IMA Journal - Cliff Rock - Appledore

When I lived in Indiana, one semester at IUPUI I had a four hour break between classes on Tuesdays. Back then, the Indianapolis Museum of Art was free, so I would spend my afternoons there with a pencil and a Moleskine. I would sit for a few hours in front of one of the paintings and let my mind wander in it for a while. Then I would take my notebook and write a quick story, scene, narrative, or stream-of-consciousness from deep inside. This is one of those journals.

Childe Hassam - Cliff Rock - Appledore, 1903

There was no landing here. The river was wild and the rocks sharp. To leave the safety of the captain’s narrow path would mean death for all of them. It wasn’t the cliffs jutting up high into the air on either side that they were watching with such fearful vigilance. No, the river ran wide with plenty of room to maneuver. The real worry was the shallow rocks lurking just below, invisible, like diamonds in a pool; they were scattered pins dropped in a carpet, threatening to prick from the quiet, murky depths.