Work in Progress, The Seven Sisters Inn (Rheinauer House), Ocala Florida. Update 1

This is the first in a series of Work in Progress Updates on my new painting project, an architectural rendering of the Seven Sisters Inn in Ocala, Florida

First, some interesting history.

The Rheinauer House, better known as the Seven Sisters Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in the historic district of Ocala, Florida, dates back to 1895. Charles Rheinauer, born March 5 1846, the builder and original owner of the house, emigrated to Georgia from Germany as a young man. He married Emma Hohenberg in Watumpka, Alabama in 1890 and soon after they moved to Ocala, Florida. He and his brother, Maurice, set up a dry goods business on the south side of the town square. The men’s and women’s apparel sold in the store became so popular that the business expanded statewide into a clothing chain that lasted into the 1990s.

            Charles Rheinauer also served as the Vice President of the Ocala Iron and Machine Works and was the founder of the Ocala Board of Trade. Notably, he was instrumental in the introduction of Thomas Edison’s incandescent electric lamp into the community. In 1906 Rheinauer served as Mayor of Ocala.

            Rheinauer’s friendship with Latin American freedom fighter Jose Marti led to a partnership that started the La Criolla Cigar Company with Rheinauer as President. Immigration of large numbers of Cubans to the Florida peninsula provided workers for the factory which eventually became the center of a Latin American Community known as Marti City. By late in the 19^th century La Criolla was one of the largest cigar factories in Florida. It eventually re-located to Tampa in what is now Ybor City.

            Charles and Emma moved into the Gothic Victorian House around 1895 and both remained there until their deaths, Charles in 1925 and Emma in 1942. Both are buried nearby in the city. The House now serves as a Bed and Breakfast and is said to be haunted, which makes for an interesting overnight stay.

            The House is one of the most noticeable in the historic district. The variety of blue colors adorning it set it apart from all those around it, which is why I was so attracted to it in the first place. I photographed it from a number of angles but found the one that included the large Live Oak at the end of the driveway to be the one to use for the painting. The low hanging limbs frame the House from one side and overhead. The trees on the other side and the shrubs in the front also help to frame the House. Shown here is the pencil drawing of the House that I started along with the photo that serves as the basis for the painting. The painting, 16” by 12”, will be done in watercolor on Arches 140 lb watercolor paper. I’ll try to post once a week on its progress, going through at first preliminary tonal and color sketches, then on to the painting.