I was downright giddy about the eclipse, since we were in the path of totality.  The day before I went up to Norman Ridge Road to scope out where I wanted to park, relative to the position of the sun in the sky during what would be the time of totality.  

On the day of, I drove up at 12:30 and started blocking in the underpaintings for these works, and worked until things started getting really interesting and not to be missed.  

There were at least 100 other people on the ridge with me, from all over.  It was a wonderful atmosphere of pure joy.  Kids were howling at the sun/moon, and people were gasping during the entirety of totality.  That delicious blue crept in very suddenly, and Venus became visible to the sun’s 5:00 o’clock.   Then the yellow started, along with light turquoise colors, and the clouds that we had in the sky added to the drama.  

My pieces represent what I saw with my naked eye.  I had a lens over my camera for other parts of the eclipse, but for these paintings I wanted them to represent what anyone might see.

The piece with Whiteface in it is entitled “Away from the sun, and was 90 degrees to the south of the eclipse, but I wanted to get Whiteface represented during the event.   

We had a 12” snowfall the week before—the last remnants of it were still on the fields that day.  It made for interesting colors.  

The eclipse was pure unfettered joy.  I hope that comes across in the paintings, somehow.  What a special place to watch it from—my heart’s home, for sure.    These are much better in person—I’m afraid I am still a slave to my iPhone’s camera.