Observers thought Elsbeth Monnett was crazy as she put the finishing touches on her painting “Cheney Lake Gold.” What’s so crazy about fall foliage and a placid pond?
The artist with the now denuded trees in the background
Monnett painted the vibrant yellow foliage in the background, along with the water, during the first plein air painting session. When she returned a week later, after a big storm, all the yellow leaves were gone. She duly finished up the foreground bench and sand — but onlookers were flummoxed to see the leaves still on the tree in her painting. “I received a lot of double takes,” says the Alaska painter.
