Light on the Path

Parkway Series #167   12 x 16   oil   Sold

I love the metaphor of "light on the path".  All of my life, I have felt the Lord leading me in "the way I should go", not that I always heeded His directions.  As my husband and I hiked this trail up to Linville Falls, I was captured by the magical moment of light filtering through the trees and going before us!  This moment was so breaktaking I had to paint it.  Sometimes it is hard to do justice to these moments, but it's fun to try.

Mt. Mitchell, N. C.

Parkway Series #166  12 x 16  oil    $85.   Sold    prints now available

We were extremely surprised on our trip to Ashville when we ran into heavy ice on Mt. Mitchell.  My expectations of beautiful flowers at Craggy Gardens and hiking to Crabtree Falls was shattered with ice laden trees, fog, and bitter cold winds.  I guess I forgot that seasons can change with just a few feet of elevation.  Mount Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi;  the next time we try "going South" will be late August!

Linville Falls

Parkway Series # 165  12 x 16  oil   SOLD

The sound of water running over rocks and the warm sunlight and the woodland smells all filled my senses as I hiked along the path up to the falls on this gorgeous day.  The water was so clear you could see the sandy bottom and so the rougher water reflected the sky and the in calmer places the yellow- ochre of the sand gave the water a greenish tint.  The blue-violet of the rocks and the yellow-green of the grass and water fill the painting with complementary colors and the dark warm reds peeking through in the background add even more subtle contrast.

Tanbark Tunnel

Parkway Series #164   12 x 16  oil    Sold    prints now available

Virginia has many Parkway bridges even double bridges but I would be interested to know if there are any Parkway tunnels.  The North Carolina tunnels are amazingly beautiful.  This tunnel painting, because of the many shades of green, was painted on a red background for contrast.  The red highlights add to the drama of the light and dark patterns.

Tanbark Ridge Overlook

Parkway Series #163  12 x 16   oil   Sold

The North Carolina mountains are much higher than the Virginia mountains.  On our trip to Ashville, I wanted to capture the incredible views and rolling countryside.  The blues and greens and spring time yellows carpeted the landscape to create a tapestry that is so unique to that area;  I believe there a few places in the world that can compare to the beauty of the Blue Ridge.

Intelligent Design

Parkway Series #162  11 x 14   acrylic  Sold      prints now available

The redbud trees along the Parkway this Spring have been fantastic.  The pink-violets and yellow-greens are contrasting colors on the color wheel and they display  beauty in a dramatic way.  Intelligent design is needed for beauty to exist.  Beauty is not by chance;  it is ordered and ordained by the Lord.

Wild Apple Trees

Parkway Series #161  11 x 14   acrylic  SOLD

Our trip to Ashville was great!  I was able to get lots of photos of "Spring on the Parkway" but we also encountered "Winter on the Parkway", too!  Mount Mitchell was covered in several inches of ice! and Craggy Gardens was closed along with sections of the Parkway.  I guess we will have to make another trip in the summer.  In the meantime, I will be painting some exciting vistas of the North Carolina mountains and Linville Falls.  The red buds, dogwoods and apple trees were especially eye-catching as we journeyed through the countryside.