Autumn Walk

My wife and I took a ride up the Poconos to see the last of the fall colors. Prior commitments kept us from going up last week during the peak. Near the end of the day we stopped off at Promised Land State Park, a park we are very familar with. As we walked by this tree I noticed how the remaining leaves matched the color of Maria's sweatshirt and shoes.

Autumn Walk

10x8, Acrylic

Collection of Maria O'Driscoll

Uprooted

Uprooted

18x24

Oil

$385.00 unframed

Floods earlier in the year washed away the bank and exposed the roots. I stood there in awe of that massive root system. We passed by this tree every year in the twenty years we been going up there. I knew right away I wanted to do a painting of this, so I pulled out my portable paintbox I carry. The picture on top shows the on site sketch I did that day. In the studio painting I wanted to convey a feeling of sadness, perhaps I was wondering about myself in 20 years. The next year we went up, it had completely fallen over.

Breakfast

Breakfast
15x22
Watercolor
$175.00

This was our breakfast each morning. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, spam, wrapped in tin foil . I cooked the breakfasts the day before we left, and wrapped them in tin foil so all we had to do was heat them up. No cleaning up, no dishes to wash, just throw the foil in the trash and we were on our way. I liked the warm glow from the embers on the side of the fire ring. It was a welcome sight and helped fight off the 38 degree morning temps.

Moonlit Night

Moonlit Night
Watercolor
Not for Sale

In the years when we used to camp in the tent, the nights were so quiet. You would be laying there waiting for sleep to take over and every once in a while you would hear an owl calling. And in the distance you would here the faint reply from another owl. That would go on back and forth and before you knew it you were asleep.
This painting is the result of all the memories from those quiet moonlit nights.

Fishing Pictures

Tom fighting a rainbow trout on Cross Fork Creek

Brook trout in spawning colors

Coopers Hawk we rescued, had a broken wing. It took a while to gain his confidence, I was waiting for him to take a hunk out of my hand. We found a wildlife rehabilitator that took him.

Our trip this year is from Oct 27 to Nov 1.

Light in the Forest

Light in the Forest 20x16 Acrylic Sold

This is a studio painting done from studies on site. I am out the door at first light while Tom enjoys a longer sleep. As the sun clears the edge of the mountain , shafts of light break thru the trees illuminating the pine needles on the forest floor. The good thing about it when I get back an hour later Tom has a big country breakfast ready. What a good morning.

Autumn the Season of Change

I think October is my favorite month. Not only for the explosion of color from the trees, but the fishing is in high gear in the trout streams this time of year. The trout 's mating colors start matching the color of the leaves. My brother Tom and I have been taking a trip up to northcentral Pa. every October since the early 80's. We fish streams like Slate Run, Young Womans Creek, Cedar Run, Spring Creek, Kettle Creek and the list goes on. All those years except for the last three we camped in a tent, cooked our meals over a fire, sat and talked around the campfire all night. Alot of those years it rained at least two or three days out of the week. Now we rent a modern cabin, eat indoors ,sleep on beds, stay dry. We are older now.

Meeting the Sun II 8x10
Oil on canvas panel $210 not framed

This was painted minutes after the previous painting. You can see how fast the sun moves.
I like being out this early, it is such a quiet time, and the colors are so much richer.

My Route

Meeting the sun 5"x 7"
Oil on canvas panel 55.00

Where I live (Bucks County,Pa.) we have a good number of County and State Parks. Core Creek Park is about 8 to 10 minutes away, so I usually start there to meet the sun as it comes up.

New Blog

Welcome to my blog. In this blog I will be taking you painting with me. I will try to explain why I choose subjects to paint, which most of the time will be because of the mood each scene projects.

I have favorite areas I visit constantly, some because they are close to home (good for sunrises), others because I have spent a lot of time there fishing the lakes and streams and hiking thru the woods. These places end up meaning something to you , and this is what you try to get inside your paintings.

Oh yea, we are probably going to go fishing too. Wait till you see some of the trout streams we visit, crystal clear water, wild trout, deep forests. The quiet is unbelievable. Pennslvania has so many trout streams you couldnt fish them all in a lifetime.