Sometimes I feel like I live for those few weeks in the summer when I find myself on a salmon river. Olly's inspriation challenge has really rekindled a wish to get back to the sense of serenity and purpose being on the stream gives. There's a with the chance toconnect with something primal in nature -- which is the feeling I'm trying for here.

I laid in the first washes last night and completed the foreground rocks this afternoon.. I remember this moment really well. It was early and the mist was still burning off with the sun still behind the low clouds. There was no one on the water, but I added a figure to give another layer of meaning and focus to the image. The subject needs more work, but this painting is as done as it can be. It's 7"x10" and a larger format would probably handle the complexity a little better.