The Memory Lingers On

"Tahoe Basin Twilight III", 10 x 24, pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes paper

 

I older I get, the more I draw from my mind's memories. These old eyes have seen so much beauty in the outdoors especially since I took up backpacking at the age of 50 on through my late 60s. The photographs I took are but a mere suggestion of the beauty I saw. They are a triggering point from which I start the painting. As I paint, my memories, feelings and emotions set in. This is when I can see and feel the painting morphing into something creative as opposed to just copying the photo. Having just returned from a brief vacation in South Lake Tahoe, California, it was a lovely welcome home to see some of my paintings of the areas we revisited. I took over a hundred photos on this trip for reference for future paintings but to see the works I have already done was a special delight. Photos are still an important part of my painting but it's for what they trigger in my mind and heart that counts. For this I say "Thanks for the memories."