BEAUTIFUL BLUE ISOLATION & SPLENDOR

DRY TORTUGAS

The bright blue magnificence of the Dry Tortugas at Loggerhead Key is astonishing. Just 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, this little gem of a place is rarely visited, but for a lucky few.

Loggerhead Key is the Westernmost of 7 islets of the Dry Tortugas, a few of which are mere sandbars. The highest elevation in the Dry Tortugas is just 10 feet (3.0 m). 

The total area of the islets is about 580,000 square meters (143 acres). Their land mass changes over time, as wind and waves reshape them, as this area is often hit with dramatic tropical storms.

An ancient lighthouse keeps watch as rare beautiful green sea turtles & loggerheads, swim in these blue waters. The coral reef here makes Dry Tortugas an incredible place for snorkeling.

Juan Ponce de León first discovered the Dry Tortugas islands in 1513. Later, in the 16th century, they became the center of Caribbean piracy. In the 19th century, the beautiful Fort Jefferson was constructed to protect the US coastline.

Dry Tortugas is a little paradise, not easily accessible. Its fragile ecosystem is now protected by a tourism limit. You have vehicular two choices: seaplane or boat.

There are no campers or day-trippers. Dry Tortugas is an island deserted. Only a lucky few are allowed to visit.

The dazzling spectrum of blues, from sapphires to ceruleans, to aquamarines, to the exquisite color of the sky, tempt an artist’s soul.

In 2015, the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), in association with Dry Tortugas National Park, established an extraordinary Artist-In-Residence (AIR) program at Dry Tortugas.

This AIR is an exceptional opportunity for artists to capture the beautiful blue beauty of this place and to contribute to the documentation of America’s National Heritage.

<>While a number of other National Parks offer AIR programs, this one is special on a few counts. Here artists live entirely “off the grid.” There is no internet, no phone, no television.   

The NPAF warns, “Due to the intense, isolated nature of this residency, we are accepting only joint applications; either artist couples or two artists who are willing to tolerate each other for the duration.”

There is no studio available. This is for “plein-air” artists only.

“It made me think of the island as an important place over time where lives are changed in many ways, migrants, shipwrecks, etc. A speck in the ocean that has attracted many creatures both human and animal,” says Anna Glynn, NPAF’s 2015 Artist-in-Residence at Dry Tortugas.

James and Julie Branaman, husband and wife duo of photojournalists have captured amazing images of Dry Tortugas, some of which are featured in this BN Daily Fix post.

You can find out more about the NPAF AIR program here. Check out View into the Blue live feeds from their underwater camera program at Dry Tortugas. 

Read more about Beautiful Blue in Beautiful Blue Inspirations Now, A Whole New Beautiful Blue, Eat Drink True Blue, The Art of Blue on a Grand Scale, The Bluest City on the Planet is Incredible Beautiful Now and Chill on a House Float in the Middle of the Bright Blue Sea.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by COPELAND PHOTO. “Fort Jefferson Dry Tortugas.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
2. Image: by Eric Lanning. “Dry Tortugas.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
3. Image: Courtesy of NASA. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
4. Image: by Tabitha Kaylee Hawk. “Underwater.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
5. Image: by lexdeo. “Dry Tortugas.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
6. Image: by Jenni Konrad. “Fort Jefferson.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
7. Image: by Matthew Paulson. “Blue Water Surrounding Fort Jefferson.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
8. Image: by SNORKELING  DIVES.COM. “Snorkeling at Dry Tortugas, Key West, Florida.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
9. Image: by rickz. “Untitled.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
10. Image: by SNORKELING DIVES.COM. “Snorkeling at Dry Tortugas, Key West, Florida.”  Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
11. Image: by rickz. “Untitled.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
12. Image: by rickz. “Untitled.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
13. Image: by Matthew Paulson. “Sooty Tern in Flight.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
14. Image: by Branaman Photography. “Fort Jefferson Rises up from the Turquoise Water of the Gulf of Mexico.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
15. Image: by Jenni Konrad. “The Moat.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
16. Image: by Jennifer Macaulay. “The Lighthouse on Loggerhead Key.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
17. Image: by Anna Glynn. Courtesy NPAF. “The View from the Dry Tortugas Lighthouse.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.
18. Image: by BN App - Download now!
19. Image: Courtesy of NPAF.  “Dry Tortugas Light on Loggerhead Key.” Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida.