Montana land of the big sky

Six of us headed out to Montana to do some fly fishing.  We rented a Forest Service Cabin; a log homestead built in 1917.  It sits in the valley between tree topped hills along side a small rocky creak that flows into a bigger rocky creek where we fished.

The fall landscape is beautiful.  Winding blue water framed by Golden grass covered fields and tall green pines with red bark; tree covered hills with Rocky outcrops; brilliant blue skies with billowing white clouds.

The two story cabin had a propane stove and lights.  It didn’t have a refrigerator, so we kept our food in coolers on ice.  A shed behind the house contained the pit toilet, shower and wood storage area.  The largest part of the shed was occupied by wood, since we used the central wood stove to heat the house.

While painting the cabin I notice movement in grass, a mountain grouse was out foraging.

We spent most of our days fishing and relaxing on the porch.  I caught and released several Rainbow and Brown Trout.  

Croagh Patrick, Ireland

On a clear day, from the upstairs window at the Essence of Mulrany, I could see the distant mountains and the closer lofty peak of Croagh Patrick across Clew Bay.  Croagh Patrick has an undulating flat-topped base with a towering cone shaped peak.  The view presented to us was ever changing.  Clouds fled across the sky, circling around Croagh Patrick's peak, sometimes obscuring part or all of it from view.  At times the clouds completely blanketed the far side of the bay eliminating any view of the peak.


I took advantage of clear quiet mornings to paint the ever changing panoramic dance of clouds and shadows moving across the water and land.  I did a few smaller sketches and one large painting of the bay and distant mountain.  For big paintings I usually use Winsor & Newton tube paints, but I wasn't sure I could take them on the plane.  So I decided to make a second watercolor travel kit containing half pans of the same Winsor & Newton paints I use in my studio.  I found a Cotman Water Color Compact Set that holds 14 half pans on sale at the local art shop.  I replaced the student grade half pans with professional grade half pans based on the pigments I use the most.

Mulrany salt marsh, Ireland

The Essence of Mulrany, is up on the hill side.  This location provided us with ever changing panoramic views of Clew Bay.   Clouds danced across the sky casting shadows across the water and land.  The tide moved in and out of the salt marsh changing the puzzle shaped pieces of land.

At low tide neighborhood sheep would graze on the salt marsh.  Moving from puzzle piece to puzzle piece by climbing down to cross the muddy creeks.  Farmers would send out their Border collies to herd the sheep back before the tide returned.  Sheep would run to and fro trying to avoid the dog, which usually managed to round them all up and herd them to nearby pens.  Any sheep that were left out on the marsh through the next high tide would have to stand where they were until the water again receded.  Sheep can't swim.  During one round up I watched the dog herd the sheep across the pedestrian bridge.

I did some sketches the salt marsh from the windows (high tide on the left and low tide on the right):

 

I also did a few Plein air pencil and watercolor sketches of the salt marsh and surrounding area during my walks (below).