Youghiogheny River

This painting is based on a photograph I took while we were riding our bikes along the Allegheny B & O outside of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. The story... more

by Ken Messinger-Rapport

Title

Youghiogheny River

Artist

Ken Messinger-Rapport

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

This painting is based on a photograph I took while we were riding our bikes along the Allegheny B & O outside of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. The story is told that when, as a young scout for the British army, George Washington surveyed this river for the transport of troops and supplies, he reported that this river would be utterly unnavigable owing its rockiness. They didn't have the luxury of rubber rafts, which is how people ride down the river now-a-days. After the railroads came through and then disappeared, Rails-to-Trails converted the old rail corridor into a bike path that runs from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. We traveled just a small, but very scenic portion of it. Somewhere along the way we stopped at a point where the path and the river are at the same low elevation, and I took this shot. What intrigues me about this picture is its perspective; I love the mystery evoked as the river disappears into the distance around the bend. The challenge in painting it was getting the trees right, rendering the multitude of rocks, and portraying the glaring reflection of light off the surface of the water and the rocks. You can almost feel the late summer heat rising from the rocks.

Uploaded

January 17th, 2013