Lake St. John, Ferriday, Louisiana, II

charcoal & acrylic on canvas

21” x 21”

2019

“Lake St. John, Ferriday, Louisiana, II” features one of the massive oxbow lakes across the Mississippi from Natchez. A fairly common occurrence along the river (before the advent of the levee system), oxbows are formed when the river overflows its banks and changes its course. Occasionally, former lengths of the river become completely cut off and isolated from their original source, creating a new, independent body of water.

More specifically, this painting is based on a photograph of docks jetting out into the water along the lakefront of a friend’s family home there. Throughout the year, folks fish and boat, and in the summer months, undeterred by the potential reptilian dangers lurking beneath the surface, folks swim and water ski up and down the long stretch.

I have bravely jumped from that dock into the dark waters of Lake St. John just to hurry up that ladder when something unknown grazed my leg. Suffice it to say, I’m not as brave as the locals who give as little thought to the gators, snakes, and gar of the lake as they do sunscreen and sobriety. It’s simply a way of life.

“Lake St. John, Ferriday, Louisiana, II” is available for purchase.

“Crawfish Boil, II” is based on a photograph taken one Independence Day at this same location, celebrating the day with friends, family, and copious amounts of crawfish and beer.