From the top of Astoria, most visitors turn their gaze north toward the iconic bridge spanning the Columbia River. But looking south reveals a quieter beauty: another river winding its way through the hills, just visible as it peeks through the trees.
On the day I painted this, the sky pressed low with soft gray clouds, their weight balanced by the burst of wildflowers in the foreground. The purple and white blossoms offered a contrast of resilience against the muted landscape, capturing the fleeting richness of an Oregon summer.
This painting was gifted to a friend we met by chance—someone who had docked briefly in Astoria on a cruise ship but left with a piece of the land to remember it by. For me, it remains a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful views are found not where everyone else is looking, but in the quiet, unexpected directions.
*Oil on hardboard, 14×18 – Gifted*