Elm Creek State Park, Minnesota
I haven’t done a pure landscape in quite a while—but this one kept calling to me. There’s a trail in Elm Creek State Park that curves gently into the trees just across the street from my house. On quiet mornings—before the heat rises and the crowds arrive—it feels like the woods belong only to me and the small creatures who live there.
One morning, I snapped a photo that captured that stillness: a winding path, wild grasses glowing in soft light, and a rabbit sitting calmly in the warmth, as if it had been waiting there all along. It wasn’t a dramatic scene—but it stayed with me.
This painting grew from that moment. I didn’t want to recreate the photo exactly—I wanted to capture the feeling it gave me: peace, solitude, and the gentle presence of life. The distant birds, the golden brush of sunlight, and that little rabbit—everything was placed to honor the quiet.
This isn’t just a landscape. It’s a reflection of a small, ordinary moment that felt unexpectedly meaningful. A quiet path, a patch of sun, and a rabbit that didn’t run. Sometimes it’s the stillness in our own backyard that reminds us what peace looks like.
absolutely beautiful. Your painting gives me those exact feelings you describe. Lovely!
Thank you Dirk!
Thank you Carolyn!
Beautiful and peaceful!
Thanks Steph. That's was I was going for. The peace in the morning is what my soul wants badly in our crazy world so I go there just to feel it.
Such a powerful painting and it captures your experience with it! So beautiful!
Thanks Sandy!
Beautiful, so inviting
Thanks Val!
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Good Morning Buddy, often it's the little moments, a short moment that has a lasting influence on life and leave a lasting impression. You captured and described a very beautiful moment here. Top👍🏼🇩🇪🔪