WOODLAND WATERFALL 36 X 48 inches, Lascaux acrylic on canvas
In the amazingly rich soil of the Missouri River foothills, a small trickle of water has worn beautiful formations in the native sandstone. This pristine woodland scene is hidden in the bottom of an amazingly steep ravine or "holler". The loess soil has been amended with eons of leaf compost and supports wildflowers of all descriptions. This waterfall is encrusted with all sorts of mosses and a liverwort (unfortunate name) that smells like cattleya orchids! The pinkish sprays of flowers in this piece are Dutchman's Breeches. In the upper right of this piece one can see the a nice rock shelter overhang. I like to imagine the Osage or Missouri Indians sleeping there on a hunting expedition. I sat with my boots in the water for several days painting this scene, and my eyes only about 18 inches from the canvas (my back to a wall of soil). From a distance this painting "reads" quite naturalistically, yet up close it is an unintelligible web of interlaced pigments. Look at the detail of the paint surface to see what I see when I paint! |
