Intriguing, beautiful, and surprising: those are the words I use to describe the lower Owyhee. I didn't expect the variety of forms and colors that were revealed to us as we floated the canyon in our canoe. For some reason, maybe because this stretch of the Owyhee isn't as popular as other Idaho rivers, I imagined myself as one of the first white women to see it. Silly, perhaps, but a testament to its bold, remote character.

The afternoon we scouted Montgomery rapid, I knew I would paint that scene. Camera in hand and glorious light on the rocks and river, I had all the proper ingredients for the first phase of a river painting. The photograph is not the only tool I use as a reference for my paintings; it is only a way of capturing the empirical information. It is just as important to remember the warm, soft air, the crisp water, and the feel of the soft afternoon light on the resistant rock of the canyon walls.

I feel lucky and grateful that I was able to experience the lower Owyhee.

Editors Note: Jane Erickson's watercolor painting of "Montgomery Rapid" on the Owyhee River can be viewed on her on-line art gallery on the World Wide Web under "New Additions"