Springbrook Prairie, Late Afternoon

Surrounded by dense suburban development, Springbrook Prairie is a regionally significant grassland for breeding and overwintering birds, as well as an oasis of green for residents of Naperville. On my summer visit, I was especially impressed by the view of a verdant expanse of shimmering prairie beneath a late afternoon sun. To capture a direct impression of that, unfiltered by the camera, I created this painting on site, giving special consideration to how a sun-filled atmosphere feels over such an expanse.

I later used this captured impression to influence a larger composition on the subject of the pre-European settlement Grand Prairie (see below).

Painted on location. Canvas mounted to hardboard.