May 2008

I feel more integrated with the landscape when I spend the night out in the woods. I'm very happy that I've added camping to my painting trips. You do have to pay careful attention to the sounds at night when in the mountains of North Georgia: A snake rattle. A bear rustling. Banjo music. But with proper preparation, the experience is very rewarding. This past weekend, my girlfriend Kate, my bluetick hound Illy and I spent Saturday night under the stars at Unicoi State Park. The Georgia State Park system is very good and Unicoi is the nicest state park I've visited so far. Sunday morning, we did a hike around Unicoi Lake and I did the first painting. I used my palette knife liberally to apply the variety in color amongst all the green. Then that afternoon we drove up into the Chattahoochee National Forest and hiked to Duke's Creek Falls. This is the first waterfall I've painted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have painted whitewater before in beach scenes, and I am particularly drawn to the energy and action of the running water. Between the sound and movement, it is easy to immerse yourself in the scene. There are many beautifal waterfalls all around the southeast, and I plan to spend more time painting them in the future.