Having taken some photos yesterday morning at the bridge over Ariel Creek, near where it engages Lake Wallenpaupak, I returned to the site at 5pm with a 20x60" canvas, primed and sketched out. I hauled a small kit down the steep grassy slope to the wet field below, and set up my easel within an array of deep animal tracks and scat. My companions were a couple of jays that make a constant ruckus in the opposite river bank. The painting went well and as I worked the sun hit the shore on the opposite side of the lake which I could see through the trees on either side of the mouth of the creek. I'll head out there this morning to keep going. My intent is to push some detail into this piece while keeping sweeping brushstroke, which I think I an do at this scale.
As I fell asleep last night, I dreamt brushstrokes, which I found annoying as I was tired and ready for sleep. My evening prior had me reading and studying my Group of Seven book, mining it for a lesson or two on restraint.
Near sunset I had returned and packed up the studio for the night, and was enjoying a hot cup of tea on the porch when a perky hiker about my age came by. She seemed happy enough to be snagged as a walking companion and we strode the rocky paths at a nice clip for about an hour, chatting about like-aged kids, real estate, art, and being middle aged. Her path continued as the sun was going down so I headed back before my return would become darkened. Feeling as I'd earned it well, my steak and mushrooms dinner with a glass of wine was welcome, with a laptop-sized movie, and then more reading.
Seems I'm getting the hang of the social media thing, having put some relevant hashtags on my Instagram. All evening and this morning I had unfamiliar Instagrammers looking at my feed, most from this region. It did give me the creeps a bit as a paranoid thought about having broadcast my general location making me vulnerable. My camp/hunting knife was by my bed all night.
Ariel Creek site:
"Lawrence Oak"
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