"Wild Jacks"

"Wild Jacks" 10x5 oil

"Trilliance"

"Trilliance" 8x6 acrylic

It's always nice to finally work something out successfully. I wanted to explore how intense sunlight would play on this white flower. The hints of radiance around the flower's petals make the flower seem brighter and warmer in the light. Fun stuff!

April at Its Finest

I left the studio yesterday morning at 9:00 setting off to explore a small trout stream I had not fished since I was a youngster. My calls to fishing partners the day before were unsuccessful, so I was on my own... and that was okay. The solitude would offer me the luxury of moving at my own pace, poking along the stream banks and lingering as the mood dictated.
Soon after I left the truck, the morning sun had warmed the countryside enough to make my fleece jacket unnecessary. I stuffed it into my daypack and started looking for trout.
It's funny how I can get distracted from the task at hand on days like this. Wildflowers carpeted the brushy stream banks and I found myself spending quite a bit of time photographing them. Trout lilies, spring beauty, and large toothwort (I think) were thriving in the rich soil of the valley floor. I happily crawled along the wet muddy ground shooting photo after photo.

Trout lily

Large toothwort

Caddis flies along the stream

With that out of the way, I got back to trout fishing. There were clouds of caddis flies hovering above the water. The streamside brush was covered with them. It wasn't long before I caught my first fish... a large fat brook trout that made me smile as I popped the hook from its jaw and let it swim away. That was a very good start!

Rainbow trout

The trout, mostly rainbows, were finicky. I fished long stretches of spectacular water without a sign of a fish, then happen upon a spot where I'd catch one and maybe miss another. The lengthy distances between fish contacts were puzzling. I don't feel like I ever really figured the fish out, so every time I managed to hook one, it seemed like I accomplished something.

One of many deer along the stream

The wildlife activity along the stream made me think the critters were enjoying the warm sun as much as me. Deer would wander up to me as I stood in the middle of the stream before realizing I was there. Turkeys scurried through the skunk cabbage. Ruffed grouse flushed ahead of me offering only a glimpse as they winged through the dense undergrowth. At one point, a sharp-shinned hawk nearly took my hat off as it zipped by.
This morning, my sore legs are a reminder of a great day afield. I can get back to my work in the studio with a renewed enthusiasm. Time to get busy!

A Chance to Explore

Taking advantage of an opportunity to get out of the studio, I loaded my fishing gear into the truck yesterday morning and headed out. A remote stretch of stream not known to hold many trout (actually, not known for much of anything) had been on my mind, so if nothing else, I'd get a little exercise. I'd never been on this part of the creek, so it was truly an exploritory adventure.



The hike to the stream was actually more bushwhacking than hiking and it occurred to be that my abscent fishing partner (who cancelled on me the night before) probably wouldn't have enjoyed this anyway. When the forest opened at the edge of the stream, I found a well-used deer trail and followed it downstream. I was immediately struck by the absence of human sign... a rarity in this part of the world. No trash or flood debris littered the banks and the only boot tracks were those made by yours truly. I found an old fire ring back in the timber a bit that hadn't been used in years and the remnants of a makeshift shelter. That was the last an only sign of humanity I encountered.



The "fishy" spots were few and far between, but there was plenty to see and I didn't have much trouble finding things to photograph. I have to admit, I felt a little smug when my first cast ended with my fly in the mouth of a nice brown trout.

As I moved downstream, I discovered dozens of neatly arranged piles of small stones in the middle of the stream. Ever-curious about the goings-on of the natural world, I had to wonder about these conspicuously out of place mounds of stone. They were about two feet in diameter, eight or ten inches high, and the rocks were 1" to 2" wide. Most of the rocks on the stream bed were coated with sediment, but these smaller stones were relatively clean... so why were they there? It wasn't long before I found the apparent cause. Many small fish, maybe chubs of some sort, were using these stones as a "community" spawning area.

Once again out of pure curiosity, I drifted a fly through the pod and caught one of them just to get a look. The little guys were quite colorful with pink sides, orange-tipped fins, and stark black and white markings. They looked more like aquarium shop fish than something native to the streams of PA. The mounds where I found fish were much lower than those that no longer had fish on them... again, making me wonder how these small fish move the stones and why. As much as I would've like to stay and watch, there were more things to see and trout to catch... so downstream I continued.

Tiny mayfly spinner

Mayflies swarmed the riffles by the thousands and small caddis flies were hatching and quickly flying to the safety of the overhanging branches. Trout sipped the bugs noisily and I took advantage of the chance to catch several on dry flies.
At the next deep run, I switched back to my trusty nymphing combo and quickly caught a few more fish. I was a happy camper.

As I released the last nice rainbow, I looked downstream at the next bend in the river and wondered what treasures were waiting for my discovery. Alas, they would have to wait for another day. I was already a long way from the truck and these old knees don't slog back upstream as easily as they once did.

Morel Hunting



Morel mushrooms



I do a lot of walking in the spring. It feels good to stretch out the muscles that have spent the winter months planted in a chair at the easel. In the month of May, most of my walks are with a purpose... finding morel mushrooms! The unseasonably warm weather early this spring has thrown things off a bit, but the mushrooms seem to be popping up now.



Of course, morels don't just appear everywhere. They never seem to show themselves until you've put in the appropriate amount of fruitless paces... and yesterday was no exception.



Squirrel corn



There was a little added pressure to find a few morels, as I had a friend coming over for dinner. Beef fillet on the grill would be wonderfully complimented by pan-fried wild morels.

With high hopes, I checked all my regular spots... nothing. Well, no morels. There are always plenty of other interesting things going on in the woodlots of western PA this time of year. Wild flowers are taking advantage of the sunlight offered by the not yet leafed-in canopy. Toads and frogs are singing near every swampy little puddle. And a lone gobbler hammers away on the hillside above me... reminding me of a time when I used to hunt turkeys with a dogged determination.

American toad



Finally, convinced morels were not in the cards for me today, I headed back to the truck. Less than a quarter mile from where I had parked, I stumbled upon several morels in a spot where I'd never seen them before. Go figure. Hopefully, I've put in my obligatory "fruitless paces" and the bounty will be a little easier to find for the rest of the season!

Recharging the Creative Batteries





Brilliantly marked rainbow trout

There have been a lot of check marks added to my "to do" list the last few days, so I decided to treat myself to an afternoon on one of my favorite local trout streams. After all, the weather was beautiful and I'm not sure my focus would've been very good if I had to spend the day at the easel.

Caddis flies



As I sat on the bumper of the truck and pulled on my waders, I noticed there were tiny wildflowers carpeting nearby forest floor. I wandered over to check them out and that's when I noticed a swarm of large brown caddis flies hovering above the stream. There were thousands of them... on branches... on stones... in the air... EVERYWHERE! What seemed strange to me as I watched the bugs bouncing all over the water, not a single fish rose to the surface to eat one. Okay, fine. I tied on a tandem of small nymphs and began to probe the deeper current seems for fish feeding below. It didn't take long before I had a fat rainbow splashing around at my feet. I was happy.

Spring beauty


  I don't count fish anymore. Numbers don't impress me and I'm not sure they really impress many others. If you know any fisherman, you understand the relative accuracy of numbers of fish caught and their respective sizes. They're pretty much always taken with a healthy dose of skepticism.

When I look back to my fishing experiences, I pretty much describe them as follows:

Wild brown trout

• Skunked
• Got a few
• It was a good day
• I did so well I never stopped smiling the entire day

• Don't even bother telling anyone, because nobody will believe you!

Today was one of those "never stopped smiling" days. I had to work for the fish, but if I put right fly in the right spot, I was usually rewarded. There were big fat holdover rainbows mixed in with the usual stockers and even a pair of pretty little wild browns. Nice.


As the sun was getting low, I worked my way back to the truck. I knew there were a couple of very large fish in the run just down from the parking area. I'm sure they've seen their share of flies (and even a few outlaw worms since I found an empty styrofoam container tossed in the streamside brush), but I decided to drift a few flies through before I called it a day. As if to end the day in appropriate fashion, I watched a large dark form shift slightly in the current as my flies passed. I lifted the rod smartly and the gin clear water erupted. The big fish shot straight in the air, slammed back to that water, and bolted downstream. My little 4-weight fly rod bucked and the reel howled.


I'm not sure how big that fish was, but when I had my hands on her, I knew I'd caught smaller steelhead! I unhooked her and slid her back in the water where she disappeared into the ever-darkening water. I clipped off my flies and walked to the truck.


Sitting once again on the bumper, I slid my boots off and breathed in the sweet evening air. Life is pretty good, I thought to myself. Pretty good indeed.

Rainbow SUPERTANKER!

Signs of Life

On days like today, I just can't stand to be inside. It was 70° here today and for the second week of March, it seems like it might just be too warm. In any case, I grabbed a fishing rod and a camera and headed for the truck. With Otis the Wonder Dog along for the ride, we soon found ourselves at a small local farm pond. As we worked our way around the pond's north edge I could see swarms of bluegills seeking the slightly warmer water of the shallows. This pond had ice on it a week ago, so the water was still very cold. Several decent largemouth bass cruised by a bit deeper. A nervous pair of wood ducks paddled around a log on the far side. Red-winged blackbirds sang in the tree tops as though they believed the remnants of winter were behind them. Otis found frogs to chase. We were both happy.

The fish were active, but not much interested in my offerings. Still, I managed to catch a few bass and a handful of small bluegills. Not feeling like cleaning fish on this fine day, I let them go. Finally, I set the fishing rod aside and picked up the camera.

Bunches of snow drops were blooming in the brush near a yet to be plowed field, crocus sprang up in the edges of yards, and coltsfoot turned the roadside ditches yellow with bright blossoms. It was a good day to be poking around in the woodlots of western Pennsylvania.

As I write this, Otis is happily snoring on the couch beside me. I think I'll make it an early night as well :)

A Walk in the Woods

It was far too nice a day yesterday to stay couped up in the studio. Finally, I got everything that needed to be done out of the way... and bolted for the rest of the afternoon. My dad and I went to one of our "secret" mushroom spots and put a few miles on our boots. Of course, I spent more time poking around looking for frogs and wildflowers than mushrooms, but we found our share. I nearly always have my camera with me, so I shot plenty of photos. I think some wildflower paintings are in order!
It's funny how my mind wanders while I meander through the forest (and through life). I find myself drawn to splashes of color like a raven to shiny sliver of tin foil... composing paintings on the hoof... and completely losing focus of the task at hand. I'm quite confident I walked right by most of the morels before I realized I wasn't "looking."
Tonight I'm making dinner... morels stuffed with spinach and ricotta. I can hardly wait.