I’ve really enjoyed my winter break from grad school, especially having time to paint in the studio. This 16×20 inch oil was painted only with a pallette knife. When I started painting, I was using a brush but decided the pallette knife would create the kind of effects I wanted. This is part of West Fork, about 2.5 miles in, where a natural dam of logs created this reflecting pool. The sun was illuminating the autumn colors on the opposite bank that were reflected in the quiet waters. There is some movement in the water in the lower right, where a red leaf floats on the surface. This was a lot of fun to paint! Now, I must get back to revising my thesis and save up another bucket full of painting ideas for this summer. Who knows, I might find some free time to whip up another painting while my thesis is being reviewed.
