Towpath

This is the towpath, the dirt road along the C&O Canal in Maryland. In its heyday, the canal operated boats pulled by mules, which towed the boats. (I've depicted one of the boats in an earlier blog post, "Waiting for the Mules.") But here I was most interested in the curious question-mark-shaped foliage at the end of the path, so I tried to focus attention there. I also liked the canopy of branches above the path, not to mention the hints of fall colors.

Geoff Watson, Towpath," oil on panel, 8" x 10," 2017.

Waiting for the mules

I spent a couple more days at Great Falls National Park in Maryland, and this time I painted the "towpath boat," which historically was towed along the C&O Canal by mules walking on the path to the right. The Park Service still operates the boat this way Friday thru Sunday, which meant I had to try to finish today. I didn't finish; many things still need work. But it's a start. 

Geoff Watson, "Waiting for the Mules," oil on panel, 9" x !2", 2017.