No. 251 - North Chickamauga Creek

6" x 9" - Oil on Canvas Panel

After a nice break from work and "normal" life it's good to get back into the groove and kick the new year off right. My big goal for 2015 is to attempt another 100 paintings.

I've gotten to a point where it should be less painful than 2010 or 2011, but we'll have to see how the year unfolds. Even though I'm still learning, it's more of a joy now to paint vs. when I started back. So, here we go...

No. 251 was done on location late last Fall in Chattanooga, TN. I took a plein air workshop with Caleb Goggans though Townsend Atelier in Chattanooga. The weekend started with a little overview/talk at Townsend and then we drove up to the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge natural area. 

Painting along the river was one part art and one part hiking. I had to do a good bit of climbing around on rocks (with all my gear) to find the right spot, and it was overwhelming at first. I'm always a little wound up when a new class or workshop starts and there was so much to take in that it was hard to buckle down and focus. 

I had never painted rocks or rivers so most of the colors and textures felt very new. Caleb was a huge help and worked with me to zero in on some of the trouble areas.