It couldn’t have been a more beautiful, cool Indian summer day for painting along Dry Beaver Creek. The creek had been a raging flood only a few days ago and had since subsided to mildness, retreating enough for us to hop acrobatically over the baby-headed sized boulders to our painting spots.
Betty N. and I love the old, rotten bridge with its broken railings casting interesting shadows on the water.
Sophie and Mike captured the golden light of the trees reflecting the creek downriver, while Dona—no surprise—found a gorgeous white-barked sycamore to paint.
Justin, never having painted en plein air before, did a wonderful job depicting the light on the distant mountains and the tangle of scrub oak under the bridge. He grumpily said he had to keep changing the value of the distant hillside since it darkened with the cloud cover…welcome to outdoor painting!
Don and Janelle painted closer to the modern bridge spanning a wider section of the creek that still had a large, calm pool of water. Betty D. found a high spot and looked like an Impressionist painter from the 1800’s in her smock and hat. Christine also took the high road overlooking Dry Beaver.
I am usually one of the first painters finished, but I couldn’t tear myself away from the peaceful splash of the water, the smell of autumn sycamores and their green-gold reflections. So—I missed photographing our friends’ paintings but will catch them next time.
Karen and The Punkster waded in the water–she’s tiny but fierce (the dog, I mean!)
Liz painted Behind A Different Sign and caught Bell Rock in the most beautiful clear light.
Since heavy rains and flooding is predicted, we’re going to park on higher ground, in front of the locked gate on the little dirt road on the left that would lead over the old abandoned bridge. If you go too far, you’ll hit the Welcome to Redrock Scenic Byway sign. October 27, 9:00. You can see that parking is limited from the photo below.
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