Close to Heaven



Kennebec Field No. 2 - 8x8

AS WE DRIVE ALONG I-90, after I make that first painting in Reliance, SD, we scan the landscape near and far for more sunflower fields. The foliage of the just-gone-by field is a particular shade of green, an little bluish, with lots of white in it, and so we are looking for that - our only experience so far - when Carol Baney - who has the best eyesight of anyone I know - draws in a sharp breath and says, "LOOK! THERE!" 

And there, far off, on the horizon to the north, is a stripe of brilliant, amazingly bright, yellow. And we know we've found it! 

We get off the highway and confer about how to reach that field. We turn down one dirt road, and then see that we have to take at least one other to reach the now-shimmering field of gold. We turn, and see ahead of us, a guy in a tractor, rumbling along, taking up the whole path. 

When we reach him, we stop and talk, and he points us to the field (more on him below). We follow his directions, and as we come around a corner, can hardly believe our eyes. Thousands and thousands of sunflowers, shining, blazing, blasting yellow, orange, gold, as though the brightest, shiniest, sunniest day of my life has taken shape and explosively announced itself. Astonishing. 

We drive up and down - nearly a mile? And across, maybe a quarter mile? - amazed, agog, jaws dropped, and choose a place to paint. The first painting I make is below - it's not one of the $100 ones, but will be available when the trip is finished. The second painting, above, is from the prettiest place in the whole field, I think. I paint and paint, and also take photos for more paintings of sunflowers, and of a gorgeous farm - and then we go on our way. 

Heartened, we look for more sunflower fields, and we find them - but the flowers are all passed. So will there be more? Or was that field a freak? Time and travel will tell.

Above, my painting in the landscape.


Above, Kennebec Field No. 1, 6x24


My painting in the landscape, above. Below, the field itself




One of the best ways to get some idea of the size of these fields is to see a little video I made and uploaded to YouTube. To see it, please click here. 

***
Person of the Day


AL ARENDT is driving a tractor (or what I assume is a tractor, since my command of the language of agricultural machines is pretty limited) ahead of us on the dirt path into the sunflower fields. He pulls off and stops, clearly wanting to know what the heck two women in a Pennsylvania car are doing out here in the middle of his field in Kennebec, South Dakota. 

I get out and introduce us, and ask if it's OK if I paint. "You're going to set up an easel in this wind?" he asks, and I explain that well, I will try, and if it's too windy, I'll find another way to paint. He smiles a little, and tells me we can cross his land anywhere, if that's what we like... I insist on the sunflower field area, and he says, well, the people who own those fields live in Alaska, but he'll text the man who farms them and make sure it's OK, and if it's not, he will text me and let me know. 

He tells me he's a retired lawyer, and started buying land while he was still working. He owns 1,600 acres, and it's expensive. The field he's mowing (turns out it's a mower, not really a tractor) is about 385 acres and cost him $1 million.

He's going to mow all afternoon, he says, if the mower holds up. He paid someone to fix it, paid in advance, and the guy didn't do a great job. I ask if the guy knows he was a lawyer, and Al says, "Yup. I defended him a few times." 

***
Dog of the Day


It's the giant prairie dog at The Ranch Store, just outside of Badlands National Park











 


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