FL Gator Attack: Artist Plans To Paint His Harrowing Encounter

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL — Artist Mark Johnson regularly paints Florida’s marine wildlife, but last Sunday he got a little too close to a future subject — an 8-foot, 6-inch alligator — and he has dozens of stitches to prove it.

"I've already got the canvas ordered to paint it," he says matter-of-factly during a Friday interview with Patch. "You've got to realize, this image will be on my mind the rest of my life. I can see it right now. I see my foot. I see the gator. I see the position — his eyes. He had green eyes. The teeth were pearly white, no stain or anything."

Johnson's unlikely inspiration will become a 30-by-40-inch reminder of his harrowing ordeal with a Florida alligator during his daily walk with his 8-year-0ld golden retriever, Rex. The incident occurred sometime after 9 a.m. not far from Johnson's home along a canal when the gator lunged for his right leg.

"He started clamping down really good above my knee, and my shoe was sticking out the base of his jaw," the 61-year-old recalled. "There's no sticks. No rocks. Nothing to beat him off with, which probably would not work anyhow. It's just a grassy shoreline — no people out."

As a native Floridian, Johnson grew up with a healthy respect for alligators, though he never thought he would be bitten by one. He said he constantly scans the marshy areas for signs of gators during his walks with Rex.

When he realized the alligator was coming for him, Johnson's first reaction was to give Rex the command to go home so the dog would not become prey for the large reptile.

"Anywhere I go, I'm aware of my surroundings," he stressed. "The first thing on my mind is getting my dog that I love — my golden retriever — getting him home."

Fortunately, Rex, obeyed and lived to celebrate his birthday this Saturday. In hindsight, Johnson confided: "I think Rex would have just sat there and looked, but I’m glad he didn’t come back."

Johnson said he believes he was within seconds of being dragged into the canal by the alligator, which was later removed by a trapper.

He managed to free himself by driving both of his index fingers into each of the alligator's eyes, though he said the animal was not permanently injured.

"He knew he had his prey. He was backing in (to the water), and he wanted to roll, so he could start dismembering," Johnson said with a nervous laugh. "It's that simple. You can't say it any other way."

Fortunately, the big reptile released its grip around Johnson's leg, and he managed to pull himself up. He returned home with nine puncture wounds to his right leg and missing a shoe. His wife, Lou, saw him coming from a distance and called out: "Did you see the gator?" he recounted.

"She was sitting outside drinking coffee down the way, and she saw it coming down the canal," he explained. "Yeah, he bit me. I didn't scream. I didn't do anything. No police were called. No 911."

He and his wife drove to a nearby hospital, where Johnson got around 60 stitches and the story of a lifetime.

It's not clear whether he will keep his future painting of the gator attack or sell it to the highest bidder on his website. It will most certainly be posted on his Facebook page.

"I have no idea what I would charge for this. I may do a little bidding war," he said. "Everybody wants the story. They want to imagine what it's like."