Nudge, Nudge …

Whenever one of his daughters has been on stage, so to speak—playing in a recital, getting into a college of choice, winning an award—my dad's reflex response has been to literally or figuratively elbow whomever is beside him to say proudly, "That's my daughter!"

During the 1990s, Walt Hatch, member and then-president of the Bethel (Maine) Conservation Commission, was the key player in developing and then overseeing a foot trail on Mt. Will to increase public awareness of the natural resources and beauty of the Androscoggin River Valley. He secured permissions from town selectmen for the section of trail running to the North Ledges in the 115-acre Bethel Town Forest, secured permissions and licenses from other landowners for extensions of the trail to a South Cliffs section, made and maintained descriptive signs providing a guide to understanding the natural and logging history of the area, and personally placed flower signs next to specimens (105 different flowers!) as they bloomed annually.

Nudge, nudge … That's my father!

The second painting in my current series is of the sky over the Androscoggin River, perhaps as it might be seen from an outcropping partway up Mt. Will.

Androscoggin Sky
4x4", tissue, acrylic, ink, and pastels on stretched canvas
landscape
2015
[not for sale]