On Friday I drove down to New Hope, Pennsylvania, the town where I grew up. It’s about an hour south of Easton, where I live now. I like that the Delaware River connects the two towns, it makes me feel connected to my parents.
When I arrived, I set up my easel in my parents’ yard by the creek. This is such a special creek to me. I think it is officially called “Ingham Creek,” but my sisters and I always gave it more romantic or adventurous names. I would make lots of treasure maps and label the creek as: “The River of Fairies” or “The Wild Ocean,” and other such things.
My three younger sisters and I played in this creek for so many hundreds of hours growing up. It was the site of many adventures, treasure hunts, and fantasies. We were pirates sailing the sea, Indiana Jones exploring ancient ruins, mermaids, pioneers, and more. This was all more than thirty years ago.
Recently, my mom has been asking me to come visit and paint the creek, so I finally made time to drive down.
I took this photo of my mom and her dog Dora, painting by the creek.
My mom sat and painted nearby with her gouache paints, and I set up my easel and did an oil sketch. My dad would occasionally come out and visit with us. It was a very peaceful afternoon. We painted, chatted, and took breaks for snacks.
I enjoyed the experience, and it brought up so many emotions and memories for me, as you might expect. I have a lot of feelings of love and nostalgia for this creek, and the land around it. I’m not sure why I haven’t painted it before, I guess I wasn’t quite ready.
But after painting on Friday, I’m feeling ready to return and paint some more. Perhaps I’ll do a series of paintings over the summer. And if it gets too hot, I’ll jump in the creek and pretend I’m a mermaid!
Me painting at my easel. Photo Credit: Irene Tatariw Trindle
My painting in process.
“Childhood Creek” oil on board, 12 × 9 inches
“New Hope Creek” gouache painting by Irene Tatariw Trindle, gouache on paper, 5 × 5 inches