MID-SUMMER MORNING

This painting is a little unusual for me as I usually avoid summer scenes with the often overpowering vision of leafy green vegetation. I have overcome this somewhat by using more yellow greens which are balanced by the blue in the sky. My painting shows a scene in the nearby reserve looking down a small valley across a tall grassy meadow. Trees are bathed in the morning sun and the hazy air has created softer forms in the distance. Two streams converge here then feed into a slightly larger river, the flow of these is dependent on the amount of rain. Still, adventurous beavers have moved in damming a lower section and generally making a nuisance of themselves, felling trees and the like. Still, I'm always glad to see them.

I was reminded of England while working on this painting as I have seen many similar scenes over there. The view shown is a favourite of mine and I have spent many an hour painting in this spot noting the comings and goings of deer, foxes, and the many species of birds including a pair of Raven (rare around here) on a cold blustery fall day. This painting though shows a peaceful summer day before any real heat has built up. Slow moving clouds are passing and this more than anything suggests peace and that all is right in the world. I wanted to give a pastoral feel of timelessness to the scene and a feeling that this vision could be played out in many parts of the world. Mid-Summer Morning is 9" X 12" in oil.