Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wisconsin Dells Fantasy

Original Painting - Acrylic on canvas 16x20

Wisconsin Dells Fantasy
The Wisconsin Dells is a scenic area, with glacially formed gorges that feature striking sandstone formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River. In 1856, tourists began taking boat tours of the Wisconsin Dells. These tours were given using wooden rowboats until 1873 when the first steamboat was used.
I used my imagination combined with research to create a whimsical scene of a steam powered paddle boat passing between rock formations that I transformed into primitive tenements (think Flintstones). When I took the boat tour as a kid I imagined living on top of the rocks in my tent and sitting by a cozy campfire. The little ducks at the base of the main rock are a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Wisconsin Ducks amphibian tour vehicles.