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This painting is part of my "Hidden Waters" series. Water is my element. I love the moods, colors, rhythm, movement, reflections, and stillness of water in all its forms. It is where I go when I need to be in solitude or need a balm for my soul. However, when I paint, I am unerringly drawn to the hidden waters in out of the way small towns, villages, forests and estates near where I live that residents as well as tourists rarely, if ever, get to see. Whether it is a river, stream, creek, cove, waterfall or interior wetland I want to paint it, especially if the scene includes the intersection of water with the trees along the banks. I am intrigued by that interplay of fluidity with the solidness and seeming permanence of trees and rocks. As I see the world, it speaks to life and how it moves and flows around a solid immovable core of values.
The colors, serenity and sound of the waterfall inspired me to capture this scene to include in my series. I began with a hard pastel /Gamsol underpainting to map in the darks and large shapes, creating the atmosphere upon which to build my final layers of soft pastel. I wanted to create that feeling of shady coolness one experiences hiking in a forest coming upon this hidden waterfall while at the same time celebrate the colors of the season, which is my favorite one to paint.
