The Gorge
9" x 12" oil on board
This is the Potomac River Gorge in Great Falls National Park - Virginia Side. It didn't win a ribbon, but I had more fun painting this one than almost any other.
After hiking downriver almost a mile with all of my gear, I came to a set of stairs leading down into a gorge cut by a creek and steeply back up the other side. I didn't want to hike much farther because I would have to hike back the same distance while carrying my painting, but I decided to see what was at the top of the stairs. My curiosity paid off with a great vista and no one else around - lack of people being equally as important as the vista...although a random guy did ask to take a selfie with me, which I obliged.
The day was spectacular, but the wind was howling down the river and I was perched on the edge of a cliff, so I had to keep my foot on the easel to prevent it from flying into the gorge while watching my own step and making sure no other supplies landed in the the river.
The cloud shadow was a risk that paid off. It looked terrible at first, but I kept adjusting it each time a cloud passed and, to me, it makes the painting. Here's a view of my setup and the vista:
