#0608 "February Fence"

 

#0608 "February Fence"
18 X 24 (inches).
Started Saturday afternoon, February 1st, 2003.

I finished my Watershed Farm chores by 2 pm. The family Chesapeake and I felt inspired to paint. We ended up on the south side of the neighbour's property, looking toward the southwest and the fallen-down fence bordering the Coulter's fields. The only thing that really keeps the cows in is the precipitous drop on the north side of the fence line.

I dug into the snow so that I wouldn't fall flat on my ass. My pacing back and forth turned the slope into ice, and more than once I had to catch myself. It was a mild 4 Celsius and very pleasant with almost no wind. The colours and multitude of tracks in the snow, as well as the lines of the fence, were what caught my eye. There was even a minnie snow roller that had tumbled down off the fence line. I included that as the round disk on the left side of the painting. The roller got hung up halfway down the slope. 

My Chesapeake managed to break off a limb of a tree. She delivered it to me to throw for her after she had suitably gnawed off the smaller branches. I tossed it periodically the rest of the afternoon until there was nothing left except a chunk of wood the size of a baseball. By that time it was dark and I had to bail anyway.

I wish that I had pictures to supplement those memories. I was still using a film camera so thought twice before I took any pictures. Digital cameras would make in-progress images very affordable, but that had not happened for me yet in 2003. 

Other paintings along this part of the fence line: #0610, #0618, #0629 #0879.  Also see the larger offspring of this plein air sketch at #1084 "The Son of the Fence"

This was the day the Space Shuttle Columbia blew up over northern Texas at 200,000 feet of altitude and travelling at Mach 18. All seven of the crew died at 9.00 am EST. 

The Chesapeake assisted me while I painted #0615 "Bough-zers".
She was always with me when I painted, even in the Studio. 

We loved that dog! She and her friend, the Maine Coon cat, would line up for special suppers. Both would accompany me outside on walks or when I painted. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick