Greenville Cypress Preserve: Evolution of a Painting
When I sent an informal survey asking people about third places, one of the responses was the Greenville Cypress Preserve, a 16-acre ecosystem right in town that has a couple miles of public walking trails.
If you’re not lucky enough to have visited a cypress swamp yet, allow me to elaborate. Mississippi has over 130 cypress swamps dotted throughout the landscape. These magical swamps provide refuge to large animal populations, as well as sites of eco-tourism for hikers and paddlers and fisherfolk.
Magical in their own right, many of these ancient Mississippi cypress trees are over 1000 years old. They are super trees: they trap pollutants; suck up floodwaters (up to hundreds of gallons a day per tree); are rot and pest-resistant; house black bears in their hollow cavities; and provide good living for alligators, amphibians, waterfowl, and raptors.
Greenville’s Cypress Preserve exists because of the fortitude and dedication of the Greenville Garden Club. Back in the 1930’s these visionary ladies began fundraising to purchase this plot of land, and maintained it until 2002 when the Greenville Cypress Preserve Trust was formed.
According to the Trust, “The preserve continues to grow in popularity among area residents. Since the completion of the boardwalks and trails, numerous visitors can be seen walking or jogging the trails as a part of their daily exercise routine.
It has become a favorite spot for local and visiting photographers and birders alike, and the addition of the benches and the observation deck enhances the preserve as a place to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the area.”
Enjoy the in-progress video. One of the most fun, and most challenging (and most important) aspects I was trying to capture was the dappled sunlight. Lots of marks, lots of color and value contrast.