One of my hobbies is whitewater kayaking.  A physically demanding yet exhilarating sport, it makes a person fully appreciate how great it is to be alive.  I feel it helps maintain my inspiration for painting.  

I most enjoy paddling when the river is at a medium-high level and the water takes on that travertine color redolent of freshness and clarity.  That's how it is on the Gauley River in West Virginia in the fall when water is released from the Summersville Dam for flood control purposes.  That's also the time when whitewater enthusiasts flock into the area from all over the country and the world to test their skills and stamina along twenty-six miles of rollicking rapids.

  In this painting I have depicted a kayaker negotiating 'Pillow Rock', one of the five Class V rapids on the Upper Gauley.  Notice how the water pillows up on the rock at the right.