Heaven is in Montana
Patrick - Oil on canvas - 28 x 34 inches.
Of the six brothers, Patrick is the one who most loved fishing. We others did too, but not as whole-heartedly. Our childhood home was only two short blocks from the Fox River as it flowed from southern Wisconsin through northern Illinois to eventually merge with the Mississippi. In The Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot called that legendary river "a strong brown god, sullen, untamed, intractable." Pat and the brothers closest to him in age, Tim and I, would have agreed. From our own experiences with the Fox we would have added "dangerous" to the adjectives.
We three don't live in Illinois any more, let alone fish for bluegills and walleyed pike in the Fox. However, for Patrick life without fishing is unthinkable, unbearable. As you see in the painting, this river in Montana is not a sullen brown god. Dangerous? Yes, they all are. Pat, miles away from any cellphone reception, is fishing for trout -- brown, cutthroat and rainbow -- as he has fished here every September for more than twenty years. Two days ago, he invited me and Tim to join him. Too bad; I'll be in Spain. But Tim will fly to Montana.
Years ago I painted this image and shipped it to Pat. He politely returned it and asked that I correct a mistake. No problem, I repainted my error and sent the canvas back to him. So what was the mistake? Well, the image you see here is not the corrected version but the original, the one with the error. No one, not even Pat's fishing buddies saw it, but Tim noticed immediately: "Our brother casts with his right hand, not his left."
For more thoughts and images:
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Hi JM, that was really nice to see this beautiful painting, when me and my hubby saw that we both said that the nature is so beautiful when there are not many human being, because of our human nature of destroyers we often forget to collect our garbage after picnics and by accident can cause fire of a forest in a dry season.
Looking at this painting water is crystal clear and I love the way you managed to reflect blue sky. The scene but also because you were talking about the brothers reminded me the movie "A River Runs Through It" by Robert Redfort.
Is that your family where you have 6 brothers altogether? That must be a big family by now when everyone has own family and children. It is also good when siblings still come together like in old time on such occasions, the older we are the less time we have to be together and might regret missing such moments later.
It was funny that Tim noticed such a little detail :)
Hello stef1 and thank you for your thoughts. I hadn't heard from you for awhile and so I'm happy to know that you are alive, well and active. Yes, there are six brothers in the family, and also four sisters. Counting our mother and father, that meant twelve people sharing the same house. There was never a dull moment.
The Redford film is a masterpiece, but Norman Maclean's novel, on which the film was based, is the real classic. It's an unforgettable story and when you read it, you won't be surprised that Robert Redford decided to make a film adaptation of it.
Yes, Tim's noticing of Pat's left hand is a beautiful detail and it sums up the bonds of love and friendship shared by the brothers. The same is true for the rest of the family as well. We live in various parts of the country, but we are still all very close.
Thank you again for writing and taking the time to share your thoughts. I always enjoy hearing from you. Best wishes to you and your husband.