With this 24 by 36 inch oil painting Alfredo tackles the innumerable challenges of depicting this “couple” of manatees in their underwater environment at Blue Springs. We went to observe them this past winter and were so fascinated to see these “Gentle Giants” of Florida in their peaceful and colorful natural world. Alfredo expressed his intention of doing a painting of these wonderful creatures in this tropical paradise environment. As soon as he finished it, I decided to put a nice frame on it and put it outside the shop on an easel for everyone to see. So many people were taken with it and expressed their admiration for the marvelous colors and textures of this underwater scene. A few days ago, a lovely couple walked in asking about the painting and bought it as a present for their niece who is a marine biologist. Mr. and Mrs. Benito Torres of Deltona certainly have given their marine biologist niece a very special present where art and nature form a perfect union.