RIVERS of LIVING WATERS

The creeks and rivers of our lands captivate me. It's beautiful there. It's peaceful there. There's unknown history written in the rocks shaped by human hands from centuries gone by. If only they could talk.

BLACKWATER CREEK

18" x 24" x 1.5" Oil Original on Canvas | Plein Air

I had hiked through here before and just had to go back to try and capture this place. What first caught my eye was the early morning light on the left bank foreground rocks. But as you may notice, there is not a brilliant light cast on the rocks in this painting- that's because...

As the morning progressed and the light changed on the scene, I found myself chasing that light which changed painting from my original intention. I will certainly be back yet again to see if I can capture the dynamic light here a little better.

I was very happy with this painting at the end of the day though because it was beautiful fun practicing palette knife technique on the river rocks. Palette knife and brush were both used in this work. My easel stood in the river all day here while I painted. I was immersed in the scene. The color of reflected light in the water was captivating

It was amazing to see what seemed like every possible color in the water as the light danced across it. One moment green, then blue, then crimson hues. Thank you Lord, for the gift of eyes- how delicious this water was to them today.

Private Collection

18" x 24" x 1.5" Oil Original on Canvas | Plein Air

OCTOBER CALLS

Amicalola River | Plein Air
Private Collection
18 x 24 x .5 Oil on Canvas

It was an amazing afternoon. Sunlight sprayed across the riverbank at this beautiful location. A halo of light beneath the mid-foreground trees was even more captivating than the river water on this day. Can't wait to paint here again.

It was amazing to see what seemed like every possible color in the water as the light danced across it. One moment green, then blue, then crimson hues. Thank you Lord, for the gift of eyes- how delicious this water was to them today.

HEALING WATERS

24" x 36" x 1.5" Oil Original on Canvas | Plein Air

When we've been without rain for a while, the river runs very clear here. Morning light shines through the shadows of the trees to the bottom and illuminates smoothly polished river stones.

It's not uncommon to occasionally see a native American Indian stone tool left behind by the generations, just laying at your feet.

The river is a great escape from the every day, where immersing yourself for just a few minutes in the depths of nature's beauty will wash the stress away. You might even feel like a child again, if even only for just a few minutes. Or perhaps find your heart and mind back in time when America was a frontier for some, and long since home for others.

Get out and skip a rock sometime. Listen to the voice of the river saying, "peace.... peace..."

I just can't get enough of this place. It's beautiful morning, noon and night. On this day, I setup my tripod and plein air box in the edge of the river early morning.

Because the weather had cooled off some from Summer, there was no one at the river this morning until mid-day. Then I encountered some kayak and canoers helping some boy scouts to earn badges on the water.

This painting was rendered with palette knife and brush. There's quite a bit of detail in this piece. Captive to every detail, I finally had to make myself stop : ) But, I will be back again soon.

Available at North Gate Estates

24" x 36" x 1.5" Oil Original on Canvas | Plein Air

RIVER FUN

Amicalola River | Plein Air
Private Collection
18 x 24 x .5 Oil on Canvas

Today was a busy day at this popular river spot. Down river, people were jumping off the high river walls into the deeps. Families gathering and enjoying a Saturday of summer fun. A couple fishing on the bank. Others, tubing. When I started painting on this morning, I was the only one around. So, as people appeared- I tried to pop them into this scene, practicing figures on the fly.

This was intended as a day to study rendering river water and the riverbanks which can be difficult to show accurately sometimes, but turned out to be a better day for practicing impressionist figures.

Water colors mid-morning here are so beautiful as they reflect the brilliant greens in the trees. If it's not been raining, parts of the water are clear and you can see straight through to the river bottom which is littered with stones- many of which were shaped by human hands for work in ancient days when stone tools were a must to survive.