I wanted to paint a creek when we landed at the private estate paint. It looked as though they had damed up a creek to form the lake, so I hiked way into the tall grass and woods to see what the inlet looked like. Brush was too dense and the light too dark for a good painting. So I headed the opposite direction to see if the row of distant trees led to water. After a long hike through a corn field and some very wet terrain - this gorgeous scene opened up from a narrow deer trail through dense poison ivy. It was breath-taking! I hiked back to the car for my gear, and headed back. An hour had elapsed since arriving, and I got to work. Almost finished, I heard something approaching me from the creek bank, which dropped 20 feet from the edge which I was near. I started talking to it, not wanting to surprise a bobcat - as there were all kinds of tracks around. Crackling continued over the dry brush, and began to move as it headed towards me. It was a snake more than 5 feet long that passed within 2 feet of me! It looked like a water moccasin! I watched it until it was gone, and got back to work. THEN, I heard the same noise coming up the bank - only louder, like it was a heavier snake. I decided right then that my painting was done and I quickly packed my gear and headed back to civilization! Painting number 851 in 851 days - I should have named this "snake waters"!
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| On location |
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| Honorable Mention Award |
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