Scary Kewpie

I have been in a slump lately so I decided to do some small still life paintings to try and jump start myself.  I set up at least 3 different scenes but wasn't pleased with any of them...then I looked up.  There, staring down at me from the shelf above, lit from below like a horror flick was this Kewpie doll.  I figured it is good perspective practice, figure practice, lighting practice, plus a little fun.  This looks better in person, the photos I took just wouldn't cooperate.

Cinnamon

Wednesdays are portrait day at the Durango Art Center and this is my effort for today.  I always think of this as a practice so I don't get too wound up about it.  I felt as if I had forgotten how to paint at all, these last several days, and wasn't  going to go.  I'm glad I did because it made me feel better just being in the group and kind of blowing the cobs out of my head.

Mossy Pond Too

Since I have been stuck around the studio for the last few days I have been reevaluating some past pieces.  In this piece I wanted rearrange the composition, to lessen the sky and raise the back edge of the pond. Someday I hope to find a pond with lilypads!

Lost Canyon Light

This is a scene I have gone back to again and again, trying and capture it.  Yesterday morning was about 10ºF when I started and today was just a little better, at 20ºF.  I came up with a plan to park my car in such a way that I could sit, partially inside, with easel just outside the door.  Although my hands and knees took the brunt of it, I did fairly well cold wise.   Not the same for the rest of it.  Oil paint tends to get thicker when it's that cold and so did my medium.  It was a challenge, but just being there watching the morning light coming through the canyon illuminating this area was worth it in the end.

Learning the Ropes

This is an update from an earlier post.  I was unsure about the background and it made several changes before I was happy with it.  Anything that sets around the studio for a while runs the risk of being changed or scraped and repainted.

Friend John

When I am doing a portrait like this I like to get a model that is as authentic as possible.   A former outfitter in Montana and Colorado and working with horses John fits this to a tee.

Mid Winter Shadows

It is an absolutely gorgeous day out today.  I got out a little late today and the mud was beginning to thaw out by the time I finished.  I aquired about an inch or two of muck stuck to the bottom of my boots which made it hard to walk, it was extra sticky mud too, grass, leaves, twigs, ugh!  This is one of my favorite old ranches in the area and I like the way the shadows fall across the hillside during winter.

Long View

This is a view from the front of my house.  I have painted it many times, but none ever really look the same.

Morning Glory

I have been away on vacation for a while.  I didn't paint as much as I wanted to, while I was gone, but I did get in some painting.   This is a scene that greeted me almost every morning.  Many people would come out to the beach and stand watching the sun rise.  It was very similar to the scene where the angels would stand and watch the sun rise in the movie "City of Angels".  This photo isn't the best because I had my small camera and had to shoot in the room.

A Dave Brown Tractor!

This is another commission.  The title describes the first words out of my mouth when I saw this tractor.  I must have led a sheltered life because I had never seen one of these before.  As I understand it, this was the leading tractor in the world during the early half of the last century.  They must be much loved too because there is even a club for people who are fond of these tractors.  Just a note: the umbrella was not a factory option!

Don and Howie

This is a commissioned piece for a friend.  When her neighbor is out working with his tractor, his buddy has to come along.  Of course, Howie prefers it best when he gets a front row seat.

Grizzly

I am working these small animal portraits up for a show opening at the Goodnight Trail Gallery on Dec. 16.  There are several pieces, animal and landscape that will be available, if you are interested please click on the link above to get the contact information the for gallery.

Big Horn

This one was a real challenge for me but that is why I thought I should try it. Although it looks washed out on the computer it is a little more colorful than what you see.  I experimented with a limited palette of yellow ochre, cad. red med., ult. marine blue, burnt umber and white.  This is a palette somewhat similar to what Anders Zorn used.  I really like the way it turned out, I just hope I still like it tomorrow!

Autumn

Today was portrait day in Durango.  I love doing people but it is soooo easy to get one thing out of place and everyone will notice, it is not for the feint of heart.  Still doing figure or portrait is a great way to practice.

Brown Trout Redeux

This is a colorized version of my Brown Trout sketch from a much earlier post.  I had always wanted to do a color version but just couldn't figure out how until now.  I had done this as a preliminary sketch for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for their Salmon stamp back in 2005.  I had to change the final because the Michigan Lake run of Browns, I was informed, are not as colorful or spotted.  Wow, the things you learn doing this kind of work!

Drum Raven

I haven't done any drawing in a long time and wanted to work on this idea for a painting.  This is another one of those ravens that hang around West Yellowstone, like the drawing Cold Raven that I did much earlier.

Quietude

This piece has been hanging around for at least a year in my studio.  It was running the risk of getting painted over until I went back to the site again, with similar conditions and got a new feel for it.  I was listening to some wonderful quiet piano music, which seemed to exemplify the quietness of this scene, hence the name.

Light in the Storm

This is a larger work than I ususally do.  I headed up to the pass to catch an early snowfall (what was I thinking, I have 5 more months of this!) and this is what I found.  I painted a smaller 10 x 12, plein air, to capture the color and essence of this scene.  It was about 38 degrees at that time with a good wind.  I used my SUV to block what wind I could and eventually ended up in the back end of the truck with just my easel outside.  I finally had to stop when I found my hands not working well and having a hard time thinking because I was so cold.  I have done a few touch ups since this picture but this is pretty close.

Incoming Fog

I went to a workshop a couple of weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting.  This is along the California coast and though I was excited about the fog, that sentiment wasn't shared by most of my colleagues.  I think it is mostly because I don't get to see that sort of thing very often where I live and I like the mystery that fog creates.

Mike Barr, a wonderful Australian painter, had taken a lovely coastal painting of his, and cropped it to make a better composition.  I thought that was a fabulous idea and I used that technique on my piece.

Church Rock

This natural prominent outcrop of sandstone is called Church Rock.  In the 1930's, I am told, a religious group decided to make this valley home with the high hopes of carving a grand church inside of this chunk of rock.  In spite of grand hopes, all that is left of that dream is a 20 x 16 foot hole at the base which, as I understand, was dug with only their hands.  It is still a commanding site when traveling along Hwy. 160, in southern Utah.

Mountain Highlights

We are now getting the first snows of the season.  It had snowed earlier in the day but we were lucky that the clouds broke and gave us some wonderful views to paint.   When I looked back as we were coming down off of the mountain, dark clouds had moved back in laying even more snow on these peaks.

Fall in the Canyon

I have been painting, a lot, these last couple of weeks but haven't taken the time to post any of the better ones.  This scene was up the river from Dolores on the same beautiful ranch as the prior post.  The cattle were hanging under and near the trees which I felt really added to this scene.

Foreshadows of Fall

The leaves are starting to change with splashes of color here and there on the cottonwoods.  I had painted this same area a couple of years ago and wanted to try it again.  The light funnels through the Dolores canyon early in the morning and casts dramatic lighting on these trees, the cattle were an added bonus.

Lady with the Red Earring

Every Wednesday is an open portrait group in Durango, which I have recently been attending.  I haven't done any portraits in oil for a very long time and most are not worthy of seeing.  This was yesterdays attempt and since I like it enough I thought I would post it.

Old Timer

The gentleman that cuts our hay has this really great old tractor that I just love.  I was in luck today because he left it sitting here last night and I jumped on the chance, first thing this morning, to paint it.  It kind of reminds me of a red grasshopper.  I highly suspect that cushy seat is not a standard issue on these things.

The Old Church

This is an old church over in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  I was close enough to the hot springs, and down wind, to catch a whiff of that strong sulfur smell while I painted this.  Luckily the wind would change from time to time.

Last of the Red Hot Lovers

Still having some fun with those Thai Dragon Peppers.

Mossy Pond

This pond is next to Rudy's Barn and I have been wanting to paint it for some time.  I love the moss on top with reflections in the water peeking through.

DPW "Challenge of the Heart"

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Daily Paintworks is doing a fundraiser called "Challenge of the Heart" for the children of Africa.  The UN has said up to 400,000 children in the Horn of Africa could die without aid and up to 11 million people require food assistance. I am donating 100% of the profit from this sale, minus shipping costs, to the Doctors Without Borders in Dabaad, Kenya to help these children.

This is a portrait I did of a model from a workshop I took a few years ago.  I loved drawing her.

Dragon Hang Time

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The local market had these beautiful Thai Dragon peppers that I just had to paint.  Although some do look like dragons, I believe it is their "fire breathing" effects that give them their name.