Melting Snow, Sleeping Trees

After a cold and snowy month of winter, a warm spell sweeps through the countryside. Beneath the old, sleeping trees, the snow slowly melts away in the low-angle light as shadows are cast across the dried grass and reeds.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Snowy Evening Road

The first snow of the year falls across a country road as evening stretches across the land. Streetlights illuminate the snow and add a holiday spirit to the scene.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Sweetgums by the Bay

In Down's Memorial Park, old sweetgum trees turn shades of orange and crimson by the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. The autumn breeze scatters leaves in the low sunlight.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

New Trees in Fall

I've been attending tree planting events at Patapsco State Park for a number of years now, and this weekend was the one for this year. Here, we see a few of the new trees in their fall colors planted in a field near the Visitor's Center, while older giants stand quietly in the background.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Patapsco Waterfall in Autumn

Patapsco state park has a small, rocky water fall not far up the hill from the Swinging Bridge. The waterfall, while small, drains into a cluttered rock pool before splashing down a cascade of rocks into a small stream that enters the main river. This scene is inspired by that waterfall, though idealized - the actual waterfall rarely runs this dramatically and the pool has been cluttered with fallen trees in recent years. Here, we see what can be - the little waterfall running strong into a deep pool of cool water under the golden leaves of autumn.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Labor Day by the River

Here in the U.S., this is Labor Day weekend, a celebration of the working class and all the effort they have put into building this nation. So, it seems to me to be a good time to go for a walk in the woods to enjoy the meandering river and the late summer sun beneath the trees and on the drying grass. Work can wait for another time!

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Broken Moon

The last of a recent patch of sci-fi paintings, here we see a watery, temperate world from the perspective of its ring system. The rings were formed many thousands of years ago when the planet's moon, once in a long decaying orbit, finally crossed the Roche Limit and was broken apart. The end result is a beautiful ring around the world and many small meteors that light up the sky as the debris slowly rains down.

Digital painting created in Photoshop Elements 10