Racehorse Falls

Watercolor on cold press watercolor paper

Original 7”x10”

$350 SOLD

          Racehorse creek begins in the foothills below Mt. Baker, the water travels through forests previously stripped of their trees and finds refuge in areas with steep green slopes on either side. Eventually the water from Racehorse creek flows into the North Fork Nooksack. The falls are tucked in below slippery slopes held together by the roots of Douglas fir, western redcedar, and western hemlock. Sword ferns and moss cover every inch, leaving nearly no top soil exposed. Maiden hair fern root themselves along the smooth rocky walls, the leaves always moving as the water from the falls rushes beneath them. The piece I painted depicts the three tiered falls, the moss covered trees, the sword ferns growing from the lower left and upper right corner, and a cross section of a western red cedar tree behind the falls. 

I was inspired to paint this after experiencing Racehorse Creek for the first time. When I stood at the bottom of the falls I felt like I was completely enveloped by green, the steep smooth walls eroded by high flows have been hollowed out and are slightly overhanging. Everything that sits above these smooth walls is covered in vegetation. 

When sitting at the base of the falls it’s easy for me to forget that as I drove here I was surrounded by foothills quilted by clearcuts. I chose to include hands in this piece as a gesture to how humans interact with forested landscapes. These interactions and relationships between humans and our environment can be exploitative or reciprocal. I found Racehorse Falls to be an opportune place to reflection on this.