March

 Steigerwald Refuge, plein air 9" x 12"

 Steigerwald Refuge, plein air 8" x 8"

Gibbons Creek, 5" x 7"

It was the official first day of Spring and National Happiness Day, so I did what makes me happy:  plein air painting!  This was my first time at Steigerwald Nature Refuge on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge, a wetland with a trail called the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail.  Perfect!  It was lovely, quiet except for the sounds of birds.  Huge flocks of geese floated overhead.  I finished two plein air paintings, then walked further up the trail to Gibbons Creek, almost to the edge of the Columbia River, took photos to paint from later.  The first painting included a view of Mt. Hood squeezed into the far right side, which did not look right back in the studio, so I wiped it out.  Aha!  Mt. Hood must be the star of the show, or not be there at all.