There's a lot to be learned by painting a scene over and over again, and this scene of Constitution Marsh and the Hudson River, which is found at the rear of park-like property housing the Boscobel Restoration, is one I keep coming back to.

It took me 2 or 3 years before I felt I really understood the complicated topography enough to start to really capture what I was seeing on a given day. The combination of receding planes caused by the mountainous terrain on either side of the river, the constantly changing marshland area which narrows and broadens with the tides, the colors of the land which change with the seasons, and the constantly changing weather conditions which affect the sky in particular but the whole scene as well, make this location a perfect choice for continuing study.

I look forward to this time of the year when Boscobel opens to see what another year as an artist whose skills continue to change and grow will bring to another season of painting visits.