Watercolor No. 1400, "Thanksgiving River".
Painted on site November 27, 2008. 22" x 15", Winner, Honorable Mention at WASH Membership Show, 2009.


Accepted California Fine Art Exhibit, California State Fair,
2009, Merit Award.
SOLD at the Fair.

This painting, “Thanksgiving River”’ is to me what “Plein Air” is all about. I could have painted the same river scene at home, with fewer mistakes, with more detail. Taking it outside allowed me to share my experience with you; the cold. the wet and the atmosphere. I could have stayed home on last Thanksgiving morning and watched TV, cooked the turkey, gone to Mom’s or any other of the holiday activities. But I dragged my easel out and down to the river and painted this scene over the top of my easel, directly, quickly and simply. A watercolor on a watery day. And I still had time to cook the turkey and go to Mom’s.

© 2008 David Peterson