Turning Palm Fronds Into Art

If you live in Southwest Florida, you are very familiar with palm frondsas they fall off a tall Royal Palm tree. Native to Florida and soaring to almost 80 feet, a row of Royal Palms is an iconic symbol of the classic Southwest Florida landscape. 

As the trees mature, their 60+ pound frond falls to the ground, and you better not be under the tree, or it can seriously hurt you. According to UF/IFAS, Royal Palms are considered self-cleaning and will drop a frond at the rate of one per month and more during a windy day. 

So, what can you do with all those discarded palm fronds? Fronds have been used to create useful and also decorative items. The leaves can be woven into baskets and hats and the dried husks or shafts can be painted into creative wall hangings.  

Lyne Flaherty of Marco Island and her husband Dan came from the Boston area 20 years ago. Theywere tired of the cold and dreary winters and have never regretted moving to Marco. She was an artist and also taught French at a local High School in Hingham, Massachusetts.  

When Lyne arrived on Marco, she was fascinated with the palm trees and as she drove by vacant lots, she noticed the fallen palm debris. For many local artists, palm fronds are viewed as a natural canvas and are repurposed into works of art. Local artists used to teach the young kids in the library how to create art using various parts of the palm tree. Lyne saw a palm frond art demonstration at the library and said, “I can do that,” since she had a background as a landscape artist. 

So, she started picking up palm fronds as she drove around the Island and became very friendly with local landscapers, asking them to keep their eyes out for certain types of fronds. She created a network of “Friendly Frond Finders,” and they alerted her when they saw palm trees being trimmed. Soon, she had more than she needed. They are heavy and bulky and need a lot of space for storage.  

Getting the fronds ready for painting is a process. Lyne cuts off the unwanted parts of the frond and makes sure the wood is dried. She washes away and scrubs the dirt using water and a bit of detergent, then smooths the edges and lightly sands the surface. Some artists would apply gloss to the brown wood or add a light neutral background, but she prefers the frond in its natural state. With light preparation, the natural palm frond wood is ready for the artist’s masterpiece. 

I met Lyne at the Marco Island Public Library many years ago when she was a volunteer and again recently after noticing the assortment of palm frond art displayed around various walls at the library that bore her signature. There are burrowing owls by the front desk and on the back wall, a beautifully illustrated tiger paired with a squirrel tucked away in a corner. You will find a display of her palm frond collection inside the Children’s section – lion, tiger, gorilla, giraffe, eagle, and more. During our meeting, she brought three from her collection that were painted circa 2005. It was a Florida Panther, an eagle, and an osprey. Nineteen years later, the art looked fresh, the palm frond husks kept their shape, and the wood was as sturdy as ever. 

Lyne also used to paint by request, but now her collection is much less, only keeping a few palm frond art as gifts for out-of-town guests. She has given away her boxes of acrylic paints and hopes somebody can use them. “I can start anytime, and I can always buy newer paint,” Lyne said. 

Next time you go to the Marco Island Library to check out books, make sure to check out Lyne Flaherty’s palm frond masterpieces.