A Year on Druid Hill Creek

Organizing files from the past year or so, it occurred to me that there are quite a few watercolor sketches of Druid Hill Creek from each season, although spring and summer predominate. Since it's icy, snowy, cold, and generally dreary now in northern flyover land, it was therapeutic to see more cheerful yellows and greens, if only on watercolor paper. As you might expect, a number of watercolors were done from the same or similar viewpoint of the scene around the studio. One of my favorites is looking downstream (North) along Druid Hill Creek. The creek empties into the Raccoon River, which in turn joins the Des Moines River a couple of miles farther on. The Des Moines is a tributary of the Mississippi River, joining the great water where Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois meet at the corner of our state. A connection to the great waters of the world.

"Spring on Druid Hill Creek"

This view of our creek is what I see from one of the studio windows. The creek runs due north here for perhaps a quarter mile, bounded by scrub trees and honeysuckle undergrowth. Last spring, as the honeysuckle was bursting into leaf I did this 6x8 watercolor while standing at that window. The advancing season made beautiful light in the new growth and on the surface of the water.

"Late, Lush Summer"

The foliage along a creek becomes lush and thick by late summer. When I painted the view again in September (above) the undergrowth was bushy and almost impenetrable, overshadowing the creek banks and engulfing the trees. The deep blue summer sky reflected of the surface with a kind of shimmering effect that was a real delight to watch and attempt to capture in paint. 

"Early Snow, November 11"

Less than two months later, in early November, came an early and wet snowfall. The late warmth this year had kept the honeysuckle in leaf until the snow covered the foliage. Afterward it melted quickly leaving the still green leaves hanging limp. The sky stayed dark the creek even more so and ended the warm weather. From then until now, two more months farther along the calendar, the weather has been mostly very cold with periodic snowfall.

During the last few days, snow has been falling like flour from a sifter--granular flakes so fine you almost miss them unless you look closely against a dark background. The snowy air had meant that these days have been grey and unfocused, not so cold as before but cold enough to encourage the snow and warm enough to make it heavy and wet the way it often is in springtime. But this is only January, and we have a long way to go until then.

"Snow Day on Druid Hill Creek"

The final watercolor of this seasonal set is the same view looking northward yesterday. Days of snowfall have covered the banks and fogged the distant trees. Lumps of thick heavy snow cover honeysuckle and other growth. The creekbed is filled with several inches of snow over the frozen surface, and the undergrowth that shows is only stems and sticks. The trees along the banks are skeletal, and bare, dormant as the world makes its turn around the sun. 

Doing a series paintings of the same subject in sequence is fascinating, as many others have shown in the past couple of centuries.