The things we see when we slow down

6 May

The weather was nice, so I decided to take a slow walk along Red Clay Creek to paint something before the rainy days return, and we have been having plenty.

While at the creek, I spotted a snake. I think it is a common garter snake. The things we see when we slow down.

I picked this spot because it felt nice — the light draped and caressed, the birds were soothingly singing, and there were lots of typical forest busyness; twigs, branches, trunks, vines, leaves randomly going this way and that way. I had to mentally sort out and edit the elements. Do I paint everything I see, or do I paint what I want to see?

While I was painting, I spotted a red-bellied woodpecker announcing its presence on a tree above me. I think it was feeding its family nesting in the hollow of the tree. Funny that they are called red-bellied when their bellies are hardly red.