The Orlando based Oak Hill Drifters span the rockabilly, country and early R&B genres
with ease, with nods to Janis Martin, Bob Wills, The Everly Brothers,
Little Willie John and Charlie Feathers. The high energy provided
by Craig Roy‘s upright bass and the kicking drums by Tom Pearce kept feet moving and heads nodding, and the dual vocals and
harmonies from Tom Cooper and Rachel Decker rounded out the band. They were on their own dock on the Wekiva river which acted as the stage.
A gala was going on for the yearly Wekiva Paint Out. There were food tents, beverages, and plenty of tables set up on the lawn. Rather than eat or hobnob, I set up behind a palmetto on a dock opposite the band. Since most folks ignored the music, I had a front row seat to enjoy and sketch the show. I was most attracted to the opposing warm and cool colors and I let them collide brightly on my digital tablet. After the sketch was done, I walked through the tent where all the wet plein air paintings were being exhibited. Close to 30 artists had been creating landscape paintings around Wekiva Island all week. You could see bugs caught in the paint, like in Neolithic Amber.