Woodland strolls in the nick of time: autumn!

I have had the good fortune to explore a few of Concord’s many beautiful trails in the last couple weeks. My companion sets the pace walking ahead of me, and I am grateful that she strolls rather than hikes.

I have always wondered why people scamper along in the woods when there is so much peace to experience, so much beauty, such exquisite filtered light that you couldn’t possibly see anywhere else. Striding along at a steady (read: fast) clip is not for me and never was, even when I had far better eyesight, less arthritis, and greater bronchial capacity! The only challenge I have on our saunters now is struggling to refrain from saying, “Ouu, look at that!” every five minutes.

By golly, I’m learning…

Those of you who have seen my artwork know that I love detail, I paint and sketch at a glacial pace, and I work small. What you may not know is that I smile and sigh aloud when I see other artists’ spontaneous, impressionistic, juicy watercolors. I belong to three watercolor groups on Facebook, and have been known to gasp at images that leave much of the detail to the viewer’s imagination.

So I am proud to say that today I was able to stop when I was “half-done,” and I really like the results. More air, less paint.

Here is the scene-

-and here is my day’s play.

As my mentor Gif Russell used to say, ” To refrain from ‘fiddling’, use a small piece of paper and a huge brush.”

It also helps if someone grabs your brush out of your hand before it’s too late!