Painting en plein air at Bee Tree Park in Oakville, MO

SUMMARY OF PLACE:

It was a fairly bright morning. The atmosphere contained a lot of moisture, but no clouds were in the offing. This scene is Illinois river bottom at rest in late winter. My vantage point was the top of a high Missouri bluff on the western side of the Mississippi river. More specifically, I was situated on the eastern courtyard of the Nims Mansion inside Bee Tree Park. I was looking east and south over the bottomland. The distant hills (Valmeyer Mountain on the left) were silhouetted by the bright eastern sky, and light was striking the distant farm on its north front.

INSPIRATION:

Even in the winter, Illinois farmland exudes life and fertility. My goal for the painting was to capture the blessing and fruitfulness of this farmland amidst the common brown and gray of winter.

Illinois Winter Watercolor 12X16