Summer Storm

February 2015

In addition to my commissioned work, I am putting together a collection of my own paintings to do a show this spring or summer (assuming winter ends?!).  You will be able to look for paintings like “September Afternoon, Olson House”, “Walden Pond Winter” and my newest painting “Summer Storm”.

This painting is inspired by a camping trip with my good friends Steve and Joe a few years ago in upstate New York.  As it seems to be the norm with me and camping, this trip was made more eventful by torrential down-pour.  At one point, the three of us sat under a makeshift lean-to while so much water poured in around us we had to lift our feet to keep them out of 6-inch deep puddles.

When the storm cleared in the evening, though, we were treated with some of the most spectacular views we have seen.  This painting is a combination of my memory and several different shots.  What I wanted to capture most was the clouds that looked like they were alive – climbing and swirling.  The silhouettes of the trees seemed to join in with the climbing and swirling shapes, while the light made everything look like it was on fire. 

Rain or not, going back to these summer images was a nice escape from our never-ending snow storm.