In the Stream

Sitting on a rock in a stream, feet in the water, looking down into the depths of the stream bottom, is a cool way to spend a hot day, and often a meditative experience. The stream is always always different, depending on the time of day, the time of year, and the weather. The Mink Hollow Stream, in the Catskill Mountains of New York, has high banks, vegetation, and flat, layered rocks as well as boulders — perfect for rock-hopping across or up the stream, or sitting, as I often did, with a sketchbook, watercolors. and pencil, making studies that I later used in my studio as a basis for my large-scale studio paintings.