Stanley Creek

The pleasure of a dramatic Plein Air study – like the pleasure of the majestic natural vista that inspires it – is timeless.

Some years ago, when I first started hauling my painting apparatus deep into the woods, I came upon Stanley Creek bubbling through the foothills of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. I was entranced by the sere brown of the autumn grasses and the crisp clarity of the water dancing down the mountainside as I set to work with bold strokes to capture the entrancing scene.

For many years after, this painting held an honored place in the Kinkade family home. Years later, I finally decided to offer Stanley Creek as my first painting to celebrate the beauty of the Sawtooth region.

Looking back – when I came upon the setting of my painting Stanley Creek so many years ago – I suffered a momentary pang of regret that I had not brought my fishing gear instead of my paint and canvas. But now I see that instead of trout, I caught a memory of God’s glory reflected in the icy waters of Stanley Creek.