As the summer subtly comes to a close, the wind becomes a bit crisper and dusk begins to fall a bit faster. A new season is inevitably on its way, and the colors of the trees will soon leave their lush green hues and take on the fiery reds, blazing oranges, and brilliant golds of a typical North Eastern Pennsylvania fall.

There is nothing better than traveling along the Pocono Mountains in the fall and seeing the colors mesh together in such a picturesque way, layered over one another and glowing in the sunlight. They appear to be a part of another world and have inspired me to pick up oil painting again after having stopped altogether after high school. I had this idea in my mind the first time I saw the mountains but had only taken photos of them up to this point.

This fall, I plan to gather up an easel, paints, palette and other supplies and pick a spot along the mountains in an area where I can see a great expanse of color. There is something about the way oil paints can be blended and smeared into one another that creates a beautiful, serene, and very real aesthetic, and that is what I would like to capture in my painting. There is so much beauty in nature all around us that we take for granted but that should be captured, whether it be through photography, painting, or any other medium that inspires you. The mountains here are truly one of the best parts about fall.