protecting Millions of Years - Brook Trout and Limestone

Brook Trout on Limestone 12” x 4"

Brook Trout on Limestone - The Story Beneath the Paint

"This fish was painted on stone that formed
​before the first forests covered the earth."

When I moved into my little cabin beside the Yellow Breeches in the year 2000 - I literally moved on the first day of the turn of the century -.I became fascinated with the life in the creek. After watching for months, I started painting them on stone.I was blessed to live right next to the creek for ten years  I didn’t know much about the flora and fauna around the creek but I loved painting them, and as I observed them, I learned a lot.

My cabin was flooded in April of 2011 and I moved to Baltimore for 10 years where I taught courses at the Renaissance Institute for five of those years. My focus turned to herbs and flowers. One of my most popular courses was Enhancing Your Life with Herbs. I painted over 200 watercolor herbs for the course. 

Following the pandemic, my daughters encouraged me to move back to Central Pennsylvania so our family could all be closer. I moved near the Big Spring creek and fell in love with it.

The water in our area, as in many of the water systems across the country, was and is being threatened by warehouses and data centers. My work with the Big Spring Coalition in our area made me more aware of the danger and I started learning about how we could protect this precious resource as well as the wildlife that depend on them. 

I began painting on stone again, but this time I did more research on the stone as well as the living creatures.. I am working with a stone mason who provides the limestone, granite, travertine, marble and slate. Each one has a precious history and I will include information on the story behind the paint in my descriptions. I will also include research on the fish, bird, plants, etc. 

This brook trout is painted on limestone. Before this stone rested beside a stream in Pennsylvania, it lay beneath a warm, tropical sea near the equator. Waves once crossed over its surface hundreds of millions of years before this trout was painted on it. 

The earliest known brook trout, Eosalmo driftwoodensis, swam in fresh water lakes in Washington state and British Columbia 50 million years ago. During the Pleinstonocene Epoch glaciers moved brook trout to the southern Appalachian Mountains and the cool waters across northeastern North America. 

These trout have lived in clean water for millions of years. Realizing that they are threatened in our lifetime is a horror we must address. After millions of years, we cannot allow the sources of current contamination to be the reason for their extinction. 

I paint fish on stone to symbolize the importance of protecting our irreplaceable wildlife. Each one is an invitation to pause, wonder and remember we are part of a much larger story than ourselves. Ideally, I hope you will research how you can become an active steward and protector of our environment in your local community,