Afternoon Thunder Clouds
Last week I spent almost two whole days at my desk doing various tasks on the computer, catching up after the long days away at the fair. My back ached, my neck was stiff and I longed to get back to the easel to paint. On the last day late in the afternoon I took a stretch break and went into my garden, an hour later with a bucket full of freshly picked peas, carrots and parsley I felt wonderful, invigorated, and relaxed.
Along with my garden gloves and bucket, I always carry my camera. It seems like an odd set of tools for working in the yard, but with my camera I’m always ready to record a great find, a beautiful bloom, or a tree sparkling with back lit leaves. Many of these random treasures have been incorporated into my paintings throughout the years. After filling my bucket I ventured from the garden to the back lawn along the lake, and noticed that the recent winds had ripped my struggling sweet pea vines from their trellis, and they were tangled in a heap lying on the ground. Even though a frost is only a week or so away I couldn’t leave the colorful flowering sweet peas to neglect, I made a mental note to tie them back up with new string.
Surveying the lawn, the year-old fledgling trees, and my new perennials, all seemed well but for a stray chickweed or dandelion to be pulled when I had more time. The Rednecked grebes were still resting peacefully, floating on the lake, gathering strength for their fall migration. It was quiet, not a boat or a plane or any sign of other waterfowl, a brief moment of silence with calm water reflecting the building tower of thunder clouds to the west. I wondered, could a new front, with winds, rain, and thunder be headed our way? Later that evening after dinner I noticed that the clouds were nearly gone. The cloudless sky reflected on the still calm water of the lake, and I sighed with contentment. After the passing of a bitterly cold, wet, windy summer, early fall is bringing another gorgeous evening on the lake.
Gail Niebrugge, landscape artist
