April at Last

Hoff, "Downstream, Early April," oil on panel, 9x12, 2020

Although it is still a little chilly on some mornings, it has been warm enough to paint outdoors several times this past week. I did wear mittens and duck indoors every so often to warm up. Nevertheless, it's clear that spring has arrived for certain. The predictions for the coming ten days are for every day highs to reach the 50s(F). This is the result of about three outdoor mornings while shadows still covered most of the creekbed and made the stones stand out where sunlight raked across. It was took a couple of short indoor sessions to add fine detail. The honeysuckle undergrowth along Druid Hill Creek has burst into very early leaf in the last two days. In fact, there was no greenery at all four days ago when this began, and now there is green everywhere along the stream. In this time of pandemic, this turn of season fills me with hope.