Wednesday, September 27, 2017

They Call the Mighty Mississippi the Wall.








From my painting excursions into the Illinois river bottoms along the Mississippi, visits along the Ohio in Paducah, KY and to our recent trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I have been told that one who spends his leisure time on or along a river is called a River Rat. I’ve been called worse things.

The name Mississippi is derived from the Native American peoples Ojibwe word "Misi-ziibi," meaning "Great River".

The longest river in North America, it is the third longest river in the world at nearly 2,400 miles. It reaches from the Canadian border and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River is an important area of the wet lands with a massive ecosystem and environment that covers ten states, two Canadian provenience's and creates the third largest water shed in the world.

The Mississippi River has been a focal point in American history, from Native American tribes who flourished along its banks, through European explorers, the American Civil War, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

Western settlers and traders called it the “wall” because of the difficulty of crossing her, it being the biggest barrier to western expansion. For decades man has tried to tame her.
Nature always wins.


They Call the Mighty Mississippi the Wall.
Oil on panel, 8x10, © Jim Serrett














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Monday, September 18, 2017

Girl in the Red Kayak





Anyone who follows my work or my blogs knows that most of my landscapes and waterscapes come from our exploration of the local lakes by kayak.  Linda and I paddle the lakes in the Shawnee National Forrest area often and have grown especially fond of Cedar Lake. It has some of the most beautiful, secluded and peaceful areas to paddle.

The Lake has become a muse for my plein air work and it is one of those places you can go a thousand times and never tire of. The lake is large enough to turn into a good vigorous paddle or you can just slowly explore the necks and fingers. Either way you can always find an adventure along its banks.

More important is that it has grown to hold a special place in our hearts.

There is a communion with nature when you are quietly floating on the surface of the lake, and it gives us sustenance. “Fuel for the soul”, as sappy as it sounds is a real thing or it can be. Those moments are real when we stop and just see, and feel and be present.

The lake has given awareness and inspiration, a connection to the spirit of the land that I may never have known if I never stopped to pay attention and experience the moment. 

And when I close my eyes and imagine I see the lake in my mind’s eye, as I have painted it.

The Girl in the Red Kayak

Oil on panel, 11 x 14 inches

"Gratitude is the heart's memory." (French Proverb)





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Explore - Question - Learn - - Enjoy, Jim 



Website - jimserrett.com 
Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com 
Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings