On a sultry, breezy spring day in the Shawnee Hills, I ascended a steep, boulder strewn trail to the top of the Cave Creek Glade Preserve. Along the way I was greeted by prairie classics such as prairie dock, little bluestem, and pale coneflower. At the top of the glade, stunted post oaks on the edge of a dry woodland with a view beyond to the Gulf Coastal Plain made an obvious choice for a field painting. I felt a special connection with these expressive trees, post oaks being one my favorite southeastern oaks.
Cave Creek Glade Preserve on U.S. 45 in Johnson County, is managed by the Illinois DNR.
- See Illinois Nature Preserve info for the site.
- Location of viewpoint: https://goo.gl/maps/qazRfeK9mRfkxpoU6
Painted on location. Touched up in the studio.
Exhibition History
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The Long View, Prairie Paintings from Illinois Nature Preserves
June 24, 2022 - February 5, 2023
Illinois State Museum at Dickson Mounds
10956 N. Dickson Mounds Rd. Lewistown, Illinois
