68.  Original Plein Air Watercolor Painting, “Plein Air, 12:50-2:50pm, Rainbow Trout at MK Nature Center, 10.10.24”, watercolor and white gouache, 30 x 42”, 2024

Location: Eagle, ID

Event: Eagle Plein Air

Event Awards: Best New Artist, Two Blue Ribbons, Best Water, 2nd Place Nocturne

Work-Specific Awards: Best Water; Blue Ribbon

While working on a (sold) painting of a Red Bridge along the river near Boise State, a man fishing told me about the trout in the tank at the MK Nature Center. Finer Frames, the host of Plein Air Eagle, had suggested the MK Nature Center for the next day of painting, so I told the fisherman, absolutely I’ll check out the trout tank. It’s really rare to find fish, or any animal, holding still enough for long enough to be able to paint them with an effect that’s usually only found by looking at photography or dead specimens. These trout were coming back and hovering in this one place so consistently that I was able to observe the shimmer of individual scales. It reminded me of SCUBA diving in Hawaii. I don’t know how I would watercolor paint underwater, so this is the next best thing. Seattle has a similar view from the Salmon fish ladder in the Locks. This work won a blue ribbon and “best water”.