Conversations with a River...

2010-06-29T09:01:00.007-05:00

MID-SUMMER'S EVE 18" x 24" OIL

June 28, 2010 -- MID-SUMMER'S EVE. Quiet has settled over the lake for the evening. The chatter of insects has stopped, the frogs haven't yet begun their bellowing songs. Great time for the fish to bite.

2010-03-23T10:44:00.007-05:00

GREAT BLUE HERON 10" x 10" Watercolor

March 23, 2010 - BABY WATCH. Spring has finally come to the lake. Just north of Red Bud Isle, great blue herons have built four large nests in the treetops. And on the small island in front of them the female swan is laying on their nest, while the male swan patrols the waters in front of it. Babies should be arriving in about a month.

2010-03-04T06:37:00.009-06:00

AFTER THE RAIN 14" X 18" Pastel

March 1, 2010 - AFTER THE RAIN. The glow of morning light pushes the clouds away. After an early rain shower, the lake is bathed in a fine mist and the scent of fresh air.

2010-02-02T11:59:00.012-06:00

HEADWATERS 14" X 18" Pastel

February 2, 2010. SEARCH FOR THE SOURCE. Footprints -- too many to count, but no trace of them, except animal tracks made since the last rain. The land where the Colorado River begins its 900 mile journey to the Gulf, the Paleo-Indians called home, dating back some 11,000 years ago. Clovis points found in the area are the only mark that remains from their time here. Followed by the Comanches and Lipan Apaches, they were mostly hunters and gathers, using only what they needed from the land. They were "leavers" as described by author Daniel Quinn in his book Ishmael. And so the River and its path, at least here, look much like back then, cutting its way through the rough landscape of red clay cliffs and arroyas, and providing the life sustaining gift so many have sought from its waters.

2010-01-16T08:54:00.008-06:00

EMPTY NEST 12" X 18" Charcoal & Pencil

January 16, 2010--SEARCH FOR THE SOURCE. Empty nest at the source of the Colorado River. I found this oriole's nest in a wild plum tree, near the small pool of water that begins the Colorado River. What a masterpiece, both River and nest. Orioles are master nest builders. Just trying to draw it was a challenge. How did the oriole, with just her beak and claws, weave these tiny threads of grass and yucca fibers together into this intricate fabric all the while suspending it between two branches? This tree, just beginning to bloom, was in an arroya that leads into the Colorado's small pool. Mrs. Stewart, co-owner of the ranch, (Martha Stewart, actually) had commented that she had made plum jelly from the grove over the years. The oriole, after all her work, will seldom reuse the nest, but she may recycle some of the materials.

2010-01-11T09:27:00.015-06:00

THE SOURCE 22" x 28" OIL

January 11, 2010 -- SEARCH FOR THE SOURCE. A mirror of time. Raindrops, gathered in the Ogallala Aquifer deep under the Caprock Escarpment, surface now among reeds and cattails yellow and brown from winter frost. Under the gaze of a great horned owl hidden in the shadows of twilight, the Colorado River has a simple birth, bare of all fanfare. Its unassuming presence exudes a quite strength. As the winter sunset escapes into a cold night sky, the river's source offers a promise of hope and renewal. NOTE: Five years ago in the middle of January, I set off to find the source of the Colorado River. From GPS maps I finally found it in Dawson County just east of Lamesa on the Don Stewart Ranch. I made several trips here hiking the riverbed and visiting with the ranchers. This month I'll share some of that experience.

2009-12-31T16:35:00.009-06:00

LAST LIGHT 30" X 30" OIL

December 31, 2009 -- LAST LIGHT. Every day a new picture is painted and framed, held up for half an hour, in such lights as the Great Artist chooses, and then withdrawn, and the curtain falls. And then the sun goes down, and long the afterglow gives light, and then the damask curtains glow along the western window, and now the first star is lit, and I go home...Henry David Thoreau

2009-12-31T11:06:00.010-06:00

BREAKING THROUGH THE FOG 14" x 11" OIL

December 31, 2009 - 8 am -- BREAKING THROUGH THE FOG. Fog rises above the water only along the river as if it is nestled under its own blanket and won't share with the rest of the city. Sometimes the river creates its own weather due to the differences in water and air temperature. Now the sun is starting to break through and reflects off the water in a blinding light. Clear skies are already appearing to the north, hopefully a good sign for the New Year.

2009-12-17T15:16:00.007-06:00

GREAT EGRET 12" x 8" Watercolor

December 17, 2009 -- GREAT EGRET. In the early morning a group of egrets were sleeping along the shore north of Red Bud Isle, heads tucked inside their wings. They looked so cozy and warm, perched on the low limbs. One woke up, then another and soon all were in different stages of alertness. They must like this spot as I have seen them here often. Suddenly one lifts off into the air in the most graceful of movements and soars in a circle around the cove. The silhouette against the reds and golds of the fall colors is stunning. Then another joins him and they head off around the bend in search of breakfast.

2009-12-14T16:15:00.016-06:00

AUTUMN GLOW Oil 40" X 32"

December 8, 2009 -- AUTUMN GLOW. A chill in the air. The warm glow of an autumn evening. The scent of fallen leaves and cypress needles along the shore. The lake provides the pefect stage for December's fall display of color. Trees along the bank had a plentiful supply of water during the summer drought. When the season changed they still had leaves to turn. Now they celebrate the end of the year with their display of red, purple and orange, just before the cold wind of January carries it all away.

2009-11-09T15:45:00.031-06:00

AUTUMN REFLECTIONS Oil 22" X 28"

November 6, 2009 -- AUTUMN REFLECTIONS. The river has become a reflection of golds, oranges and reds. The season has changed. Leaves are falling. They begin their journey on the river beside me, little boats gliding along with the current to unknown destinations. I'm enjoying their company. Beginnings and endings. The line between them is oftentimes hard to see.

2009-11-04T07:48:00.003-06:00

BREAK IN THE CLOUDS Oil 28" X 22"

October 28, 2009 -- BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. The lake reflects the sun's bright light as it breaks through, turning it into a river of white. Rain has now washed away all memory (almost) of the long hot summer. Wildflowers are blooming. A mother raccoon leads her three babies on an early morning walk along the shore. At least nine great white egrets are sunning on the limbs on the lake's edge. Joy abounds.

2009-10-21T14:31:00.014-05:00

INTO THE LIGHT 14" x 11" OIL

October 13, 2009 -- INTO THE LIGHT. Fog covers the lake like a thick blanket. Light diffuses, shorelines vanish. Waves beckon with an invitation to enter into their hypnotic spell. Space melts into eternity. But before long the sun will begin to break through and this dream-like landscape will wake up.

2009-09-24T17:37:00.011-05:00

BELTED KINGFISHER 8" x 6" Watercolor & Pencil

ZOOM. A kingfisher almost clips me as it zooms by near the shore in search of fish and other tasty morsels. Definitely a bird on a mission. Their large beak is handy for snagging fish when they plunge into the water after one. An interesting fact about them is their nesting habits. The male and female dig and tunnel into a bank, sometimes 15 feet in, where the eggs are laid. That's definitely protection. Here he or she comes back again. What fun they are to watch.

2009-09-16T10:00:00.010-05:00

VEIL OF MIST 11" x 14" OIL

September 11, 2009, 1:30pm -- VEIL OF MIST. The far off cliffs become a beautiful range of grays when seen through the mist. Everything is bathed in the restfulness of a rainy afternoon. All the ducks must be napping, I assume. Perfect afternoon for a nap. It's a perfect afternoon to be out on the lake too, gliding along through the light rain. Heavier rain is on the way as I look towards the east. I head for the south shore to look for shelter. The canopy of a cypress tree will be a sufficient umbrella during a downpour. Anchored to one of its many exposed roots, I gaze up through the limbs towards the sky. I feel small underneath something so big. The protection it provides is a wonderful feeling as the pouring rain arrives.

2009-09-09T12:05:00.014-05:00

RAIN STORM 9" x 9" OIL

7:30am -- LIQUID GLASS. The only ripple is the one made as my kayak breaks through the surface of the water. The calm before the storm, which is building to the west and south. Could it really mean rain. I hope so, for many reasons. One of them is that being on the river during the rain is so magical. The sounds of the droplets hitting the water. The little circles each makes. The rustling sound in the tree tops as the rain makes it way through the leaves. I have the lake pretty much to myself. I guess everyone else checked the weather first. The swan family is out though, mom, dad and two not-so-little little ones. I'm wondering if maybe these are the two I saw just after hatching last spring. What a thrill! I'll tell about that another time. The fish are jumping like crazy and I am enjoying the comfort the rain brings as it washes away the cares of a hectic world.

2009-09-03T09:47:00.011-05:00

DAWN 14" X 11" Oil

DAWN...the lake is at its serenest. In the soft light visually all the details are lost...mentally, too. There's a wish this moment in time could last forever but the city will wake up with all the excitement and energy of a two-year old, and the day will be filled with the sounds of life.

2009-09-02T16:20:00.011-05:00

HOME 32" X 62" Oil

HOME...to the red-tailed hawk, building their nests in the cliffs high about Lady Bird Lake. They raise their young in the spring and early summer, so they are empty-nesters now. Often, they can be spotted coming and going from the cliffs in search of food. Numerous species of other birds, fish, and animals call the lake home. I am grateful that they share it with me.