Blue Mountain No. 2

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Another view of the lake in the Blue Mountain Preserve. A peaceful morning, punctuated by the occasional dog walker reasoning with her dog as if it were human. But most of the time it was just me and little scurrying woodland critters. I love this early stage of fall, when most of the trees are still green, with isolated spots of brightness.

Little Red Boat

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I love this little boat; it has personality. The dock was too skinny and tippy to stand on, so I sat down and dangled my feet in the water while painting this one.

Very Old Tug

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I discovered this boat yard a couple weeks ago. It appears to be where boats go to live out their final days. There must be a hundred boats in various stages of decrepitude, leaning this way and that, with grass growing up between them. It seemed deserted and somewhat creepy. I wandered around for a while, feeling just a tiny bit scared, not knowing what I’d encounter around the next hull. Then I found this tug. It’s falling apart, rotting into the river. But I love it. It was built in 1911. I’ve since met the owner of the yard, and now it’s not creepy at all. I’ve painted the tug twice so far, once perched on an old steel barge next to it, and today on a nice, solid dock.

Portrait Painting: I will be painting half-hour portraits this Sunday at the Ajna Wellness Center Artisan Fair in Croton. Email me if you’d like to schedule a portrait ahead of time, or just stop by. We’ll be there from 12 to 4. 

Teatown Lake

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I brought a thermos of tea to keep me warm while I painted today, but the cup rolled into the lake, never to be seen again. And I discovered that I cannot drink scalding hot tea straight from the thermos. But it was a beautiful, sunny morning at Teatown. A big blue heron let me get quite close, and a swan swam over to see what I was doing. There are so many colors on the water this time of year--the trees are just hinting at changing, the lily pads are still bright but with a touch of gold, and there’s some nice purple-y stuff floating around with them. 

Blue Mountain

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I painted today at Blue Mountain, one of my favorite places to paint once the fall colors start. Lots of great trails for running, too. It was pretty chilly standing still in the woods, where the morning sun couldn't quite reach me. But it was worth it to be all alone, painting, listening to critters and birds move about, and the occasional plop of something small in the pond. Time to start bringing along a thermos of hot tea.