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This spring I've been going to the top of hills and mountains to paint vistas whenever I can.

In April, when the grass was greening up and the trees had reddish buds, I painted this view of the Susquehanna Valley looking south from Mount Pleasant Mills, PA. 

Mennonite Vista, oil on canvas, 11 x 14" Available

In May, I painted the famous view of the Connecticut River from the Summit House on Mount Holyoke (in Central Massachusetts) while returning to Mount Holyoke College for my 45^th reunion. (More about this trip in a future blog.)

This photo shows the "underpainting" layer done in shades of red, a technique I use frequently to "tame" the greens of summer. Later, I floated various shades of green over the reds.

In June I discovered rural farm vistas along Route 6 in Bradford County, PA as part of a plein air event, the Susquehanna Summer Solstice Festival.

My easel at the Marie Antoinettte Overlook in in Bradford County with its stone structure that provided a shady outdoor work space on a hot day.

Why this passion for vistas?

My love of painting vistas is not new (read Soaring), but there is something about coming out of a pandemic that makes me crave open space. I want to feel the wind on my face as I paint.

Susquehanna River from Wyalusing Rocks Overlook, oil on canvas, 11 x 14" Available

It might also be that, as the song says, the earth looks better “from a distance.” For example, we can’t see any signs of fracking sites these Bradford County paintings. They are hidden by the forests and we notice only the large shapes – the beautiful curve of the Susquehanna River, the pattern of the farm fields, and the mountains on the horizon. We feel a sense of air and space  (as did the the eagle that was soaring back and forth in front of me, off and on, all afternoon as I painted).

French Azilum from the Marie Antoinette Overlook, oil on canvas, 11 x 14" Available

Above is another painting of the Susquehanna River with the historic village of "French Azlium" built to shelter Marie Antoinette. The plan to save her life failed, but some structures still stand. You can visit the Laporte House (1835) which is now a museum that tells the story of French Azlium.

Vistas provide a chance to feel oneself in the past, present, and future. As I paint I often imagine what a view looked like 200 years ago, 400 years ago, during the last ice age...

Pennsylvania Farm Vista, oil on canvas, 8 x 6" Available through Gallery. Details here.

Patchwork Farms, oil on canvas, 8 x 6" Available.

The two paintings above were painted on the same day - Pennsylvania Farm Vista in the morning, then Patchwork Farms in the afternoon. The colors in the second painting indicate the warmth of the afternoon.

These paintings focus on the human effect on the land - the barns and patchwork fields. As I painted I imagined the lives of the native people who stood where I was standing. What they would think of the view today?

I hope others see what I see in these special places and work to protect them.
 
Those are my answers for the “why” of these vista paintings. I’d love to know what you see in them! Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined.