In the northwest quadrant of thrumming Washington, DC, Rock Creek is a surprising refuge from the city's noise and traffic. On the year's hottest Sunday afternoon so far, we forced ourselves to venture out. Parking the car in a small shady lot, we walked down the creekside trail, sheltered from the blazing late day sun under a high canopy of broadleaf giants, until we found a quiet bend in the stream. A pebble strewn wash where I could sit and experiment with this unwieldy medium, a grassy patch of bank where Ina could read the Sunday New York Times and enjoy the soft burble of shallow flowing water. Walking back through hushed woods in the failing light, an owl call echoed through the trees.
Regressive results on paper that I reluctantly post here as an exercise in humility, but a lovely little outing to remind us that we can find beauty in unexpected places.
thumbnail sketch, colored pencil
watercolor, 14" x 10"
watercolor, 11" x 7"