Painting along the Thornton

This painting depicts a fellow artist as she paints along the confluence of the two branches of the Thornton River in Sperryville. This is a favorite spot of our paint-outs group because it stays cool on hot summer days. Huge cottonwood trees offer a deep shade and I think perhaps the cold water of the river itself offers some coolness to the air.

The details in water and woods are endless. Sometimes I choose to simplify them but in this painting I let my brushstrokes celebrate the complicated cacophony that seemed to go along with the cheerful sounds of water over the rocks. 

This painting was painted on location, outdoors with minor adjustments in the studio.