This painting is from my Gladding Road series. This little stretch of road near the town of Lincoln has provided me with many wonderful subjects over the years. On this trip we were in that summer forest fire season and the smoke filled air was providing some amazing light effects. So I guess nature has a way of making something beautiful out of something that seems so destructive and violent. The rolling mounds in the foreground hold their own story. These are shapes created by the tailings from dredgers long gone from view or memory. The little cabin at the tree line could be just the ghost of another age or time. If you look closely you can see a lone figure in the field along with a faithful companion.