Catskill history:  Below are two watercolors of Catskill historic places.

The Ashokan Reservoir Diving Weir consists of fifteen arches, under Reservoir Road, that separate the West and East Basins of New York City’s oldest Catskill reservoir.  Construction as originally competed in 1915, but it has been extensively restored since then.

Ashokan Weir (Sold):

The second painting is a winter scene of a 119 foot single span Town Lattice truss covered bridge, which is found over the Neversink River near Hunter Road.  Construction was completed in 1912 by David Benton, John Knight, and George Horbeck and it remains a symbol of the Catskill Mountains dating back to the early settlers of the upper Neversink river valley.  The watercolor below appeared in the January 2021 Gazette, newsletter of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild.

Halls Mill Covered Bridge (NFS):

Retirement:  Is there any place better to spend retirement than in Port St. Lucie, Florida--- winter home of the N.Y. Mets?

Retirement, Port St. Lucie (sold):

Somesville Bridge, Maine:  Found in the village of Somesville on Mount Desert Island, the Somesville Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in all of Maine.

 

Somesville is the oldest settlement on Mount Desert Island.  However, the bridge itself was built in 1981 as tribute to Dr. Virginia Somes Sanderson’s grandfather Thaddeus Shepley Somes, a descendent of Abraham Somes, the island’s first settler in 1761.  Images of this bridge have been captured in paintings and photographs by visitors from around the world.  The clean, white graceful arch over Somes Creek generates peaceful images of nature and inner solitude.

The small structure near the bridge is the historic Selectmen’s Building, built in the 1780s by John Somes.  He was the son of Abraham Somes.  Over the years this little building was used as a cobbler’s shop, post office, and museum.  It also served as the town office during the 19th century, up through 1911.

Somesville Bridge:

Yet another brook trout:  During the summer of 2017, lurking on the bottom of the upper Neversink was a brook trout, stealthy and poised for the next morsel to pass its way.

Lurking:

Some recent watercolors:  Below are several recent 2018 watercolors.  Some might have originally been done as oils, others perhaps got a second chance as watercolors, and some are brand new--- never posted, nor painted before.

Along the Hudson:

Bamboo and brookies (DTC):

Catskill summer:

Into the evening:

Connecticut River:  This mighty waterway flows some 410 miles through four northeast states, forming the liquid border between Vermont and New Hampshire before emptying into Long Island Sound.  Native Americans called the river Quinnetukut, the great tidal river.

During the spring of 2018 we visited the very upper reaches of the Connecticut River near the international border.  We hiked, we fished, we dined, and Lois painted.  Here’s Lois painting along the river at the Carr Ridge Bridge Rod.

And, here a two plein air paintings.

Carr Ridge Bridge Road (Sold):

Magalloway:

Winter:  Is there anything so peaceful as gentle falling winter snow, especially when hunkered down in a cozy warm cabin?

Winter (Sold):

Genesis:  The first book of the Bible; a Latin and Greek word meaning the “origin” or “beginning.”  The 5x7 landscape below features the Rahway River, in the hustle and bustle of Union, New Jersey, where two side-by-side U.S. 22 highway bridges cross over it.  It was here, back in ’62 --- lifetimes ago--- young wannabe anglers embraced the pastime of fishing, often drowning worms or drifting salmon eggs to hatchery trout.  We were young noble knights of the eternal Order of Sir Izaak Walton and the Rahway River was our preordained turf.  This was my Genesis to the eventual world of flyfishing for wild trout and bamboo rods.

Notice the trout dimple, if you can, forever burnt into the fabric of my mind.

Genesis (NFS):

Winter and Catskill seasons:  Is there anything as inspiring on a fleeting winter day, then a frosty afternoon trek along a snow-covered road.  Soft dabbled sunlight casts long shadows, as mountain air cools like a brick dropped from a four-story building.  Don’t dally, but enjoy the sights.

Winter shadows:

A partial wet flow, of an ice covered mountain brook, glistens in mid-day sunlight.  Unrestrained water gently gurgles meandering downstream.  In coming weeks, as snow melts, this mountain brook will bellow the loud notes of a full church choir.

Biscuit Brook winter:

For a change of seasons, we find ourselves in a Catskill hollow, where native brook trout reside in a secluded small pond.  A pond with a time-honored, weathered, abandoned structure in clear view; a clash of the present and the past.

A summer’s day hollow:

Flyfishers, the Esopus, and brook trout:  Big Bend, a fisherman’s landmark on the Esopus Creek.  It was a favorite of the late Arnold Gingrich, noted author, flyfisher, and a founder of Esquire magazine.  The idyllic scene from above has graced the pages and covers of many publications.

Big Bend, Esopus Creek (DtC):

Not far away, upstream as the crow flies, lies Jennings Pool.  Preston Jennings was another noted Esopus flyfisher, and friend of Arnold Gingrich.  He often cast his offering in this Mt. Tremper pool, viewed below in autumn attire.

Autumn on Jennings Pool (Sold):

The New York State is the native brook trout, no small wonder why given the colorful garb it wears.  The one below took up residence in the East Branch of the Neversink, a watershed home to such flyfishers as Theodore Gordon, Edward R. Hewitt, Leonard Wright, Ed Sens, and many others.

East Branch Neversink brook trout (Sold):

Life’s reflection and more Catskill watercolors:

Why (DtC):

A question living creatures often ponder, this one at the bottom of a stream with reflections of a clear net--- from above--- all about.  Why, why am I here with a fly stuck in my jaw?  Why can’t I move freely about and why is that unfamiliar round thing behind me?  Why are the lines of refracted light in such odd patterns?  Why are you and I so up close and personal?  But perhaps most pressing, why are you anglers so in love with me most of all?

A Catskill Hollow (NFS):

What is it about a hidden Catskill hollow some find so alluring?  Is it because nature fondly calls these places home?  Could it be many are the birthplaces of mighty waterways?  Perhaps the small wild trout have something to do with this affection?  Maybe on this misty, foggy, drizzly day, the very elements of life are alive in this damp, cool ravine?

Catskill brook trout:  Salvelinus fontinalis, a native New York trout, although taxonomically it’s actually a char and not a true trout.  Historically brook trout were the only Catskill trout, but nowadays brookies might not be the largest nor most cunning fish in these mountains.  However, there’s little doubt brook trout are still the prettiest of the bunch, especially in autumn spawning attire.  Typically brook trout require the coldest and purest of waters, even if it’s a little acidic.  As such development, pollution, and competition from other trout species tend to reduce the brook trout’s current range to headwater streams and small tributaries.  Typically a six-inch Catskill brook trout might be a decent size while a foot-long fish a real trophy, though in ponds and lakes brook trout can grow in stature.

How can any serious fly-fishing fanatic not love the bodily colors of a wild Catskill brook trout?  These vibrant fish are both the hunted and the hunters.

The hunter (DtC):

This trout is poised in attack mode, patiently postured for a fleeting morsel to approach within striking range.

Bewilderment:

Confused by the sting of a Brown Bivisible stuck in its jaw and a slight tug from a tippet--- working to redeploy this fish from the creek bottom’s safety, it fins in bewilderment.

A Gunks brookie (Sold):

Not all wild regional brook trout are only found in the Catskills, some might make their homes under the shadows of the Shawangunks, in white conglomerate bedrock streambeds.

Hardy and the brook trout:

Perhaps one of the most prized fly reels ever manufactured, a Hardy reel and a brook trout make unlikely unwater acquaintances.

Traver’s trout:

This watercolorist only paints original venues, refusing to mimic the work of another artist.  However, a persistent husband pleaded that she paint this scene for him, so she acquiesced.  The work was originally portrayed by Samuel A. Kilbourne (1836-1881) and later graced the covers of old Orvis catalogs and Robert Traver’s book, Trout Madness.