American River

The American River, a hidden jewel in northern California, meanders through the Sacramento region.  The American River begins high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, just west of Lake Tahoe in the Tahoe and El Dorado National Forets.  The River runs through the Sacramento region and then enters into the Sacramento River which then flows through the farm-rich delta and then out to the San Francisco Bay and into the Pacific Ocean.

There are wonderful trails in and around the American River as it makes it way through the Sacramento region.  Two of the three watercolor images are scenes discovered during early morning on walks along the American.  In painting these images, I was captivated by the early morning and mid-morning light reflected on the shrubs and river paths.

The third scene is of a pond discovered near the American River in full sunlight.  The deep blue of the pond beckoned to be studied and painted.

 The American River was called the Rio de los Americanos before 1846 during the time that Mexico ruled what we now call California.  The American River has been the site of Sutter's Mill, where gold was discovered in 1848, which lead to the California Gold Rush and the beginnings of the state that we now call California.