Water Falls
Nostalgia
A longing for a different time. A memory of good things that you recollect when hit with certain sights, sounds, and feelings. For me, this collection of paintings embodies the idea of nostalgia in two ways.
First, it is an ode to the area I grew up and currently live. I’ve lived in the Upstate of South Carolina for over 17 years. Even though I haven’t lived here my whole life, I claim it as my home. I’ve visited and hiked past many of these waterfalls growing up. Then when my husband and I moved back to the area, we were looking forward to exploring these natural beauties. With the added craziness of the Coronavirus, I have appreciated our proximity and the beauty even more. I do not consider myself a landscape painter by any means, but I wanted to encapsulate the nostalgia of childhood and the continuing memories I am making in the Upstate.
Second is the idea of capturing a moment. If you notice, each painting has a time stamp. Those aren’t random. They are the dates I hiked with my husband and visited these falls. I can tell you how I was feeling when I took each of these reference photos. Even if I was dying by the end of the hike, I look back and am nostalgic for that feeling of accomplishment and that feeling of awe when we had finally reached our goal.
Even the portrait of these water scenes tells a specific moment. You can look through my many reference photos from this collection (as well as the paintings themselves) and none are alike. The water is a paradox - steady and constant, yet always changing and flowing. Like life, the water is fleeting, but for a brief moment, I captured in my paintings where the water falls and it was still. Where it can be appreciated and enjoyed.
As you scroll through the collection, you are welcome to listen to a playlist I compiled. It contains songs I listened to when I was painting. There’s certainly other things I listened to/didn’t include, but if you listen, I feel it communicates the vibe of Water Falls. Click the button below to go to the Spotify playlist.
Middle Saluda River
From Jones Gap State Park, this painting shows a familiar sight to its guests. I have many good memories visiting this state park over the years and I automatically think of this portion of the river. This picture was taken in early March, before South Carolina shut down its parks during the COVID-19 pandemic. As it was the first piece I painted in the collection, it made me pay attention to details I never noticed before and hope that we could visit our beautiful outdoors soon.
20” x 24” x 1.5”
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Wildcat Branch Falls
If you weren’t looking for this little group of waterfalls, you might miss it as you drive by. The only reason I knew it existed was so many visits during my childhood. We would pile into my parent’s truck or minivan and drive a short distance to the falls. At the time I visited in late April, it was cloudy and too cold to wade, but it was still a beautiful sight.
11” x 14” x 1.5”
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Spoonauger Falls
This waterfall sits near the South Carolina and North Carolina border and is at the end of a short, but brisk hike. While this painting only shows a small portion of the towering waterfall, it still captures the energy of the falls. This was my first time seeing this beautiful waterfall and I hope to return one day to see it again.
Fun fact - I started this piece listening to my playlist and finished this piece while watching documentaries on the British Royal family.
11” x 14” x 1.5”
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Carrick Creek I
At the beginning of your hike at Table Rock State Park, this waterfall and pool area greets you. I’ve hiked past this familiar scene many times and also swam there many times to escape the South Carolina heat. The creek was particularly frothy and busy because of the abundance of rain we had received, but it was also a very peaceful hike as we rarely saw anyone on our little adventure. I like to think of this little painting as a little slice of heaven.
8” x 10” x 1.5”
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Twin Falls/Reedy Cove I
Twin Falls was another hike and waterfall I had never visited before this year. Unlike some other hikes mentioned in this collection, this was an easy hike and was filled with a lot of laughter. I loved this photo since it captured the mood of the entire hike and had the prettiest light leak.
Fun fact - yellow is very hard to paint without layering A LOT
16” x 20” x 1.5”
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Chattooga River
On our way to the Spoonauger hike, we went the wrong way and ended up doubling our hike length. But we got to see some pretty views of the nearby Chattooga River. I had to balance rather oddly to get this picture in the middle of the river. This particular scene was my biggest challenge to paint so far since I had not attempted to focus on just the water without a hint of surrounding landscape. And just as I considered it my biggest challenge in this collection, I also consider it one of my biggest triumphs.
11” x 14” x 1.5”
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Carrick Creek II
Another view of Carrick Creek that is a familiar scene at Table Rock State Park. This particular painting showed off the frothiness of the water from the recent rains. Also, the pink flowers (as well as the fallen petals below) and the bright, pink light leak show off the last visions of spring before the warmth of South Carolina summers.
Fun fact - a lot of Jane Austen films were in the background while I painted this and I feel it shows.
14” x 18” x 1.5”
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Twin Falls/Reedy Cove II
This mini painting is a zoomed in scene from the Twin Falls hike. It was taken about halfway through the hike in one of those many side areas to sit and appreciate the views. This painting was a great challenge to perfect my painting of clear, more still water as well as trying a new way to get the light leak just right.
8” x 10” x 1.5”
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Carrick Creek III
One of the last views of Carrick Creek before we had to turn back because of some flooding. It may be hard to tell between the rocks and fallen trees, but I enjoyed all the warm, orange tones in this scene. It shows how full the creek was and how happy it was to keep rushing along while we had to wade through it to keep hiking.
11” x 14” x 1.5”
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Twin Falls/Reedy Cove III
The final view I painted from the Twin Falls hike. Unlike it’s sister painting (Twin Falls/Reedy Cove I), this is a darker, more shaded view of the river. However, the photo was bursting with light and I could not wait to show it through paint.
16” x 20” x 1.5”
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