Hatley Gulch

The coolness of a brook in shadow contrasts with the warm golden glow of sunlight on the hills.

It is late afternoon at Hatley Gulch, a... more

by Steve Henderson

Original - Sold

Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

16.000 x 12.000 inches

Title

Hatley Gulch

Artist

Steve Henderson

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

The coolness of a brook in shadow contrasts with the warm golden glow of sunlight on the hills.

It is late afternoon at Hatley Gulch, a country enclave reached by a graveled county road in Eastern Washington. To get to the gulch, one must scramble down the embankment to the stream below, but the scramble is worth it because the waters trickle gently by, the trees stand overhead like sentinels, and the chirp of birds and chirrup of insects is all that the hiker can hear.

Hatley Gulch, the artwork, invites the viewer to step into this rural, quiet, country landscape and get away from the crowds for awhile. Overhead, on the road, little traffic passes, and one could picnic by the gulch for hours without hearing a single car go by. Though it is a hot summer day, in the shade by the brook the temperature is cool and pleasant, even pleasanter when one takes off the shoes and dabbles one’s feet in the quiet stream.

There is great peace and tranquility here – a simple spot with no grand vistas that turns beautiful places into national parks. The vista of Hatley Gulch is one of beautiful, brilliant color from the grass and the leaves and the trees and the rocks, but it takes time to appreciate such beauty because it does not shout itself out and demand to be heard.

Bold, sweeping brush strokes in oil capture the form and feeling of the landscape, and in the distance, where the setting sun is casting its glow over the golden hills, the road and the countryside beckon the adventurer to come further up and further in, to explore the unfolding beauty of the rural world.

But for now, down at the gulch by the tranquil brook, it is enough to simply soak in the sights and allow the tranquility of the place to enter one’s soul.

Featured in 23 Fine Art America groups.

Uploaded

June 6th, 2017