A slight breeze sends a wave of silver through the trees as their leaves catch the evening sun. Bending branches set a family of starlings to flight, creating an abstract of black wings against the cotton clouds. I pause with my effort to relate the scene before me, watching nature's choreographed flight. Henry, too, takes in the flowing abstract of black wings. Ready for a treat, he stretches under my easel. A day of exploring the roadside wildflowers and hunting quick field mice, he settles back to his space below the easel, having received his reward of a chewy treat. A touch of silver to the tree tops and I feel the breeze in my painting. Indian Yellow brings a bit of richness to the goldenrod lining the valley stream, winding its way through my painting.
A passerby slows, Henry pauses and sits up. I got two thumbs up and told where I might like to try my skills again tomorrow. Always nice to get approval from those who know the country. Sometimes it's a tail wag - Henry knows when to lay it on. Sitting in my lap, he really understands my explanation for things I leave out and the flowers I add that aren't there. Some trips out, even with the paints, are to simply gather information. How many greens are out there among the grasses and trees? Sometimes I carry a study to a finished work of art. I look for studies that contain elements in a scene like a road or a path, a house or structure of some kind. It's a way of stretching the range of color and adds a sense of place. Usually I talk these things out with Henry.
