Spring Green

After a very chilly, gloomy! dark week, the sun blasted out in full glory. I took a wander back to check on the little creek just in back of my studio. I’ve painted there many times in all different seasons, but I’d never painted this particular view. That bright, green grass that pops up in the Spring is such a cheery sight! Tiny minnows darted about in the stream. Sand hill cranes squawked in the distance. Turkey vultures soared overhead. Ach — was that a tick I felt on my leg?

The ground was super-mushy. I had on my newest hiking boots but luckily I was able to avoid the black, sticky clay that loves to suck you in up to your ankles. My devoted cat, Picasso, followed me, but didn’t stay long. He left, fur all puffed-up. He’s got the heebie-jeebies back there. Bobcats, coyotes, weasels, foxes — all scary things in the swamp.

Here’s my setup: