Fishing through the ice

Once the lake “ices in,”a whole new world emerges.

Acres of new real estate, previously accessible only by boat, become available for exploration on foot.

Fisherman, cell phone photo

Fishing is the winter sport of choice. Whole towns spring up, populated by fun loving, hard drinking fisher-people.

Fishing village, gouache on brown paper

Give up the booty, gouache on brown paper

Four fishing shanties, gouache on brown paper

Up on top there is the bait, and the fish who take it.

bait fish, cell phone photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

land locked salmon, gouache on brown paper

Pike and lake salmon carcasses, fillets removed, cell phone photo

But I became fascinated with what was going on UNDER all that ice.

What’s down below,  gouache on paper

My personal goal for this winter is to walk across my lake and to drink an Irish Coffee in a pub on the other side If this happens I’ll let you know!

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In Praise of the “Artist’s Fungus”

There is a particular type of shelf fungus growing around here in the woods that I call an Artist’s Fungus, also known as  Ganoderma applanatum, the artist’s conk. Artists have been drawing on these for many years.  I found some contemporary examples by Corey Corcoran that are weirdly cool:

This is an ephemeral medium-if you don’t etch them quickly they harden and are no longer workable.

Some have better contrast than others. This early one of a loon has faded into a uniform tan, but the design is still visible.

The white underside of the fungus turns dark when it is disturbed. A sharp object like a nail, jack knife, or exacto knife can be used to etch.

The side of a blade can create shadows, but lettering is hard for me.

some work better than others. Here the invasive weed Eurasian Milfoil‘s feathery textures work better than the gliding fish.

My favorite is my newest, a cat face and a tiny mouse on 2 separate fungi.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Related articles

• The Artist’s Conk (palymoth.com)
• Finding what is underneath (moonandshadow.wordpress.com)

Views from High Places

A great view is worth hiking for

Two views from Rattlesnake Cliffs, overlooking Lake Dunmore, Vermont.

McAfee Knob, on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Not terribly high, but a breathtaking experience if you are acrophobic!

And the view from Tinker Cliffs, looking south along the serpentine chain of the Appalachians

And finally, a recent painting from the top of Snake Mountain in Addison, Vermont. The fertile fields of Addison County, Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains are in the distance.