Aspen and Otters

Every Painting Has a Story…… In early October I drove up to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California to an area known as Hope Valley, South of Lake Tahoe. The Carson River runs thru Hope Valley on its way to the American River.  The Carson River starts in the Carson Iceberg wilderness in the California Alps. It’s beautiful unspoiled country at high altitude. Aspen groves flourish between 7,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation and I had come here specifically to paint the fall colors of the Aspen groves. 

I got up early on the first morning after my arrival in Hope Valley and crossed the road from my lodgings at Sorenson’s Resort. The Carson River ran clean and beautiful in the cold morning light – there were a grouping of golden aspen trees right on the river embankment and I decided that this would be the spot for a morning painting. As I looked down at the river, I saw a pair of river otters splashing and swimming amongst the rocks – I was thrilled! This was the first time I had ever seen river otters in California – they obviously had their home in the river bank under the roots of the aspen trees. It was glorious there with the sun shining thru the golden aspen leaves and the river gurgling by – it warmed my heart and soul to think about the otter pair in their river home so close by. 

The painting you see here was done that morning and was completed in one session on location. Every time I look at it I remember the otters, the cold morning air and the golden light in the trees. Life is good!