At Summer's End Impressionist Oil Painting

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Some trails become part of your life.

I've walked and run this one for years. Friends have shared its miles … Read more Some trails become part of your life.

I've walked and run this one for years. Friends have shared its miles with me, and when my children were small, we'd stop at a cedar grove they called the "enchanted forest." The trail begins gently, inviting almost anyone to follow it, but if you keep climbing, it eventually leads to a glacial lake tucked high in the mountains. It has always offered exactly what I needed, whether that was a quiet walk, a long run, or simply time outside. One of my favorite memories was running in the rain on this trail when my children were very small. The rain was warm and soft, but heavy enough I felt like I was spitting it with each step. The sensory overload was exactly what I needed.

I painted this scene at the beginning of autumn, when the season had only begun to announce itself. The brilliant colors were just emerging. The quieter signs of autumn were there…the softer light, hot giving way to chillier evenings, the feeling that summer was slowly giving way.
When I returned to the painting later, I changed the water. It no longer mirrored the landscape exactly, but it came closer to the experience I wanted to share. Like the trail itself, this painting reminds me that some of life's richest experiences aren't found at the destination. They're found by returning, season after season, and noticing what has quietly changed. See less