Believe it or not, I’m still working on my Sammamish Rivertrail painting and Bridges of Redmond stories project. Yes, I’ve been greatly distracted by discovering the great sport of pickleball. But our new dog Brody has revived my daily walking the river. You can meet our new golden retriever Brody here.
I’ve been painting two to four scenes along the trail each week. And I’m going to start posting new interviews of people who live near and love the Sammamish River in mid August, after my daughter Jackie get’s married. Our family (grandparents too!) are all traveling back to Washington DC and then to Virginia for the wedding.
Here are some of my more recent watercolors along the rivertrail. I’ll include some comments with each one. They are in no order, and each may (or may not) find its way into the final collection of 365 paintings, one for each day of the year. Enjoy!
This is what Brody and I saw the other morning. Their is a curve in the river where mist collects.
I love the cherry blossoms that float on the wind in April.
You’ll find this bridge, or whatever it is, at the entrance of Marrymoor dog park. I think – I still need to confirm – that water flows through a man made dam here at the bridgeway from Lake Sammamish that is what we call the Sammamish River or slough.
Walkers on the rivertrail will know this view from one bridge to another.
Every April Jenny and I walk through the cherry trees and blossoms. You can enter into their wonder from the rivertail at this entrance into the community above.
This painting captures a bit of the feel of the vibrant, wonderful colors of fall.
With this painting I tried to get the feel of the melancholy (to me) first indication of fall…leaves on the path.
My brother Jed and I took a walk one Sunday morning before church and photographed the vibrant colors and the geese, like this sentinel, ever present along the river. I think the photo from which this painting is based is from the month of May, hence the vibrant yellows and greens.
For those who venture down the bank of the river to get a closer view, you will see lily pads like these along its edges.
Here’s another misty morning scene that Brody and I saw just the other day.
Again, another misty morning and beauty of a scene that Brody and I enjoyed as he walked unleashed on the “wild” side of the rivertrail.
I love the moods, all of them, that walkers experience on the trail.
I photographed this mother and daughter enjoy the river and the ducks one spring morning.
You can see delightful patches of sunlight as the sun goes down. this one is near our Avignon apartment complex.
I tried to capture the impressions I have of spring…this one from “Pooh Bridge” near our house. I’ll explain that name another time.
I gave this painting to a friend whose mother passed away.
Yes, the early morning light and the sun falling give beautiful light, cast shadows, and rich moods for the artist to paint.
Another of the scenes that Brody and I enjoyed one July morning.
You can see this curve in the river from the bridge going to Marrymoor park.
I love painting the fishermen on the river trying their best to catch something…which is why a friend of mine jokes “that’s why its called ‘fishing’ not ‘catching.'”
There’s always people running the trail, like this man jogging into the sunlight.
Here’s the view from the bridge near Dudley Carter Park, close to Riverpark Apartments where we first lived.
I like how this painting gets to the rich colors of twilight.
And last but not least, another painting of what Brody I and saw on our daily walks…usually from about 5am-6am, so catching the sunrise in July!
I’m looking forward to painting in earnest this fall. Hopefully I will have a strong collection of 365 paintings. I hope I can wrap up the stories and start writing the book that will soon, maybe in 2024, be THE BRIDGES OF REDMOND. Stay tuned.