"Where the Eagle Flies"

In December 2004, after a series of heavy snowfalls, I went to Sugar Pine State Park on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe to paint the lake in her winter clothing. It was a bright and beautiful day with the snow heavy in the woods. I set up my easel on the upper bank of a stream flowing into the lake. The edges of the stream were half frozen and the willow bushes were pink and orange stripped of their leaves. I could see the footprints of small animals and birds in the snow by the creek. The waters of the lake were smooth as glass with only an occasional ruffling by a light breeze. The day was made completely perfect by the sighting of an American Bald Eagle perched in a Sugar Pine tree near me. He had full adult plumage – a magnificent white head, fierce yellow beak and large talons. He stayed on his perch for a long time, from time to time looking down at me. A rare sighting that will be remembered each time I look at this painting. This is the special gift of outdoor painting that cannot be found in the studio.