Week 63

We wanted to do a landscape as a respite after our last two large pieces, but also to escape from the pattern of doing paintings in order of our trips. We decided to now pick the best image we’ve got or what we feel the most inspired by that week.

Our summer road trip brought us through the Great Smoky Mountains, where we connected with our sweet family Artan, Rumira, Sophie and Daniel Xhaferji. They took us on a magical drive though the National Park. The sky was heavy with moisture and the cool misty clouds were, as foretold, billowing up between each pass of the mountains. We saw a baby black bear foraging and several massive deer close by. There were settlements with cottages to see. I couldn’t imagine living in such a isolated, wild place and yet, it was so beguiling. On our path back from one of these settlers’ homes we saw this scene. Serene and lovely, the fence reminds me of an old world painting. Though not done in plein air, we wanted to give the feeling it had been captured there in that beautiful moment, with the wind, clouds and sun competing for space.

Beyond the Borders of Home

20 x 16 | Oil on Panel