We were able to do some ranch land plein air painting near Hauser Lake on Saturday afternoon. We had a good time. All enjoyed the view from Sue’s house and pasture lands. There was abundant pasture, livestock, tractors, and heavily wooded hills to choose from.
I began by walking down to right next to the creek. After setting up for a little while in the direct sun I found that I did not have the stamina to continue kneeling next to the log. A conversation with my knees cut it short to rescue my knee joints and escape the heat.
Next, I set up in the comfort of her upper deck and just fell in love with the way the light was on her trees.
People from the Inland Northwest Outdoor Painting Group were invited. Others were there from the Spokane Watercolors Member Group (must be a member) and the Spokane Sketchers too. If you would like to know, when the next plein air event date is set, please check out the Inland Northwest Outdoor Painting Group mentioned above.
Visiting with the other artists there was a lot of fun. Everyone getting together at the end of the day to do a little show-and-tell was inspiring. There were so many gorgeous views I had to take a lot of photographs to work on later. The other artists were doing the same.
All-in-all it was a great way to spend my Saturday. The next event is Rimrock View Palisades Park, Spokane next Saturday.
Noticing the remnants of life around me. After a great visit with our family in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, we started the long drive home. Aspen are magical, as they transform the color of an entire mountainside in Fall. They take my breath away. My husband and I stopped on the side of the road and took a short walk to stretch our legs and reenergize. We followed what looked like an old game trail meandering up the hill.
I wondered what kind of stories that old fence post could tell if he could talk. That post was where a gate had hung, at the base of a beautiful expanse of grazing land. Was this a large farm or ranch in the past? Were there cattle, horses, gardens, homes, and barns? This artist’s mind kicked into high gear then. Wouldn’t it be great to explore and see if the story from a long time ago could be found? Are there pioneer cabins back there? Big ole’ log barns? Ponds?
Where did all the people go? Standing there, we were very much alone as the sun sank further down in the sky. I took some photographs of this sturdy old cracked fence guardian before leaving.
His, “Remnants of Life” will remain a secret, but the beauty of the land that he guards will be seen by whoever views this painting.