Painter A. E. Backus (1906 1990) portrayed an unspoiled Florida that has made his paintings synonymous with the state: backcountry terrain is often described as Backus landscape, emotive clouds as Backus sky, and translucent waves as Backus water. As more and more of the state s wilderness is lost to development, Backus s paintings emerge as poetic testaments of Florida s lost paradise. Defining his artistic roots as part Cracker and part Monet, Backus was drawn to tropical nature as defined by light, which he rendered using complementary colors. His avant-garde use of a palette knife to create entire compositions produced paintings that combined a sensitive observation of nature with gestural paint application. Backus excelled at capturing the essence of traditional Florida: rustic fishing camps, magnificent beaches, tidal rivers fringed with palms and mangroves, and the abrupt changes in the weather that characterize Florida s tropical light to both natives and visitors. This is a lush celebration of the life and work of a remarkable regional painter."