Great Places Series - Pelican Lake State Park

I loved the trail system at Pelican Lake and enjoyed my morning visit in mid November. I found the path snowed over on the way to a look out of the lake and I had fun trecking over the drifts to get to the overlook. A few birds and the sounds of my footsteps in the snow were the only things to interrupt the silent solitude of this hike.  

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Pelican Lake State Park or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page!

Great Places Series - Spirit Mound

I consider it a treat to wake up early with the goal of getting to a park or nature area to hike by myself at sunrise, so the morning I spent at Spirit Mound was perfect. It wasn’t terribly cold for a January morning and being a Sunday at dawn the landscape all around us was pretty still so the soft sunrise and quiet prairie were all mine (my dog was there too I guess but he was quiet as well). The entire time there I thought about the stories of the place that had been told to the Lewis and Clark expedition about the little people that lived there and the fact that this is a location where you can stand in the same place that the expedition would have been. Sense a lot of their camps were on the river and that has changed so over the years due to damming.

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Spirit Mound Historic Prairie or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page!

Sunrise at Spirit Mound. 

Great Places Series - Springfield State Recreation Area

Sunrise on a fridged -5 F morning. 

I visited Springfield State Recreation area on a trip I took to Kansas to visit family. I was up early hoping to catch a great start of day at the park. One thing I learned shortly after moving to South Dakota from Kansas was the value of good winter gear and I was happy to have my really good coat and mittens for this spot. I took a couple breaks from exploring and photographing the beautiful landscape to warm up in my car because the morning of December 30th at 8:30 it was below zero. I love the color palette of winter and putting up with the cold for these photos references was worth it.

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Springfield State Recreation Area or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page!

Quick watercolor sketches of a few of the views from Springfield Recreation Area

Pickerel Lake Recreation Area

I took the Ponderosa Trail at the West Pickeral Lake Recrestion Area. I was struck by the lovely little campground and abundance of water related activity options. I had a quiet hike and visit to the park since it was a weekday in October. Also, because it was relatively empty of campers I checked out the cabin views which were right on the water! My pup Rye also approved of the park!

The trail I took pictured above includes a loop around the camping area and the Poderosa Trail

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Pickerel Lake State Park or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page! If you perhaps are interested in learning more about how you may be able to help me with this project please visit my Patreon Page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!

Great Places Series - Fort Sisseton Historic State Park

The Fort Sisseton Historic State Park was a very interesting place working hard to retain and teach its part of South Dakota history. Originally a frontier army outpost called Fort Wadsworth from 1864. The site was chosen nearby resources including lake water for drinking and a thick stand of trees for timber and fuel. I think it would be really interesting to have a tour or to visit on a weekend when they have some of the buildings open. However, I truly enjoyed the quiet of the park on this October day.

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Fort Sisseton Historic State Park or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page! If you perhaps are interested in learning more about how you may be able to help me with this project please visit my Patreon Page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!

Great Places Series - Roy Lake State Park

My visit to Roy Lake was so energizing. The clear day and sunshine really highlighted the changing leaves. I walked along the beach for a time then followed the Roy Island Trail. The trail was nice and easy and would be great for anyone to enjoy!

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Roy Lake State Park or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page! If you perhaps are interested in learning more about how you may be able to help me with this project please visit my Patreon Page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!

Great Places Series - Sica Hollow State Park

Because of this park’s history I wanted to visit it when the season would match the name. The meaning of Sica is “evil” or “bad” which came about because of eerie Sioux Legends. Along the Trail of Spirits there are gurgling reddish bogs, which Native Americans saw as the blood and flesh of their ancestors. 

I stayed on the Trail of Spirits Interpretive Trail for my hike though I made a point of driving through the rest of the park to enjoy the late fall color, and I know that their are miles of trail available for those who enjoy horseback riding.

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Sica Hollow State Park or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page! If you perhaps are interested in learning more about how you may be able to help me with this project please visit my Patreon Page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!

Great Places Series - Sheps Canyon Recreation Area

I found parts of this place rugged and empowering, and I didn’t want to leave. The dawn light made this place even more magical. 

Though I didn’t explore much of this park, I took my time here and when I would find an especially great view I would find a seat on a rock and enjoy it. 

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Sheps Canyon or any of the other Parks and Recreation Areas before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page! If you perhaps are interested in learning more about how you may be able to help me with this project please visit my Patreon Page. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!

Great Places Series - Angostura Recreation Area

With miles of beaches and a great bike trail I was happy that I chose Angostura to stay overnight at on a Mid-September day. I spent nearly three hours with the first part on the Reservoir View Bike Trail enjoying many aspects of the North Western Prairie hills, then following the beach back to my cabin. This special place has something for everyone including disc golf to some of the standard attractions of boating, fishing, swimming and trails. 

My trail along the bike trail and beach at Angostura Recreation Area

I enjoyed the sunset from the beach at this beautiful park and was able to hike a little more than 8.5 miles though I wish I would have had time to hike more.

If you are interested in seeing the painting from Angostura or any other park before they are released to the public please reach out to me via the contact page!

Sketches from my notes on Angostura Recreation Area

New Series of Small Works

I recently had the inspiration/felt the need to paint a sort of aerial view series of landscapes. I chose to work small this time around and the panels that I am painting on range in size from 5"x5" to 10"x20". Currently I have two finished and the rest in varying stages of completion. The photo to the left is a page out of my sketch book. I don't always share my sketchbook pages because often pieces change for me once the paint touches the panel but it is always interesting to see changes take place and I decided to let you all in on the process this time.