"Morning Dream"

5" x 7"

Oil on hardboard panel

Sold

I love to paint outdoors, but sometimes the necessities of work and homelife conspire to make that difficult to do on a daily basis. Right now is one of those times. I am working a night job to pay the bills in these lean times and spending time with my son is my top priority right now. Even though I'm stuck in my studio more than I would like to be, I still manage to get out to paint a little and take photos now and then.

Recently, I was looking through some old plein air studies in hopes of finding some inspiration, and I came across one that I did a couple of summers ago (when life seemed simpler), and I decided to re-work the idea a little. The thing I liked best about this little painting was the memories I associate with it. It was painted at Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park when I had my ten year old son in tow. He slept all the way up to the trailhead and didn't even protest when we started hike before sunrise. We made it up to the lake and I was all set-up to paint when the sun came out and just kissed the tops of the trees. The changing light and my son's eagerness to move on meant I only had a short time to capture the moment, but it made me realize that it was the moment that was so special. If someone were to ask me why I like to paint landscapes so much, I'd probably tell them that it's to capture those moments, or to somehow convey to others what it's like to experience those moments, but the thuth is: experiencing the moment itself is reason enough... paintings, photos, stories to tell... those are just by-products.