Early June, Loafer Mountain

16" x 20" Oil on Panel

It's the first week in June, and I think it's about time I took out the easel and painted something larger than my pochade boxes allow for. And where better to paint bigger than a place I found just last week, the Spanish Fork River Trail. Parts of the trail follow the tree-lined Spanish Fork River. Other sections detour through open farmland, offering wide open views. Much of the trail is lined with willow, cottonwood and box elder trees. Here and there patches of wild rose are in bloom, as are batches of brilliant blue flax. Flowering Russian olive trees add a pleasant aroma the breezes along the trail.

After parking at one of the trail heads, I walked a mile or so to where I wanted to paint. On this day my chosen spot was on a section of trail that skirted alfalfa and hay fields, providing a wonderful view of Loafer Mountain in the Wasatch Range. After five or six hours of standing and painting out under the early June sun, I returned home with the painting shown at the top of this post.