Yes, that is a yellow streak down my back . . .

[walden]

Road trip today, to a new spot, Brazos Bend State Park, widely known for its alligator & water moccasin population. I was pretty excited because I had never been there, despite living only an hour away. So I got there shortly after 8 this morning, & drove to the first small lake. Hmmmm. More signs warning of alligators than there are warning against public consumption of alcohol (what does that mean? hide it from the teenagers?) Anyway, it's beautiful, big oaks with spanish moss, & I walk towards the fishing pier, where I can see water lillies in the swamp, but the trail to the pier looks iffy-- a little to close to the swamp edge for my taste.

So, I go on to the next lake-- no fishing pier, but there are benches pretty close to the water. Naah, too close-- I'm too unconscious while I paint. Bear in mind that there was almost no one there, and I could hear this strange bellowing coming from the swamp. I stop a lone hiker to ask him about it, & he explained that there are two kinds of bellowing, imitates both (they sound exactly the same to me), and tells me that the first is just bullfrogs, but the second is alligators. "Don't worry though," he says, "it's not an agressive thing, it's just a mating thing." Great. The alligators are feeling frisky.

So, I explore about an hour more on my bike. I really want to paint the water lillies, but wherever I can get close enough doesn't feel safe enough. To make a long story short, I finally go back to the first lake, set up my little pochade box on top of a picnic table, sit cross-legged on top of the table myself, and paint this scene.

Oil on canvas panel, 8 x 10 . WAAAY out there, there are water lillies. Trust me. :D

[Wayne Gaudon]

Glad you scrapped some off your back for this pic .. Leaps and bounds girl, leaps and bounds .. to me, this is your best piece yet .. Great Work ..

[walden]

Thanks, Wayne! :)

[impressionist2]

Lisa, Very nice view and What a story!! :eek:

Now, just a thought. I Love spanish moss and I am just wondering if you took the end of an old smaller brush and sort of stippled the effect, so it gives that soft furry look of the stuff. Dunno. Just a suggestion.

Also, and this may be the way this tree is, is the trunk in actuality thinner at the base than at the top of the trunk?

Other than those little things, very nice piece.

Hard to paint while watching over your shoulder, huh?

Renee

[CarlyHardy]

Lisa, I love your stories! Would enjoy painting with you out in those swamps!! This shows a new quality of freedom that I haven't seen before in your paintings..a softer touch. Really nice distance...and I trust you about the water lilies!
carly

[walden]

Renee, I was nervous, but I took your suggestion and softened the spanish moss-- it looks MUCH better now. :) Well, that encouraged me, so I went on and widened the base of the tree trunk on the left side, and that looks better now, too! (It just kept getting wider up top as I worked to get that edge of the branch with the sky.) Anyway, I'll re-photograph it tomorrow when some of the glare has gone down.

Carly, the swamps are really cool-- I saw all kinds of birds, and in the forested areas several deer and a rabbit, and of course, squirrels everywhere. I have a pretty good time by myself but I would LOVE to have a painting buddy-- just so much more fun, you know? I actually left earlier than I had to, partly because I was kind of lonesome-- with a buddy I would probably have stayed and done another one. But, the next time I want to go back my sweetie said he would go with me-- he'll get me situated where I feel safe, then he'll go ride his bike-- there are miles and miles of trail.

Anyway, thanks for your comment-- I feel like I'm really finally finding my style and I'm excited about that. :)

[artbabe21]

Lisa!! Woohoo!! Really fab, think you are hitting your stride girl!
Will look forward to the changes you spoke of.

What an adventure, frisky 'gators!! Had to laugh after reading one of Larry's threads where everyone is NOT trusting that 'lone male hiker' and you actually hail one!! This is after everyone is saying they trust animals more than people mind you!!!!!!! Glad he was harmless.
Cathleen~;)

[walden]

Yeah, Cathleen, but you know how you make snap judgments about people from a distance? Attitude, body language, what they're doing? I've done a lot of hiking myself, and thinking back over some of the people I've met on the trail, there was only one that really made me nervous (I was with my sweetie, and that guy made him nervous too.) Anyway, the guy yesterday looked like he was born with that pack on, hiking along at a fair clip with a spring in his step, and he was about my age. I'll bet you anything that he's training for a long trip-- that pack was probably full of rocks. :)

[impressionist2]

Lisa and Cathleen, I agree that you can size up a person quickly. Most people give off their good vibes and when you come across a questionable one, the "creepies" set in.

Painting with a full setup makes you especially vulnerable. I hide and lock any valuables, purse, etc., in my car which is within sight. Yet, I still know ( like those nutty women who hold on tight to their purses during a mugging) the tendency would be to stay and fight for my easel, paints etc.. Or at least attempt to break it down before fleeing. I am a person who uses pliers to squeeze out the last drop of paint from the tube, so I will hardly relinquish my cherished painting supplies easily!

The local fishing/hunting stores sell police quality pepper sprays. A woman alone should at least carry something along those lines. It's a sad but true fact of life.

Renee

[artbabe21]

Lisa & Renee,
Yep, I agree it's intuition, vibes too, that helps sizing up as well. I am a hide & lock w/valuables too, from my growing up in CA days, it just makes sense especially now days. Pepper spray to me is a must due to bear, mountain lion that are in the forest we call home.

On another note, I had 'found' a nice simple spot yesterday, in my yard to try my first plein aire {if I don't paint & show, I can't hang out here too much longer} but I was a little late on the sun so decided I would try it today until I woke up to SNOW, a winter snow watch is STILL in effect! But after last year's summer full of fires, and one just a mile from out home, this isn't making me too unhappy. We need the moisture! But winter would have been preferable for it to fall! Hope you have a great day painting everyone!
Cathleen~

[snuffy]

we had a family reunion at brazos bend park a few years ago. two of my cousins got there early and went fishing. a gator surfaced a few feet away from them and they took turns hitting it on the nose with their fishing lures. it is a lovely place to paint.

[walden]

Here's the final version, with Renee's suggestions implemented. The tree is still a little wider up top than down below, but I didn't want to run the risk of really messing it up.

[walden]

P.S. Adjusting these photos is driving me nuts-- the first one was too bright, this one is too dull, the painting is actually somewhere in the middle-- probably closer to this one, though.

[Rose Queen]

This is just lovely, walden! You've taken the first big step and it's all a skate from here. We expect to see a lot more of your work in the plein air forum now...

[walden]

Thank you, Rose Queen.

When I was finishing this painting, I could have started another one in the exact same place, because the light had changed so much that it became a different painting, but I didn't have time. So, I made some mental notes as to what had changed (next time, I might write them down, maybe even a quick sketch, & note color mixes.) Anyway, I did this new version as a studio painting based on my plein air and memory. (I omitted the spanish moss because it just seemed like too much.) This is also posted in the landscape forum. "Path to the Pier" 11 x 14, oil on masonite.

[artbabe21]

Lisa, bravo! You are moving along so beautifully! Love those shadows!
Cathleen~