moth

When I walked out the back door yesterday I found this moth dead on the ground, perfectly posed with its wings open. I scooped it up and brought it inside to add to my "natural history" collection. It seemed like an appealing subject for a painting tonight.

harvest field study

I am planning a show in the fall and working out several issues through these small daily studies. This is a detail of a piece which will eventually be composed of five canvases. The final composition will be a very long, horizontal image of a favorite field.

mist rising

Still immersed in a river obsession, I found this image from an outing a couple of weeks ago and liked the rosy tones and soft mist rising from the water. There will probably be plenty of water imagery in my next body of work this fall.

stones river

One weekend in the "big city" was enough for me! We headed home on Sunday afternoon and stopped by the Stones River on the way back to Nashville to get in a little fishing. It was smaller water and much easier casting than the Caney, and I caught quite a few fish before the sun set. It was a great way to clear out the stress of Atlanta traffic.

atlanta

We went to Atlanta this weekend for the opening of the summer landscape show at Aliya Linstrum. Although it was an ordeal getting there, it was a wonderful opening and a great show. If you will be in Atlanta this summer, stop by and check it out.

first flower

This is the first flower I've managed to grow from seed in this shady city yard of mine. I have tried unsuccessfully for a few years to get sunflowers to grow in the only sunny patch of garden in the backyard, but for some reason this year, a lonely mexican sunflower found a way to elude the birds long enough to grow and bloom.

peruvian apple

I have become terribly lazy in this midsummer heat and am finally catching up on posts. Last week we watched the miracle of the blooming of the large peruvian apple cactus I recently bought. I knew we were in for a splendid bloom when it started rapidly growing large buds from several strategic points near the top. We waited, checking each day for an opning blossom, and then one night, it happened...huge, delicate white petals opened wide to reveal hundreds of pistils. They only bloomed for a night or two, leaving behind their growing fruit.

dark soil

This is a detail study from the piece I painted today, a long 20x60 image from my last Ohio trip. I had fun working on it, since it was on one of my favorite linen canvases and I just received a new shipment of brushes. It's always a good painting day when new brushes are involved.

lily

Last night in my painting class one of my students brought some beautiful lilies for the still life. She offered to let me take one home to try my hand at an O'Keefe-style close up for my daily piece. While it is a far cry from Georgia, it was a good, somewhat intense exercise.

hidden creek

We stopped by this secret creek on our way back to Nashville. Derek discovered it while I was fishing on Saturday morning and took me to see it. We splashed around for awhile and picked blackberries on the way back to the truck. All in all, it was a great little getaway this weekend, leaving me recharged and ready to get back to work.

water mist

While I was casting on the river this weekend, Derek armed himself with the camera and got some wonderful shots of the mist rolling in on the water. The fog comes on suddenly, lingering thick and mysterious until the morning sun burns it away several hours after it rises.

river morning

Saturday morning I dragged Derek out of the tent around 5:00 a.m. to hit the river at sunrise. He dropped me off at a place I had a hunch might be harboring some trout. Sure enough, with the helpful advice of a fellow fly fisherman who showed up an hour later, I landed my first rainbow trout ever. Truly a great day.

caney sunset

Friday night we ventured east to Center Hill Lake and nabbed one of the last campsites on the lake. I rushed down to the river before sunset to make a few casts before dark. After fishing until dark (and catching nothing) I had a chance to try my hand at cooking over the fire in my new dutch ovens. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and relaxed around the glowing embers.

georgia storm

The week has managed to get away from me. I drove to Atlanta to deliver paintings for a show on Thursday, a long but beautiful drive. On the way back, I watched a summer storm roll through the mountains and plateau.

fireworks

We made a last-mintue decision to head downtown for Nashville's famous fireworks just as we saw them beginning on television. I couldn't in good conscience know that the massive display was happening only three miles away and sit on the couch watching instead. We managed to linger downtown long enough to see the never-disappointing show from the car, and escaped before the mass exodus away from the riverfront. The only way to do it...

exotic yellow

Since my plant identification skills are obviously lacking, I simply have to paint this intricate plant without knowing its name. Its bright yellow spiky center caught my eye at once, one of many treasures to be found in the woods this time of year.

myrtle

On Saturday we broke away from the house and went for a short walk in Beaman Park. I wanted to practice identifying wild plants, hoping to learn some new ones. We walked slowly, explored the creekbed, and took plenty of photos. I found, though, that when I arrived home to look up all the unfamiliar plants, I had not gathered enough information. So, my best guess is that this is myrtle, though I could easily be mistaken.

dark dusk

This glowing dusk is one that I have wanted to paint for some time, with its warm light and dramatic darks. I would love to see it very large, looming dark. I still have not found the best way to approach it technically, but I think it is worth figuring out.

kingfisher

Although I spent most of the time on my fishing outing with my eyes glued to the water, I was occasionally startled from my concentration by a huge great blue heron or a striking kingfisher gliding by. I admired their confidence on the river, certain of their next meal, especially since I felt completely inept and out of place.

caney fork

On Friday morning I had my first-ever solo fly fishing outing. I felt a little lost, even after managing to find the place and set up my rod. I really didn't know where to begin-- I just made my best guess, picked out a spot that didn't look too difficult to wade, and made a few very poor casts. Of course, those tactics don't lead to catching trout, but I had a wonderful time on the river and spent the morning watching the mist rise from the water. Even though I have yet to catch a trout, I would gladly spend many hours more on the water trying.