My brother was up in Northern Vermont recently and went for a hike up Mount Mansfield. So gorgeous! That’s a hike we have done several times together, so we knew it’s be a fun one to paint for our sibling Sunday. This view is looking towards the Northeast Kingdom. Summit views are so magnificent, aren’t they.
What a doozie of a week it has been–lots and lots of wind and rain and fast moving skies. I was so thankful to get lost in the quiet of this morning stillness from earlier this month for our sibling Sunday today. I took the first ferry into town one morning and the light was exquisite as it started to wake the shores. My brother and I couldn’t resist painting this scene with the sun-kissed island and the rippling waters. So pretty!
Happy Halloween, friends!
I could have just stayed in this moment forever. I walked out of the woods onto the granite ledges and the afternoon light on the little islands, rocks and water was spectacular. I couldn’t help but sit, put my feet in the water and take it all in. I shared a few images with my brother for our sibling set and this was the one that called out to us for today. I’ve been so lucky to get to take in so many beautiful moments, and while I head home to Portland tomorrow, I will carry this island visit with me for a very, very long time.
I sat in the on some warm rocks yesterday morning and painted one of my favorite Lane’s Island views. I just love the pine trees and the brush field on this hill and the way it meets the ocean. And the light sparkling across the water was intoxicating. Just trying to soak it all up. It was fun to watch the lobster boats go in and out of the channel as I painted too–and Pebbles the dog soaked up the magic as well.
I walked out the the end of the beach this morning to admire the brisk October sunrise. It did not disappoint. This is a view looking over towards Isle au Haut with the trees of Bob Meadow Point silhouetted. It was beautiful and the air felt so crisp and good on my cheeks. 🙂
For our sibling set this week we’ve got pieces inspired by a trail walk I did the other day that dropped me at the end of a cove with these huge granite rocks. I just can’t get over all of the granite ledges everywhere. They really are magical! And the lower the tide, the more that gets exposed. This particular scene happens to be closer to high tide. It’s really amazing to watch all that gets uncovered with each tide cycle. And the gorgeous trees were a bonus. 🙂
I can just feel the daylight being squeezed out of these gorgeous October days, but that’s ok, because the sunsets have been magic. I caught this one on the bridge to Lane’s Island the other day and it filled me right up. Just look at the glow! I’m trying to take in as many of these moments as I can to carry me into the shorter days to come. xo
Every painting tells a story and I’m going to tell you the behind the scenes story to this one. I headed out on a morning painting adventure yesterday, determined to find a little trail I had heard about. It was somewhat hidden, but I propped my bike up against a tree and followed a narrow path out to a lovely creek at low, low tide.
I scouted around for a minute and decided to rock hop over to the perfect painting ledge. The sun was beating down and the rocks looked dry, but as I stepped from one rock to another my feet slipped out from under me and I threw my water bottle 50 feet behind me and found myself on the ground with my paint bag, nestled between 2 rocks and some seaweed. Ouch! I brushed my scrapes off, retrieved my water bottle and my pride and set up a few rocks closer to shore. The autumn shoreline across from me was calling … so many gorgeous colors popping in the morning light.
When I was finished painting and roasting in the sun, I wrapped up my supplies and walked the path back to my bike and hopped on. As I pedaled a dirt road, I felt my painting shift in my bag … when I got home I found that the painting had flipped and 1/4 of it had been rubbing against my back the whole ride home. What a mess. 🙂 I almost scrapped the whole thing, but in the end, I couldn’t resist finishing the colorful autumn shore. 🙂
I took a late afternoon hike the other day on a trail that I had never been on before and there were so many wonderful elements of surprise–including this spectacular view looking down Long Cove. The trees have really started to turn on the island and the glow of the afternoon sun combined with the crunching of the leaves underfoot and the smell of pine trees in the air made for a heavenly walk with my pup. So many unexpected joys and so much beauty. I’m so grateful. I shared this picture with my brother for our sibling Sunday painting. We used the exact same composition this time, so these 2 paintings really do look similar, with each of our styles coming through. So fun!
This morning I walked down the street to sit near a dock. There were lobster traps piled high everywhere I looked and this teal dory just called to me. I was about halfway through the painting when 2 guys and dog walked down this dock and hopped in the boat and took off. I was glad that didn’t happen right away. 🙂 Such a gorgeous morning to sit quietly by the water and see the comings and goings of the lobster boats.