Winter on the Animas

Winter on the Animas
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 16"

I started this painting last summer. After working outside until the heat drove me in, the coolness of my basement studio called to me, as did the subject matter. I’d taken this photo late last winter when we were walking along the Animas River. I didn’t have much time that day, so I barely blocked out the shapes before I had to stop. The canvas sat cold and forlorn in the studio until I picked it up the other day and decided it was worth working on again.

Our river has its own personality that changes with the seasons. In the spring, when the snow melts, it’s a roiling torrent the shade of a latte. As the melt wanes, shades of green come back to it and eventually some blue. By fall, it is a mélange of green and gold, splashes of vibrant yellow and orange where it reflects the fall colors and carries leaves south to New Mexico. In winter, the water transforms to an inky blue-black as the surrounding landscape fades to shades of blue and gray; the branches of the shrubs and trees spare and bare bones along the banks.

This snowy week off has given me plenty of studio time—I've already started another painting, from a photo I took this past fall as we were driving through a section of Capitol Reef on the way to Boulder, Utah...stay tuned.