The acrylic painting above was completed and forgotten in 2008. I recently rediscovered the art in an upstairs closet with others.
The inspiration for this art came about while fishing north of the bridge and near Lock Number 7 on the Allegheny River. The dam is upriver from this site. The site is at Kittanning, Pennsylvania. That day was a low water time of the year.
In this area I have caught many species of fish. The list includes Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Shad, Walleye, Channel, Flathead and Bullhead Catfishes, Rock Bass, Carp, Sauger, Longnose Gars, Sunfish and probably a few more species. The painting sized framed is 29 inches by 18 inches.
In a recent post I placed two photographs of turkey feathers with my art on them. I quickly was contacted by two gentlemen both, from Kentucky, wishing to have feather art created for them. These two examples are the result.
I have not done many turkey feather art projects, but I had an opportunity to do a couple recently. The process is to clean the feather of any oils or dirt. The second step is to use a fixative or flat varnish spray on the feather. This helps keep the paint stay where I put it. This process, also, works to keep the barbules stay tight and not spread open.
Once these steps are completed, I can decide on a composition image and begin to paint. These two examples were completed in acrylic paints. Once dry I spray a light coat of satin varnish to further seal.
Sometimes I get on a roll with my art. I had decided to enter the Pennsylvania Waterfowl Stamp selection event with a Hooded Merganser. (See post on the Hooded Merganser painting.) Upon completion of that painting, I elected to do another painting of a Canada Goose. The event allows the artist to submit two pieces for selection consideration. Once the idea was sketched, I quickly determined the title to be,“High Over the Allegheny.”
The above sketch was the beginning of this painting.I thought, at first, to do fog in the lower terrain of the landscape and over the river.
I liked the initial idea and sketch, and I would soon transfer this sketch onto a prepared, with gesso, Masonite panel of the proper size as per the rules.
The slapping on of the paint began. I used acrylic paints to do this art.
The “slapping on the paint” beginning.
After about ten or twelve hours the painting is shaping up. Notice chalk lines on the piece to help me with direction and visualize contours and shapes.
The detail is being completed on the Canada Goose, but I still have some time before I can say, finished!
I finished this painting in 13 days. Like I said above I was on a roll with an inspiration to paint.
The completed painting called, “Laurel Rest-Hooded Merganser.” (Minus the signature.)
Readers of my entries may remember I had suffered from some serious asthma issues this May into June. I didn’t get to hunt spring gobblers very much due to coughing and fatigue, however, when I received an entry form from the Pennsylvania Game Commision for their annual Pennsylvania Waterfowl Management Stamp Contest I found myself wondering if I should enter. Afterall I wasn’t doing much else.
I have not entered this contest very often over the years for various reasons. With time not hunting or fishing due to my illness I began to think of potential painting ideas. The event rules limited five species of waterfowl for this year’s art. (Selected art would be for the 2024 print and stamp) The Hooded Merganser was one option. Others were: Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Redhead and Canada Goose. (I would do a second painting of a Canada Goose. This story will be on a separate entry.)
I do not see the Hooded Merganser in my area as often as I would like for this waterfowl specie is a beautiful bird to behold. The Common Merganser is plentiful, but the Hooded Merganser is not so common locally. In fact, seeing one can be rare.
I began to sketch the bird with an idea I had incorporating the state flower of Pennsylvania, the Mountain Laurel. I liked the idea and worked up some preliminary drawings of the bird.
The initial rough idea of the Hooded Merganser with Mountain laurel on scrap paper.
Notice I was undecided on the bill placement on this sketch.
A further refined drawing.
The drawings were refined for placement and composition as the idea began to finalize in my thoughts.
Finally, I transferred the working sketch to the gessoed-prepared Masonite panel. The image to be viewed at the contest was to be ten inches by fourteen inches, but I planned on eleven, maybe twelve inches by fourteen, in case I wanted to frame it to that size later. A white mat, as per contest rules, would be placed over the finished painting to only show the ten by fourteen size.
Six, or so, hours into the acrylic painting. I was having issues with the background color blending to my liking.
Ten or twelve hours into the painting. At this stage I realized the bill of the merganser was too thick so I would need to paint this over and redo to size. The laurel is taking shape, too.The ripples in the water were made with chalk to get the feel as the direction I would take once I began painting them.
As the painting began to take form, I noticed something was not looking correct. I studied the art with actual merganser photos and decided the beak was much too thick for a merganser. This example shown above shows a beak more associated with a Mallard and others. I would need to mix paints and cover the bill over.
Once the bill size was changed, I could begin further detail work for it seemed correct. At least I hope I got it correct!
Many hours later, the painting, shown above, was completed.
Pennsylvania in the mid-eighteenth century was a very much different Pennsylvania than today! Most of the population were to be found east of the Allegheny Mountain range. West of the mountain range was forestlands intermingled with native Indian villages. French soldiers were building forts along the Allegheny River to the dismay of the Bristish and colonists of the colony of Pennsylvania. The French and Indian War was reality by the midcentury beginning in 1754 with George Washington’s force firing on some French soldiers in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The painting shown above has received much interest on another site, so much so, I decided to give a brief story about the event. However, to tell the Blanket Hill event story there is a need to give a few details as to why it happened.
Pennsylvania, at this time, was an ally with England for it was one of England’s colony and not a state until after the War of Independence. The natives of the village of Kit-Han-ne (Present-day, Kittanning, PA.) The Indians located here were mostly of the Lenni-Lenape tribe commonly referred to as the Delaware. They, because of various reasons, allied themselves with the French cause launching raids into the frontier lands of the colony. Upon hearing of any Delaware Indians close would send settlers in a panic traveling as far as Philadelphia with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The threat of death was real!
Moving ahead to the summer of 1756 another event occurred. The defeat of Fort Granville would lead to the above incident. This fort was located near present-day Lewistown, Pennsylvania. The man-in-charge of the fort was Lieutenant Edward Armstrong. This man would be killed in the attack. Note the name!
The lieutenant’s brother was Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong. This man sought the authorities to launch a raid on the Delaware’s chief village of Kit-Han-Ne. He, obviously, had thoughts of avenging his brother, but, also, wanting to destroy the village, burn their fields and rescue some one hundred prisoners being kept at the village. Some three hundred and seven men began the trek west to accomplish this feat.
Armstrong sent scouts ahead to watch for Indian activity. The scouts found a fire and believed three to four warriors were present. This was on September 7, 1756. The officer placed a Lieutenant James Hogg with twelve men to attack these Indians at dawn. Armstrong continued west towards the Indian town of about six miles away. Horses and baggage were left close to the area, too.
At dawn Hogg’s ordered the attack only to discover there were many more Indians present. A few prisoners gathered at Kit-Han-Ne during the following morning’s attack claimed about twenty-five natives had left the town. No doubt these were the men. The skirmish began!
Lieutenant Hogg’s was wounded twice and would die. Others were killed or wounded. The others took off out of fear leaving their blankets, horses and other gear behind! The battle was a moving skirmish as the Indians searched for the fleeing soldiers. The site became known as “Blanket Hill”. The area is still called this to the day.
My great, great, great grandfather purchased the land in the 1800 era. I was raised a few miles away from the site. I had walked the area in my youth before learning of the actual site of the beginning of the skirmish. In recent years I have hunted and harvested deer with my smoothbore sixty-two caliber and my fifty caliber flintlocks.
The painting depicted above shows four Delaware Indians at the fire the night before the attack at dawn.
Late last year (2022) I began sketching some ideas down for a Whitetail Deer painting. The plan was to work on a number of thoughts and being finalized by early January. The plan fell in place on the time schedule. Laurie was scheduled to have a food surgery on January 17th. I imagined I would work on the art while being near to help as needed. However, since I quit hunting with the flintlock early, I began the painting process for the above completed painting.
I made a number of “thumbnail” sketches. The thumbnail is an artist term used to make small sketches or thoughts. These thumbnails are studied until a direction is finalized within the thoughts. I made around six or seven of those thumbnails,
The thumbnail I decided to work the plan on. This sketch is around 4 by 6 or so.
After the thumbnail idea is decided on, I then think about what size the finished art is to be. The original size was 16 by 20. However, once I sketched the rough to that size and deemed my concept was “crushed” mush too much and elected to the size of 16 by 24. What that term of crush means here is that the drawing was too busy within the space. the 16 by 24 allowed to put my desires in the painting and not having the details to be lost with the elements of the painting. BUT… I happened to have a frame of 16 by 23 on hand so I shortened the length by an inch and adjusted the sketch as needed.
Notice some changes here with some rough ideas of farm buildings.
I began actually painting earlier this month of January and finished it rather quickly.
Another rough sketch drawn to size.Notice the varying ideas being adjusted on the two.
It is up to viewer to decide what the deer are escaping from. Was it a human? Was it a coyote? was it a much bigger buck challenging this buck? It is up to you!
The man in the above photo has been a friend for a number of years. I believe we first met some years ago after the formation of the Kit-Han-Ne Local Chapter of the Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Federation. With time I became less active in the organization, but Bill still stayed on fulfilling various positions and committees. We worked together a long time with local chapter banquets, too.
Late last year I received a message of Bill’s son, Greg about the painting, “LAUREL FLUSH.” Greg wanted to surprise his father with the original painting for his birthday. Discussion followed and Greg recently picked up the painting.
Laurel Flush has found a home and I am pleased to see the painting was received by Bill. The son said Bill was surprised and a few tears of emotion were viewed. As the artist, I can’t ask for much more than such reactions. Thank you, Greg and happy birthday, Bill.
The group responsible for this endeavor. (Notice my look for the rain was visible coming down the hollow.)
Recently I was approached and asked if I might be interested in suppling art and text for a kiosk. Once I learned of the details I accepted. The project was for a kiosk to be erected on the Freeport Trail telling the story of a young woman from the latter eighteenth century…1792 to be exact. In fact, this dedication of the kiosk happened on the exact day of Mrs. Harbison’s adventure.
The site of the kiosk is along the Freeport Trail as stated and the Allegheny River near the community of Freeport, Pennsylvania.
The completed kiosk.
The story of Massey Harbison capture by native Indians is a long and detailed story, one I am not going to take the time to write with completion here. There are many forms of her narrative available through the internet and books.
Imagine, living in the frontier of western Pennsylvania in 1792 when this capture occurred. Indian incursions were, once again, happening along the frontier. A fear of wonderment would be present by all. Most in times of potential trouble tried to move close to blockhouses where a defense could be had in the event of Indian raids in the area. Massey Harbison’s abode was within sight of such a blockhouse.
Very early in the May 22 of 1792, Indians entered her home leading to the murders of two of her children. She and her youngest child were carried off eventually settling in near the intersections of today known as SR 422, SR 38 and SR 68 in Butler County.
My painting called, The Escape of Massey Harbison.
Eventually, the brave and courageous woman escaped to begin the dangerous and fearful trek back towards the Allegheny.
She would in time arrive back in the hands of those settlers along the eastern side of the Allegheny River. She was exhausted and close to expiring herself when the rescue occurred. Traveling in the wilds can be a sentence to death.
As stated above, if interested in learning more of Massey Harbison and her capture and escape search for information. Lots of informative narratives are available.
Saturday, May 21, I attended a French and Indian war event at the Armstrong County Historical and Genealogical Museum in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. Besides myself dressed in period attire a group known as Proctor’s Militia were in attendance. (To allow the reader to see how deep into the abyss America is sinking, this group is threatened by facebook and not permitted to use the word, “militia.” A militia was all men capable of defending their families, communities and state and country against all forms of evil and tyranny both foreign and domestic. Today, the word is used to designate radical people and is “verboten.)
This group consists of men and women participating in educating the public on the 1754-1764 time of was locally. They are, also, in period attire., armed with flintlock muskets and all the accouterments required to engage in the eighteenth century.
Members demonstrated shooting off artillery at a few times.
I had the chance to meet a great group of America-loving people attempting to educate the public, as well as people interested in learning. History has not been taught well for generations and most of the people coming into the museum find themselves fascinated with the talks and demonstrations we do. they observe and they ask questions. many ask about the details of my French and Indian era paintings and other local historical events.
Trying to stay in the shade.Tom Klingensmith of the Proctor’s MilitiaPart of my display and my sister Ruthie smiling pretty.
I was fortunate for the day was very hot for a day in May. Temperatures were to possibly reach ninety degrees. However, I was inside and avoided the extreme, but the house was still rather warm.
The log building shown above, is being re-erected on site. Some work still needs to be completed to finish the display. The original building was saved recently from an Armstrong County site.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 