Tawny Slopes

Revis Hill Prairie, Mason County, Illinois
May 9, 2019
Oil on canvas
9 x 12 in. (22.9 x 30.5 cm)

Available

Like sand prairies, loess hill prairies developed on post glacial wind deposits. The fine silt particles and chemical makeup of loess allow its eroded landforms to become rather steep. Indeed, I was surprised to find some slopes at Revis Hill Prairie, an Illinois Nature Preserve, too steep to climb. In this spring view, with daylight fading, I was struck both by the pronounced terrain and the tawny clumps of last year’s grasses. Unlike Fults Hill Prairie which I had visited earlier that day, this section of Revis had not been burned in the prior season. After painting until dark, I descended the slopes accompanied by a night hawk swooping and calling along the wooded edge below.

Painted on location. Canvas mounted to hardboard.

Exhibition History

Publication History