Yes, Grist for the Mill. Where would we be without grist? Clearly not here in West Virginia.

This is in another national park area with its roots in the 1930's. Lots of natural stone buildings and rugged outcrops. I was pleased with the way this image fell together. The grist mill itself looks as if it has lost its roof. I have another of the other side I can put up next week which is a bit more free wheeling but this one appears quite traditional and straightforward. I like the immense detail of the greenery with that tree giving a bit of design and proportion to things. The scene reminds me of Constable's The Haywain with the spread of shallow water near the foreground and all that wrinkled timber adding to the textural quality of the parts.

The rusted colouring of the Mill adds a distinct timbre to the piece. I didn't have to do a lot of construction though there was some addition to the front right and left as well as a bit of work for the leaves in the sky to left. I did add some shadowing behind the tree to make it pop a little. If you could see the larger version you would be able to note the tree blending into the rocks behind as if they are the same item. At this size the anomalies aren't so apparent though you can still make it some odd ruptures to the contour of the tree trunk.

Earth, water, wood, stone, leaf. They come almost in bands horizontally while the tree emphasizes another band of verticals.