Grassy Creek Falls - 24x24" Acrylic on Canvas

This is absolutly fantastic, love it. Pamlea S., VA
 
The falling water has an extraordinary feeling of energy. Every part of the cliff has something interesting and unique to offer. A difficult subject handled masterfully! Don P., MD
 
I try to think of my paintings in three sections. Usually those sections are sky, water and land. In most cases each section occupies between 1/4 and 1/3 of the entire painting surface. This painting was a bit unique and more challenging in that land (the rocks making up the waterfall) occupied over 85% of the surface. The reason for the greater challenge comes from the intricacies of all the details. In painting the water or sky I tend to use broader bands of color and therefore these can be done quicker. This also makes the painting process a bit less tedious in that I can think of it in sections.

Despite the challenges of the compositions, I am very pleased with this painting. The patterns of the rock and the glazing elements of the waterfall and sky really make various elements pop off the canvas. This 24x24” work took over 35 hours to complete. It really is a nice complement to Crabtree Falls and Crabtree Creek which are also 24x24” and are also inspired from this same region of western North Carolina.

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Crabtree Falls 24x24" Acrylic on Canvas

Wow, Micah.. I love the extreme amount of detail in your work.. you can almost feel the love that was put into it!! Very beautiful!! Reb F., Montreal, QC Canada

On a recent trip to Little Switzerland, North Carolina I saw Crabtree Falls.  This magnificent waterfall is highlighted with powerful rushing waters and beautiful moss covered rocks.  I visited the area in early November, so I expected to see more autumn colors, but the area was more filled with pine trees and moss making for some spectacular greens.

In choosing how to paint this, I selected a view that showed a tree that was growing in an island near the base of the waterfall.  This made for a strong focal point with the waterfall in the back and a brilliant blue and yellow sky in the far background.  I began this painting with the sky and basically worked my way from background to foreground, with the tree being the last thing that was painted.  To create the waterfall I used two different sized detail bottle applicators filled with Iridescent White and Australian Sky Blue.  This type of application provides a subtle impasto effect but is not too overwhelming.

I personally think the rocks in the bottom 1/3 of this painting are quite interesting.  The palette used for these rocks consists primarily of Carbon Black, Paynes Grey, Midnight Blue and some purples.

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Crabtree Creek 24x24" Acrylic on Canvas

This painting depicts an area of Crabtree Creek about 1/4 mile up from Crabtree Falls.  The picture was taken on a crisp autumn day in early November.

In choosing the color selection I used more vibrant colors than what is shown in the photograph.  I started painting the water with a selection of my favorite blues including: Cobalt Blue, Indigo and Midnight Blue.  The actual color shown in the picture is more of a brown, black – but I could not resist taking advantage of the vibrancy of these incredible blues.  This picture was taken on a clear day early in the morning – my intent with the far background of yellow and bright greens was to give the effect of sunlight popping through the trees.  Unfortunately what I found was there was not enough contrast with first tier of foliage vs. the trees that are in more of the foreground area.  To gain this contrast I used a technique that I previously reserved for water effects.  I mixed some Hookers Green and some glazing medium and poured the mixture into a detail bottle.  I applied this dark green mixture on nearly all the leaves in this area.  It offset it from the first tier of trees and created a nice composition

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Valle Crucis #1 (View from Herb Thomas Road) - 30x60" Acrylic on Canvas

After spending some time at St John’s Episcopal Church where Jane and Braden were married I decided the best view was overlooking the valley from the road leading up to the church. It was a little overcast that day, but the sky still offered some incredible blues.  Using several layers of masking tape and glazes, I created a cloudy sky.  To further accentuate the clouds I outlined some of the cloud formations using Acryl Gouache.  I feel the sky is the best part of the painting.  The field was done in a similar way to the sky with contrasting greens accentuated with grass blades painted with Acryl Gouache.

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Valle Crucis #2 (Waterfalls Near Conference Center) - 30x60" Acrylic on Canvas

A long uphill climb led us to a breathtaking waterfall about a mile from the Valle Crucis Conference Center.  I love painting waterfalls, the motion of the water allows for many different possibilities.  In painting the waterfall for this painting I used 20/80 ratio of paint to glazing medium and then used detail applicator bottles to apply the waterlines.  I really like the top middle of this piece, there is just enough bright yellows used to give the impression of light coming through the dense forest.  The big rock at the bottom was created using a thick layer of neutral grey and impasto medium.

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Valle Crucis #2 (Crab Orchard Creek) - 30x60" Acrylic on Canvas

Located close to the Apple Barn at the Valle Crucis Conference Center is Crab Orchard creek.  The tranquil stream is typical of most mountain streams, being very shallow and more rocky than muddy.  This landscape allows for some interesting glazing techniques.  The sienna glaze on top of the creek surface gives an effect of the water surface where can see but not define the rocks underneath.  The most interesting part of this work is the left side; Here I used detail bottles and poured glaze to create some of the leaves.  At the bottom I actually used dried glaze and applied the chips with gel medium. This was the most time consuming painting of three, but I feel it is the best offering several different painting techniques and a diverse array of colors.

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Whitewater Falls #3 72x36" Acrylic on Canvas

This is probably my favorite painting from my 2008 trip to Western North Carolina. I was fortunate enough to capture this magnificent setting in peak autumn foliage.  I used some liquid detail to create an interesting effect for the waterfall, but the array of reds, oranges and other autumn colors really make this artwork pop right off the canvas.
 
In 2009 this piece was accepted into The Wayne County Arts Council Annual Juried Show. It is a 1-1/2" canvas with all four sides painted. 

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Hooker Falls 12x9" Acrylic on Canvas

Part of the Dupont Forest, Hooker Falls is a short walk from the main road.  I really like the way the impasto work came out in the lower left of the painting.  The picture from which this was work is depicted has this rock as level with the main part of the falls, however  the thick impasto makes it look like it is the side of the other rock.  I guess this is one of those good accidents as I like the appearance.  I think it is the focal point of the entire piece.


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Dupont Forest - 40x30" Acrylic on Canvas

When I painted Dupont Forest my goal was to really experiment with the variety of trees, rocks and how they interacted with the brilliant cobalt blues of the river.  This piece was later accepted into the National Juried Art Show at the Rocky Mount Art’s Center.  When I attended the opening in June, I was thrilled to find out that this work won first prize for the show.  It is currently on display at the museum through September 2009.

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Triple Falls - 16x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Part of the Dupont Forest, Triple Falls is a great hike that leads to some awesome views!  The 12x16" canvas is the perfect size for the waterfall technique that I used.  A combination of Iridescent White and Metallic Silver really help the waterfall pop away from the rest of the composition.

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Cascade Lake #1 - 24x18" Acrylic on Canvas

Part of the Dupont Forest, Cascade Lake is situated between Hooker Falls and Triple Falls. One could spend all days in this area.  So many beautiful overlooks. 

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Cascade Lake #2 - 16x20" Acrylic on Panel

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Mountain Stream #1 - 12x18" Acrylic on Wood and Glass

Lately I have been doing a lot of painting on Glass in conjunction with Geesobord panels.  I find painting on glass to be difficult, but the effect when complete is stunning, as it creates a depth perception when laid over on the panel.

In my DVD Abstracting the Outdoors: Unlikely Surfaces I demonstrate this technique as it relates to my style of painting.  Generally I paint the sky and the body of the water on the panels.  Any trees, rock or other objects that would typically be in the foreground are subsequently painted on the glass.  Varnishing the glass can be tricky, as the paint has a tendency to lift off, but I am finding the end result is usually very good. 

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Pearson's Falls - 24x18" Acrylic on Canvas

Pearson's Falls was the last waterfall we visited in our annual fall waterfall trip. This waterfall is located in the southwest part of North Carolina between Saluda and Tryon. It was a bright crisp autumn day - that allowed for some experimentation when painting the sky.

This painting took nearly 50 hours to complete - the majority of time was spent of the rock structures behind the waterfall. In actuality there probably should have been more water shown as this is a dense, roaring waterfall. However, after painting these rocks it seemed a shame to cover up all these tiny details. A rich palette of grays, dark blues and purples allows for sharp contrasts with the sky and waterfall.
Pearson's Falls was the last waterfall we visited in our annual fall waterfall trip. This waterfall is located in the southwest part of North Carolina between Saluda and Tryon. It was a bright crisp autumn day - that allowed for some experimentation when painting the sky.

This painting took nearly 50 hours to complete - the majority of time was spent of the rock structures behind the waterfall. In actuality there probably should have been more water shown as this is a dense, roaring waterfall. However, after painting these rocks it seemed a shame to cover up all these tiny details. A rich palette of grays, dark blues and purples allows for sharp contrasts with the sky and waterfall.
 
It is a 1-1/2" canvas with all four sides painted.

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Hanging Rock State Park: Lower Cascade Falls - 18x24: Acrylic on Canvas

There are four waterfalls at Hanging Rock State Park. The Lower Cascades Fall is at the bottom of the mountain and is what I feel to be the most spectacular of all the waterfalls at the park.
 
It is a 1-1/2" canvas with all four sides painted.

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Hanging Rock State Park - 16x20" Acrylic on Glass and Panel

We visited this area last Fall.  After hiking several miles up we reached the top of Hanging Rock which is where I shot the picture that inspired this painting.  When I began photographing the area I knew almost immediately the types of paintings I would do.  The rock is so massive and the view is so spectacular it created two distinct elements that had to be separated.  I decided that I would paint the rock directly on the glass and offset it about a half inch from the panel to give me some depth.  I began first by painting the sky on the panel - it was not my intention to give the sky so much attention, but I found that some of the colors I was using were not giving enough vibrant punch.  I knew these would be behind glass, so I needed to make the sky jump out.  The mountains in the back ground are a bit more subtle but help in making the sky and the rock really come alive. 

Painting on glass is always a challenge as it has no absorption.  Even traditional primers like gesso do not always adhere well.  Several coats of priming were used and even then the surface is still pretty tough.  I painted the rock, by first using traditional heavy body acrylics in a series of color patterns.  After about 8 hours the basis of the rock had formed, but the colors were not vibrant and streaked alot.  I then used acryl Gouache to go back over these colors.  Everything on the rock is opaque, so I did not concern myself with losing transparency by using the gouache.  After doing this I again used the acryl gouache and made the patterns and symbols on the rock that are found in many of my works.

When I finally framed the piece and offset the glass from the panel got really excited from the results.  The additional work and challenges of working on glass definitely paid off!.


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Hanging Rock State Park - 16x20" Acrylic on Glass and Panel

The second of series of paintings that was inspired by views from Hanging Rock State Park. Like the earlier painting done this was painted on two different surfaces. The lower surface is that encompasses the sky and mountains is painted on a 16x20" Gessobord. The portion of the painting that shows the rock and the big tree is painted directly on the glass.

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A View from the Blue Ridge Parkway - 12x9" Acrylic on Paper

This painting is inspired from a trip we took to western North Carolina in early November. My original thought was to paint the big tree in the foreground on glass and offset that over the rest of the composition. I probably will do that at some point, as I do like this composition.
 
It is painted on 300 lb watercolor paper and presented in a shiny silver metal frame.


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Wildcat Falls - 12x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Just a short distance from the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina is WIldcat Falls.  We came upon this waterfall on a cold November morning but were not disappointed as this is really a picturesque setting.  When painting this I tried to show alot of movement not only in the waterfalls but in the surrounding trees as well.  The pool at the base of the waterfall was probably about 12" deep in the spot where I stood to take the picture.  This shallow water gave hints of the surface with alot of browns and siennas being evident. As the water got deeper at the splash area of the waterfall more blues, greens and even purples became evident in the composition. 

This is painted on a 12"x12" canvas - Despite the small area of the surface I was able to get alot of detail into the rocks and trees.  People often say my paintings are aboriginal or Aztec in appearance.  Perhaps WIldcat Falls defines a bit of both of these styles.

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Top of Bridal Veil Falls - 12x12" Acrylic on Canvas

One of several waterfalls in the DuPont Forest is Bridal Veil Falls. Located about a half hour from Brevard, NC this waterfall is unique to many of the other falls in the area. This big waterfall allows you to actually hike up the waterfall! The water flow occupies only a portion of the rock mass, the remaining portion of the rock in not so steep that you cannot climb up to the top. I took the picture that inspired this painting fairly close to the top. This artwork probably shows about 1/8 of the entire waterfall, I got some great pictures of the entire falls that I will probably paint later on a larger surface.

Although it was not my intention the blues, whites and grays of the waterfall and rocks set a tone for a cool day. This is accurate considering our visit to the area was in November on a cold, crisp late Autumn day.

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