Tusquittee Field is an oil on board measuring 16x20.
The Tusquittee River is close to our home and near Hayesville, NC. The entire valley is always beautiful. Because it is a valley surrounded by mountains, the light changes dramatically by the moment almost. Add a little weather, and it is always inspiring to an artist.

A fun fact: Tusquitee is a Cherokee Indian word meaning "Where the water-dogs laughed" (A Water Dog, sometimes also called mud-puppy, is a type of salamander).

According to folklore, a Cherokee hunter crossing over Tusquitee Bald in a very dry season, heard voices, and creeping silently toward the place from which the sound proceeded, peeped over a rock and saw two water-dogs walking together on their hind legs along the trail and talking as they went. Their pond had dried up and they were on the way over to Nantahala river. As he listened one said to the other, "Where's the water? I'm so thirsty that my apron (gills) hangs down," and then both water-dogs laughed.

Below, I have included a photograph of the scene that was the inspiration for this painting, along with a picture of the Tusquittee Creek that runs through the valley