Orangewood

In 1992, my life as a fifth generation farmer began to unravel; at that time we were farming approximately 250 acres of citrus. Winter of 1992, within months of the passing of U.S./Mexico pre-NAFTA trade agreement, the Florida citrus market collapsed. This resulted in an 87% loss of income for us. Our family farm debt totaled approximately $987,000 (yes, that’s true). Suddenly we had virtually no income. But wait, there’s more; my husband asked for a divorce.

I discussed with my children (then 7 & 18) the serious implications of our situation, but most importantly, the profound opportunity providence had placed before us to stand for what we believe in; to call to task our morals, values and principles; and to be worthy stewards of our land; 80 acres which included 200-year old oak trees, our beautiful home and citrus groves.  

I developed a plan of action & made a deal with my husband; we would separate, holding off the nightmare legality of divorce for awhile and I would take all of the debt and a portion of the property and embark on a vision quest to turn these circumstances around. I kept reminding myself that “it was only the zeros,” and that I would work just as hard to solve a $10,000 problem.

The Vision Quest: (Or: Into the Belly of the Beast) (Or: Can I Save My Soul?)

A very wise and experienced friend gave me four pieces of advice before I committed to my plan: (1) Fasten your seatbelt, this will take at least 6 years; (2) Don’t start drinking; (3) Steel yourself and prepare to experience terror, self-doubt, loss of faith, etc.; (4) But, if you have clear vision and if you focus everything you do on that vision, then all that you need to accomplish your goal, including the economics, will be a natural occurrence. That advice has proven accurate.

From my files, I resurrected a concept I had been developing on and off for about 15 years. In the light of my circumstances, it was a possibility, albeit remote, that this vision might save us. The concept is a prototypical community; a model for urban development, renewal and conservation with master-planned overlays of arts, culture and academics. Within a short time, “Orangewood” was born.

The Buried Treasures: (Or Answer the Call of a Higher Destiny) (Or The Total Surprise)

As a child, I felt that I would be a painter when I grew up. Over the years, I put aside my paint brushes and developed a career in architectural design. During this time of no income and enormous debt, Fate literally leaned a canvas against a tree in front of me. I took it home, and picked up a paint brush for the first time in 28 years. Since that day, I have painted 70 large painting. I painted for my life, because of my life, and in spite of my life. And the paintings are powerful.  

During this same time period, I had the opportunity to co-write a screenplay with writer Greg Nye. The screenplay, “Up From the Sky,” was one of ten finalists in the 1994 Sundance Writers Competition and a finalists in the Writers Guild of America Members Competition in 1997.

Full Circle: (Or Endings and Beginnings) (Or A Sea Change)

In October 2000, I was able to pay over a million dollars of my debt. 

On March 8, 2002, “She” was performed at Sainer Pavilion, New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida. “She” is a musical and dramatic performance inspired by my paintings and featuring the original music of singer/songwriter Kat White Star. “She” was born of the idea of showing my art in the venue of a traveling performance. The vision is based on the premise of visual art as inspiration for and on stage with performing artists. Jesse Deerwomon is the producer and director of the collaborative and improvisational score. Together, we have created a program named “Sideshow Sarasota” as a vehicle for the concept.

circa 2004, fruitofthepoisontree.com