Almost Heaven
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze …
John Denver
Dave and I are in one of our happy places—Lost River State Park in West Virginia, living in a basic cabin for five days, hiking the hills, pausing again and again to take in the quiet, relaxing with the greatest of contentment in front of fire after fire in the stone fireplace here. Almost heaven, for sure!
And I have begun expressing the wonder of these older-than-the-trees-younger-than-the-mountains days here by painting, watching what appears on paper as I work in a little makeshift space with a wobbly table using the limited supplies I elected to bring with me.
Today, these growin’-like-a-breeze work-in-progress paint sketches have taken shape:
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12 responses to “Almost Heaven”
The universe is a funny place. I was just introduced to a John Denver album I had never heard. I found it on YouTube, and had a listen. I’m in a Denver state of mind. LOL
Denver for John. And Denver for Colorado. Where most of my John Denver memories take place. Not sure if it is your mention. But these instantly took me to days spent in the Rockies. Exploring or hiking in the sun. Swatting at the bugs, moving branches out the the way. Feeling the tall grass on my bare legs. Jumping over the creek. Or in it. I can hear the crickets, the birds, the water. And my Dad yelling at me to catch up.
Wonderful textures and marks, and mood!What a marvellous work you just made. I wish you a beautiful time with Dave (we’ll ‘talk’ soon). I sing with my choir now an arranged version of ‘Shenandoah’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKU1suDfpwk).
Simone, what fun to know that your choir will be singing a version of ‘Shenandoah,’ a classic well-known American folk tune.
Thanks for your thumbs-up to my vacation paint sketches yesterday—this format and process are captivating for me, and lend themselves well to painting while away from home. I enjoy the ‘free and easy’ nature of their creation.
Thanks, too, for your well wishes for our vacation. We are indeed having a beautiful time. As we’ve hiked West Virginia mountain trails I’ve thought often of your GR10 experience of the summer—with awe all over again.
Oh, fun to have you ask color questions!
In these sketches, mostly
3 inexpensive Blick matte colors—red deep, blue medium, yellow medium;
black India ink;
and Liquitex white gesso.Also a few drops of Golden quinacridone nickel azo gold fluid acrylic and Golden hansa yellow medium hi-flow transparent acrylic.
Hey, Lola, totally fun to romp around making these sketches. I’ve been thinking of the Inclement Weather Hiking Society as Dave and I navigate these WV mountains. After two days of hiking we can barely walk! But the solitude, the trees, the mountains, the sky, the song of the wild—SO restorative and enlivening!
MaryAnn, thanks for taking note of my mention of the wobbly table! I eventually found a way to stabilize it by tucking it flush against both walls of a corner in one room. I always have trouble limiting my supplies when prepping to paint on a trip, but I stayed committed this time to bringing with me no more than could fit in only one small bin. The only thing I’ve missed with any seriousness is some workable fixative, but I consider its absence part of this week’s investigation : )
Seems like a fantasy worth indulging as an antidote to your current circumstances, Carol
.I did enjoy myself thoroughly : )
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