The actual name of this location is Blackjack Thicket, suggesting a different aspect of growth and density (and management) at some point in the past. The dark soil in the grove appears much more fertile than the chalky soil of the adjacent prairie patch where I had just finished my first painting of the day. After getting fairly cooked doing that one, I sought the shade of the oak grove for this second attempt. It was sunny when I started but pouring rain when I finished.
