governor Chiles, which was completed and unveiled just a few months before the governor's death in 1999. In November of that year, the Florida House of Representatives commissioned Still to create eight paintings for the House Chamber. The first was installed in February 2000, and the last in November 2001. The depth and breadth of his training is evident in the Florida House Chamber series, where he brings together influences and techniques such as Italian wall-fresco painting, symbolic Dutch still lifes, and American-style realism. His meticulous craftsmanship and mastery of "classic" (time-consuming and time-honored) technical processes are evident in each finished work.

In Ages Past, some of Florida's earliest inhabitants come to life

What the artist began as a mission to tell Florida's story through "beautiful landscapes," he completed as a remarkable series of grand history paintings. Eight large (10 ½' by 4') subjects depict the state's history unfolding against a backdrop of familiar land and seascapes. The opening scene shows a coastline peopled with Florida's early dwellers just before their paradise changes forever, as a European ship hovers on the horizon. Other paintings focus on the Spanish incursion, territory and statehood, settlement and the Seminoles, Civil War, the flowering of tourism, and Florida's development into today's populous, prosperous state. Ending on a hopeful note, children point toward the future. Among the many "connections" Still wove into the series, is "a progression in the paintings, with the sun rising and setting. The light of day advances as it would over two days."

Reflecting On Ocean Pond, the Civil War Battle of Olustee and the importance of Florida cattle in feeding the Confederacy

The artist did extensive research for each painting, meeting with experts around the state and visiting dozens of museums and collections to learn and sketch. Faithful to the smallest detail, he borrowed historic costumes and artifacts, and sought out authentic replicas. Some figures, particularly Osceola and Andrew Jackson, were especially challenging, Still says. "Both were inspired by well-known, earlier images of these famous men. But to convey my ideas for these paintings, I wanted their poses and expressions to be original, in Osceola's case, a little angrier."

The Legislative Research Center & Museum in Tallahasssee has recently published Our Florida Legacy - Land, Legend & Leadership- a book and DVD featuring Stills' House Chamber Murals.

A New Age, Florida's future rests with its natural and human resources