That nasty cold has finally moved on to wherever colds go. This landscape painter is back at work. It's weird but sometimes if I haven't painted in a while I have the thought way in the back of my mind that maybe I've forgotten everything I ever knew about painting, that I'd go pick up a paintbrush and not have a clue as to which end goes on the canvas. Guess it's that cold med doing the thinking;)

Finally finished up one of the paintings posted earlier during the discussion about artists knowing when a painting is finished... and this one is.

"Yesterday's Pastures", 16 by 20 inches, oil on canvas.

Let me tell you a bit about this scene because it's close to my heart. I've passed it on Route 78 many times. It's along a stretch of road with no place to stop and set up an easel. Too dangerous. I've sketched it and taken reference photos many times because I really love the lay of the land here. It was my plan to somehow figure out a safe place to park for a couple of hours and paint it. Then last fall the Witch Creek Wildfire came and burnt this whole area to a crisp. That's Witch Creek there between the front and back pastures. The wildfire got its start on a ranch east of  here. It took off and ran down the dry creek bed that fed plenty of trees and brush, making perfect fuel.

Now nature is repairing all the damage and one day in the future the scene will look just this good again. Meanwhile I wanted to paint it using my reference material. I bet nature never forgets what she's doing, even if she's been sick for a while!