There are several scenes in the Hudson Highlands that I come back to again and again to paint. One is the view of Constitution Marsh along the Hudson as seen from the rear of the property at the Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, NY. The painting pictured here and called Clouds Over Constitution Marsh, a 12"x16" oil on panel just sold over the past weekend at a benefit to support the Hudson Valley Hospital in Peekskill.

The enormous panoramic view that stretches into the distance is both breath-taking and daunting and my first few tries at capturing what I was seeing were less than successful to say the least. I started with small panels as I often do on location and tried to capture that big scene. It didn't work.

My next few attempts were more successful. I chose a  vertical format and peaked through an area with trees in the foreground and just a little of the scene
showing through.

When I came back in the Spring of 2008, I found my courage increasing and I decided to tackle larger formats from then on that would enable me to do greater justice to the intricate array of marsh, water, receding mountains and sky. The

I've started to feel that I'm getting the hang of this scene and certainly won't get bored with it. Every time I visit it, the atmosphere, the sky and lighting, and the water levels in the marsh are different. Then, add to that, with each season, the colors are different. Then each year, the weather patterns create differences in the foliage.

As you can see, there will be more challenges and more Boscobel views to come.