C-C-Cold,Cloudy, Frozen Riverbanks

Hawk at Nest



Riverside Stage One

Our second paint-out in Chesterfield, NH was a bit colder than the first one.   It was early morning, mostly cloudy and eighteen degrees.   We drove along the eastern (New Hampshire) side of the Connecticut River on a road called River Road.    There were some antique houses and farms along the way, mostly away from the riverbanks.   People were more sensible back when they were built.   Right along the shore there were more modern houses and along one stretch we found a boat launch.   I don't know if anyone launches anything onto a frozen river, but it was plowed right to the edge providing a place to pull in and set up!   At first we thought it might be a little boring, but the best part was that there was no traffic whizzing by so it was tranquil and natural.   In fact, there was a large hawk perched above its nest; it towered over all the other trees along the riverbanks.  (See photo at left).

Frozen Riverbanks

I was determined to get mountains in my paintings this weekend so I set up facing north and I could just see hints of them over the river at the furthest visible point.   There were many more trees hanging out over the river than I included.    I used a canvas with a black underpainting which gave a stark contrast to the ice and snow all around.   Rusty colored leaves composting at the base of the edge just in front of me.    There was a feeder stream just in front of it, the only area with water.   The available water was a popular spot for a constant flurry of birds.   I added some robins sitting above the watering hole and one at the edge of the water.