Flint Creek Savanna 1

Lake County, Illinois
July 25, 2013
Oil on paper
7.5 x 7.5 in. (19.1 x 19.1 cm)

Private collection

Even though surrounded by the nieghborhoods of Lake Barrington Illinois, I could easily imagine that I stood in a prehistoric landscape while painting amidst the restored prairie of the Flint Creek Savanna. If it weren’t for the tireless work of Citizens for Conservation, reintroducing the grasses, forbs, and fires of the historic prairie, the ancient groves of bur oaks that survive here would no longer feel quite as rooted in prehistory. As I painted this scene, two sand hill cranes patrolled one side of the creek and a white-tailed deer emerged from the oak grove on the other, further enhancing the feeling of timelessness.

Painted on location, finished in the studio.