November is one of my favorite times of the year. Growing up in Jefferson County, southeast Texas, it was a time when I enjoyed the seasonal change to cool, crisp, dry blue skies with geese flying southward, honking their way toward the horizon, and the smells of 'comfort food' that emanated from my mother's kitchen. The aroma of hearty soups and filé gumbo, along with the fragrance of freshly-baked bread, filled the air. It was the one time of year when I truly felt the bayou coming to life, as the colors changed to a variety of what artists call 'earth tones', with the hues of burnt sienna, yellow ochre and the umbers. Those rich colors, combined with the robin's egg blue of the sky, made the landscape vibrate. They drew the artist in me home to paint. I have found home to be several favorite places in November...central Texas and the hill country, along with the high mesas of northern New Mexico.
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I realized I have never painted the golden sunlight of the southeast Texas bayou grasses, with egrets patiently fishing the cool, still waters. This is an image that is very alive and real, and in my mind's eye I see it clearly.
I realized I have never painted the golden sunlight of the southeast Texas bayou grasses, with egrets patiently fishing the cool, still waters. This is an image that is very alive and real, and in my mind's eye I see it clearly.
Through the years I have taken time away from work in the latter weeks of November to seek quiet and to capture on paper my vision of the color released from the land before the cold and wet of winter settles in. During this time away, I photograph and paint in the solitude and beauty of Nature's playpen.
Recently, we were asked for fall images of Texas for our holiday calendar at work. I happily complied with photographs I took at Schumacher's Crossing on the Guadalupe River between Hunt and Ingram, in the Texas hill country. What a delightful spot! Tucked away on the opposite side of the highway is Schumacher Falls, with its shining, cool, clear water that forms a pond of sorts among the cypress, oak and other trees.
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Can you imagine how delighted the Native Americans were to have such a treasure in their midst? As beautiful as the falls and pond are, my artist's eye was drawn to a stand of five cypress trees across the road. Because of the way they're grouped, I felt a real sense of kinship among them. I call them the Five Sisters.
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The Five Sisters at Schumacher Crossing was inspired by the magnificent color of the landscape and my joy at the privilege of just being there...
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Northern New Mexico is much colder in late November, and unpredictable with the possible whimsy of a blue norther changing the sky, the light, and the temperature in a matter of minutes. Lone Cottonwood on the Chalma reflects the light of just such a day, when the blue sky went grey, and the temperature dropped into the teens at Abiquiu. This is exactly what happened as I literally sat on a log in sixteen-degree weather. I've never been so cold in my life! Did you know that watercolor paint will freeze on the paper as it is applied? It does!
Lone Cottonwood on the Chalma
Another area I love in northern New Mexico is the Galisteo Basin. I've included my photograph of the creek running through the village of Galisteo, as well as the painting of the tack room at the Galisteo Inn. I mentioned before that the golden light enhances the landscape, but it also creates luscious shadow patterns. The painting of the tack room is all about the old apple tree outside the casita, with its few remaining apples and the marvelous November shadows cast upon the adobe. Winter is truly knocking on the Basin's door, but autumn has not given away all its color, and it remains for just one last hurrah.
The Creek at Galisteo
The Tack Room at Galisteo Inn
Winter is an etching,
spring a watercolor,
summer an oil painting,
and autumn is a mosaic of them all.
Stanley Horowitz
As a colorist, the hues of the fall landscape are my favorite. I hope you will delight, as I have so many times through my photographs and paintings, in the landscape, where the light is subtler, releasing Nature's magnificent color in all its glory and splendor. This is one of the many things for which I am so thankful. May we all take the time to enjoy the autumn season, and to make note in gratitude for all the beauty that surrounds us.
When was the last time you consciously appreciated the beauty of Nature? There is no better time of the year to tramp through the woods, or to sit on a rock and drink in what lies before you.
Be still, and the beauty will find you.
Be still, and the beauty will find you.
