Cascades and Canyons

14" x 11" x 1.5"

Acrylic on Canvas

As I look at my finished painting, I think back to one summer in early high school, where carefree days were plentiful and adventures were around every corner. One such adventure took place at an old iron truss bridge near a canyon called Sleepy Hollow.

A bunch of popular kids from my school were jumping off the low bridge into the cascading river below to cool off and be a little crazy. They drove their hot cars and sporty trucks from the city to this out-of-the-way hotspot. A few friends of mine and I heard of this summer ritual and rode our bikes out to the bridge. It was a challenging but exhilarating 15-mile ride on paved and gravel roads.

When we arrived at the bridge, a dozen or so teenagers were hanging out on the not so busy bridge. Some were standing or sitting, laughing and drinking beer. Others were jumping off the bridge feet first into the cold water, with some merely sitting on the edge and scooting off into the swift moving river with a splash.

One crazy kid, named, Tracy, climbed up the old iron trusses to its highest point. Perched on top like an eagle, he made sure everyone was watching. Tracy then did a swan dive into the deeper part of the river, away from the slippery rocks. He pierced the water cleanly and then resurfaced as the small crowd cheered from afar. My friends and I watched with envy from the riverbank, as the cool kids had their fun.

That story, and other adventures in the canyon, inspired this painting and its accompanying title. And now thinking back, I really wished I had climbed to the top of those old iron trusses and did my own swan dive. To freefall and dive into the crisp, cool water would have been breathtaking. Instead, frozen like the wallflower I was, I stood on the dusty bank of that river and watched the other daredevils, while the cascading waters rushed under the bridge, down the river, and through the canyon.