Nantahala Cascades
Three adventurous whitewater kayakers descend the Horns of God rapid on the Nantahala Cascades. Brown trout weave between the shadows and the rainbows. Mountain Laurel and Cosmos bloom along the shore. The water soothes and reflects the cool, vibrant light between features.
Being in the Nantahala National Forest is intoxicating. Light dances through the trees to create pockets of sunshine and life. The place is exploding with life, it is very exciting. On this day, I watched my love boof and glide through the rapids from the shore with his dad, visiting from New Mexico. We had been digging long trenches for water lines on our homestead all week, sweating from wake-up to bedtime. We are only a thirty minute drive to the Cascades, but it felt like a whole new world. It is refreshing, healing, even life-giving in this magical forest.
The mother of my love sent wildflower seeds in the mail that we sprinkled generously over our hillside. At the time his dad visited, the Cosmo flowers were beginning to make their presence known. Some gathered over six feet in height. It took months after this day to complete the painting, and during that time, the Cosmos gave and gave, blooming bursts of soft, almost blue pink. I walked through their gauntlet daily to my studio.
Whitewater kayakers have style, steeze, finesse. Class V boaters particularly are masters of their watercraft, and have each cultivated unique manners of boating that make the sport look easy and fun. The three pictured here have kayaked for years together in Chile. The trust between them builds with every descent, because when something goes wrong on the river, they must take care of each other. It’s beautiful.
Two of these boaters are sporting their neon green and blue NOC pdfs. They work as paddle instructors in the Summer here. They have their matching neon green boats. The third is in blue. Introverted shadow love. They are mirrored in the trout. I am in love with an INFJ Type 6 Pisces Boy who inclines me to look deep into the shadows to see the hiding treasures.
This painting utilized four colors of Golden Open Slow Drying Acrylic Paint; Anthriquinone Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, and Titanium White. It is varnished with Gamvar Satin and applied to a 48” x 24” Gallery wrapped canvas. Artist: Daisy Ralston.
