Here is what we painted on South Branch Pond; most of it was trying out either new approaches or new materials.

(The one second from the bottom one was done by our daughter.)

I enjoyed the new sumi ink used above and will try sketching more with it.

The two claybord pieces below, I’m not sure I’ve yet found my rhythm with. As a carver, I’m still looking for a way to use  claybord that floats my boat– so far I like it better in merely black and white.

The first of the two gouaches was me trying to paint a wonderful statement our daughter repeated over and over on this trip, “This brings me so much joy!” What better thing for a mother to hear? It made me so happy I wanted to capture it. The other gouache was me expressing a line from a hymn that was a refrain for me, “Trust in God and Understand,” since I love so much that both of those things are not only possible, but I’m learning to do them. It feels to me that takes a lot of attention to detail, which accounts for intricacy of that work.

The Howe’s Fall’s sketch and the Odd Light sketch were quickies to capture a moment to remember. Sketching something embeds it in my memory bank better than a photo does.

In the next place, Katahdin Stream, I got more serious about painting in plein air than these minor explorations, and exultant bursts, which nonetheless captured the spirit of our time there.