Tag: trail

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All Things Connecticut New Print Releases The American Northeast

Farewell Winter!

Yankee Farmlands № 25 (Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA)
“Yankee Farmlands № 25”
Glastonbury, Connecticut
© 2015 J. G. Coleman

Springtime in the American Northeast was described perfectly by Pennsylvania-born author Henry van Dyke in 1899:

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”

Judging by the stillness in the cold air and the snowpack lingering upon the barnyard of the Glastonbury farm in my new piece, “Yankee Farmlands № 25” (above), it would be tough to tell that a season of renewed warmth is upon us. Then again, fields that were covered a yard-deep in snow just a month ago have since thinned out to less than a foot and we’ve had some forgiving temperatures lately.

This much-awaited break in the winter weather is already presenting some fresh new shooting opportunities. Recent warm spells have melted substantial amounts of snow, causing brooks and rivers all over the state to swell. Waterfalls which have been snow-caked and encrusted with ice since January are finally awakening from their seasonal slumber. The woodlands and farmlands alike are still fairly dormant this early in the year, but as snow vanishes from road shoulders and trailhead parking lots, I’ve been delighted to find that I’ve finally got a place to park my truck again!

I’ve eased my cabin fever over these past couple months by putting together a new list of exciting shooting locations in Southern New England; I’m more than eager to get back out into a lively green landscape! So here’s to another long winter being behind us… and another glorious spring ahead!

Purchase a Fine Art Print or Inquire About Licensing

Click here to visit my the landing page for “Yankee Farmlands № 25” to buy a beautiful fine art print or inquire about rights-managed licensing for this image.

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Be sure to check out my Yankee Farmlands collection, the fruit of an on-going project which celebrates the agricultural heritage of the American Northeast through the breath-taking farmlands of Connecticut.

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All Things Connecticut New Print Releases The American Northeast

Heart of the Old Mill

Heart of the Old Mill (Mill Pond Falls, Mill Pond Park, Newington, Connecticut)
“Heart of the Old Mill”
Mill Pond Falls on Mill Brook, Mill Pond Park, Newington, Connecticut
© 2015 J. G. Coleman

In my new piece, “Heart of the Old Mill”, Mill Pond Falls slips over a shadow-cloaked ledge, its frigid cascades churning to whitewater as it skips over time-worn stone. Above the precipice of the falls, dawn casts warm, sharp light upon a footbridge and snowy woodlands nearby.

Nestled within the center of Newington, Mill Pond Falls is certainly one of Connecticut’s lesser waterfalls at perhaps just 12 to 15 feet in height. Still, the town’s claim that it’s the “smallest natural waterfall in the United States” is no less perplexing.

But while Mill Pond Falls may measure a bit short, it is arguably more beloved than most waterfalls that are several times larger. Each year it is the centerpiece of the “Newington Waterfall Festival” and its cascades are even featured prominently on the town seal! Why so much fanfare over such a diminutive waterfall? During the earliest era of its settlement between the late 1600s and mid-1700s, Newington’s fledging economy was wholly dependent upon these falls to power a local sawmill. So if not for this tiny waterfall, its safe to say that the old colonial village of Newington may have vanished from the map centuries ago.

Purchase a Fine Art Print or Inquire About Licensing

Click here to visit my the landing page for “Heart of the Old Mill” to buy a beautiful fine art print or inquire about rights-managed licensing for this image.

Want to See More?

Be sure to stop by my Waterfalls of Connecticut website to see my photography from a broad range of Connecticut’s exquisite waterfalls.

Categories
New Print Releases The American Northeast

Falls of the Mianus Gorge

Havemeyer Fallscape (Havemeyer Falls, Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Bedford, New York)
“Havemeyer Fallscape”
Havemeyer Falls on Havemeyer Brook,
Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Bedford, New York
© 2014 J. G. Coleman

In 1955, its protection became the goal of the very first land project undertaken by The Nature Conservancy. By 1968, it was the first location in the United States to be federally-recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. It is home to towering hemlocks so ancient that they were already a century old when the American Revolution came to a close. But if all of these facts about the Mianus River Gorge Preserve are surprising, perhaps the most unbelievable part is that this 760-acre nature preserve is sprawled out across a handful of suburban towns just 30 miles from the streets of New York City!

My latest work from this unique preserve showcases some of the superb scenery which is characteristic of the wildlands of the American Northeast. In my piece, “Havemeyer Fallscape” (at top), the pristine waters of Havemeyer Brook leap eagerly over a forest-crowded ledge, dodging downed trees and boulders en route to a confluence with the Mianus River.

Winding Like the River (Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Bedford, New York)
“Winding Like the River”
Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Bedford, New York
© 2014 J. G. Coleman

Among my newer works from this preserve is also “Winding Like the River” (above), which portrays one of the time-worn hiking trails that weaves through the shadowy woodlands just uphill of the Mianus River Gorge. As I walked upon this particular stretch of trail, I realized that slipped through the forest in broad, serpentine bends with much the same grace as the Mianus River itself weaved its own course at the bottom of the gorge nearby.

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