I have been taking a little heat lately because with all the snow we have had here in Middle Tennessee I have implied that I could stand a little more. Didn't go over so well. I understand that when your kids will be going to school on July the 4th and the tow truck drivers around here are starting to shop for property in Belle Meade you may be kind of tired of it. I understand that. But there is still something illogical about me that would like another snow storm tonight. I love walking in it, hunting in it, painting in it, and especially driving in it. Yeah, driving in it. I know. I think I may enjoy the cold and snow because I have never had to deal with real snow and cold. The kind that covers the windows on your house and lands in October and stays until May. I went to Door County Wisconsin once and as I stood gazing at the Green Bay one of the locals told me, "yeah, you can drive across it in your truck in January."
It's a Bay. A big one. Sheesh.
If you really want to get a chill, read The Endurance. It's the story of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1914. After arriving in the Antarctic area, their ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and eventually crushed, crushed, by the ice. They walked for miles dragging and carrying their lifeboats and equipment until reaching open water where they endured some of the most brutally cold conditions I have ever heard of humans enduring. All before the advent of Gore-tex and Thinsulate. The descriptions of the cold and ice they suffered is unbelievable. Did this for months and months over thousands of mile. A testament to the resilience of the human species.
The piece above was done on the last day we had snow and as I painted it the snow in it was completely gone by the time I had finished and I haven't seen any since. Sigh.
2 comments:
Love your painting, the way the light plays on the snow and the shadows. I also am one of those who loves the snow, to paint it, drive in it, taking walks in the quiet serenity of a snow covered landscape.
I love walking in it, too. Night time walks in the snowy woods are the best. I remember the day you described. There was good snow coverage in the morning, and by afternoon, almost all of it had melted. At least you're able to paint quickly! Good job capturing the wintery look before it disappeared.
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