This scene depicts a clear, deep pool of the North Fork of the American River at Mumford Bar. I wanted to do this painting because I love the deep luscious pools and the sculpted, polished, and weathered rocks of the river canyon.

This area had been a historic gold miners camp from the gold rush days of the 49ers, so when you hike around the river's edge, you come across old mining equipment and tunnels. It's a wonderful place to swim in the hot summers of the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California, but it's a fairly long and steep hike out of the canyon, so you get heated up by the time you've hiked out. The deep clear waters of the American River and all its forks and tributaries are the places I grew up around and explored as a kid and young adult.

This painting was juried into the 89th Annual National Watercolor Society Exhibition, the 2010 Northwest Watercolor Society Exhibition, and the 45th Transparent Watercolor Show, Watercolor Society of Oregon 2010 (Second Place, and People's Choice Award).

Year: 2009