The drought here in Oklahoma has been receding nicely and the rain seems to have taken my drought with it. The grass is long and green. Even the satellite maps are greening, healing the scorched scar that has been incessantly moving eastward since 2011.
I miss walking through long grass. While searching for painting locations with my equine artist friend Joan Frimberger, I quickly learned to avoid long grass in Oklahoma. Within minutes we were covered in ticks. It is hard to shake the feeling that your whole body is crawling for days after. The only way to avoid their bites in damp Oklahoma fields is with a haz-mat suit.
There weren’t any ticks in the grass at the location of this painting. I wandered deep into it and came out clean. It was late in the afternoon and the wind was gentle that day. It is one of those ubiquitous abandoned farms that could be anywhere between here and Ontario, making it the perfect transition in my work.
Down here, the grass fields in springtime are more likely wheat and the wind can be fierce making it move like waves on the ocean. The motion is fluid and remarkably calming in a place where spring can be violent. The brief iPhone video (under a minute) below is from earlier this spring. Enjoy!
Another fantastic painting, great to see your art as always.
But, erg, just thinking of ticks makes me shiver, ick, ick, ick.
These ones were HUGE, which I suppose is good – made them easier to find… but eeeew! LOL!
I could watch that video on loop over and over again.
Lovely painting, Michelle!
LOL! Me too… Thanks, Sharon!
I can feel the heat emanating from this piece! Lovely summer memories.
I’m not sure it was very hot the day I was there, but it was nearly 100 degrees when I was painting it! These things seep in… 🙂
ugh ticks!! *runs away* :p
the fields around here in the hills were doing the ocean wave other day, its mezmorizing to watch
It is… I was just driving down a side road when I saw the wheat field in the movie. The wind was howling, but it was magical. I wanted to stay and watch forever.