Painting with Words

I wish I had been able to snatch tonight's image on my phone camera, but there was not enough light to catch the subtleties. Today I need the magic of words to keep this image safe for me.

Twice a week I home, from Rhinebeck to Kingston, around 6:30 PM, give or take a dalliance with a friend. As I drive home I watch the seasons change in the late afternoon light, along a stretch of road that snakes around lands that run to mansions, farms, and the river. Gently it spills out onto the bridge which joins the banks of the Hudson with a mountain range.  The Catskills are the prize at the end of my journey. I watch with the wonderment of a child how nature and light paint the sky in every conceivable weather and light combination. 

Today the sun is a low golden orb in a cloudless sky;  it has turned the mountains a color I cannot mix. They contrast with a huge endless sky that encases a field of  yellow, orange, with a hint of green which spills into a deepening blue.

Along the dark back road there is an odd shimmering glow on the trees whose leaves have turned -  yellow - orange  -red - glowing shapes that contrast with the color of day- slipping- into- night. Heading over the bridge the mountains lay ahead, graced by a perfect sliver of a moon that is rarely captured without looking trite. 

I marveled. I sighed. I wrote poetry in my head - in awe, amazement, gratitude, and inspiration. 

I hope you had a nice ride home. 

Observe the light.....

(Patti Gibbons: Sunset - River Road, Oil on Canvas.  8 x 10" Private Collection)