Charmed Along the Chama

 

     I had taken a trip to Abiquiu, New Mexico to paint.  This is a scene along the Chama River, broken clouds spotlighting the beautiful fall colors there, a truly spectacular day.

Up Grey Jay Road

 

     This was a scene this winter up near Trout Lake.  This is a beautiful area that is not heavily developed yet.  This is usually a small pond in front but with the heavy snows this winter and spring thaw, it brought out this lovely scene.

   This is the third painting accepted into the Randy Higbee 6x6 Show.  This is from one of my favorite painting spots near some beaver dams.  When the sun rises over the mountain behind me it lights the hillside and slowly creeps down into the valley.  In fall that hill is full of aspen in full autumn glory.  I was lucky to catch this last fall.

 http://www.dailybrushwork.com/detail.aspx?GIID=32741&GSID=12166&pg=11&#x

$300.00

Available Until 1/6/2023

To Purchase this painting, contact the gallery directly at:

Randy Higbee

800-506-7624

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ID#:32741

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Hiking to Catch Fresh Powder

 

This is the second of the three works accepted for the Randy Higbee 6x6 Live Show. This is up at Lizardhead Pass. These kids were hiking through almost waist deep snow, maybe 33 degree slope at over 10,000 foot elevation. As I watched the ones in the back would stop, to catch their breath and rest. It was truly a very hard "slog".

Hiking to Catch Fresh Powder

6x6

Oil on linen

$300

Randy Higbee Gallery

TELEPHONE

714-546-2156

EMAIL

randy@randyhigbeegallery.com

Buffalo Skull Study

 

     Skulls are such a great thing to study.  They give you the structure behind all that skin and fur, plus practicing light and color on bone.  I had painted one for the Sedona Plein Air Festival last year and found it so fun, I went looking for one.

     This piece is part of the Randy Higbee 6x6 Live Show in Costa Mesa, CA.  This show will be up until early January.  

To purchase call - 714-546-2156 or email: randy@randyhigbeegallery.com

Pond Reflections

 This is a favorite painting spot near some beaver ponds in the mountains.  In the morning the light hits the hill, now yellows and golds, behind the pines that are still in shadow as the sun rises.

"Aspen Fall Shadow Play"

 

Fall color is now at its best here.  I have been binge painting to capture all I can!

Aspen Reverie

 

     I absolutely love standing in an aspen forest in fall.  This is from a smaller plein air of one of those experiences.  It immediately takes me back to the smell of fallen leaves and the trees.

Cold Smoke

      This is a larger painting from a plein air study I did earlier.  This was in the dead of winter and there were high winds above.  This is Sheep Mountain at Lizardhead pass - 13168 ft or 4013m.  The snow blowing off the top is called Cold Smoke, Dragon's breath and other colorful names depending on where you live.

Snow Shadows (study)

      This is from this last winter.  A friend invited me to her property to paint after a snowfall the evening before.  The snow was thick and the shadow colors were amazing.  I saw this scene with such lovely shadow and wanted to study how the reflected light plays across the willows covered in snow.

Saratoga Woods Idyl

 

     Another painting from Saratoga Woods.  To walk into these huge old trees is truly amazing.  The light was filtering through at this spot and a young spruce or redwood was trying to make its' way up to the canopy.

Barn at Saratoga Woods

    A month ago, I went on a sojourn to Seattle and the surrounding areas.  One of my first stops was Langley on Whidbey Island.  A lovely town that is lots of fun to wander around in.  I had always wanted to wander around the whole island so I set about discovering its beauty.  Saratoga Woods which is not too far from Langley was a stopping point.  This barn was on an adjacent property but I could view it from the edge of the preserve.  Everything here is lush and coated with moss and lichen giving it various greens.  Coming from the dry southwest it was a real treat!

Lizardhead Snows

   This was done up at Lizardhead Pass, one of my favorite places to go paint.  I got an unexpected treat when I got there, it was snowing!  I just loved the graphic fade of this scene as the snows came through.

Saddle Horn Pueblo

      This is a ruin in Canyon of the Ancients, National Monument in the southwest part of Colorado.  It is so distinct that it is the poster child for the Sand Canyon trails.  I really didn't know the name of it, while painting, until another person was walking up explaining it to others.  I thanked him for enlightening me.

Aspen Winter

      Aspen are anything but white most times of the year.  In winter, many take on a warm, almost reddish, tint.  I love the blue shadows on the snow and with the warmth of the aspen, it seemed a good fit.  Spring is coming and the ground it starting to show through as the snow blankets the ground.

Noontide Contemplation

      This was during midday, which can sometimes be hard to find anything good with light and shadows.  This scene caught my eye, I had painted a somewhat similar view here many years ago and always liked it.  This was looking up a bit more.  I always like the way the shadows lay across the snow.

      This was a beautiful clear morning up near Trout Lake in Colorado.  This is an area I love to come and paint for its sheer beauty.

Glorious Painting Day

      This is another scene from the farm in Trail Canyon.  The gentleman that owns this farm is an arborist and lovingly cares for the trees on his property.  No wonder this is such a calling to us during fall color!  My good painting buddy, Betsy, is the painter in this scene.

The Golden Gate

 

     This is a yearly pilgrimage to a friends tree farm that is in a lovely canyon called Trail Creek Canyon.  The entrance to his place is framed with these lovely, huge, cottonwoods that were in glorious color this year.  There is really a regular rocked road running through there but it doesn't look as inviting as a grass trail, so I took artistic license there.  The bushes are called "Rabbit Brush" or the Spanish name "Chimisa".  His farm is truly a magical place!

Aspen Spring

 Searching for something to paint in one of my favorite spots, I suddenly found lots of people...everywhere!  Of course, with the coronavirus running rampant, being outdoors was the place to be.  Unfortunately it was noisy and dusty next to the road, I was lucky to find this sweet little spot a bit off the road and settled in to paint.  I loved the colors and the quiet it afforded me.

Clouds Above the Mesa

 After a lovely rain in this parched land the clouds were breaking up, casting light and shadow upon the mesa.

Available at:

 https://onlinegalleryshows.com/collections/11th-annual-6-squared-exhibition-and-sale/products/399270

Red Rock Sentinel

 I did this one a while back in Arches National Park, Utah.  There are many beautiful red rock formations and worth a trip to see.  I don't think that this one has a name but it is located along a place called the "Great Wall".  It is always a challenge painting red rocks and shadows.

Small Aspen Grove

This was painted within a small grove of aspens.  I liked the shadows and the beautiful golden color of the leaves.

Sunlit Aspen

 I was out looking for aspen color when I saw this sweet scene in a narrow gulch between the mountains.  Everything was in shadow except this lovely tree.  I finished this in the early morning, decided I liked it so well, I wanted to go back later in the afternoon to try it again in a larger form.  When I got back there, all the leaves were gone!  There was enough wind in this little valley it just stripped the tree.  It was a lesson in "striking while the iron is hot".

After the Fall

I had been out painting lots of golden aspen.  I looked down into the stream next to me and saw these leaves floating.  My friends dog had come through the water and had splashed some water onto the leaves floating there.  I was happy to do a change of scene.

Arroyo Light

 Sedona Plein Air Festival 2020 - "Year of the Woman".  I traveled over to southeast Utah where the red rocks and incredible rock formations reside.  I followed a small dirt road and found this lovely arroyo filled with chamisa (rabbit brush) and lovely warm shadows.

Giants Among Us

Another for the Sedona Plein Air Festival 2020, "Year of the Woman".  This was during the early winter storm that brought snow to the mountains here.  I have painted this area several times and never get tired of it.  It was 12ºF out that day, the paint became stiff and I pushed it with a palette knife.  I think I like the effect! 

Lakeside Cabin

Another painting for the Sedona Plein Air Festival 2020 "Year of the Woman".   The day after I painted the lovely golden color of the cottonwood in "Beneath the Cottonwoods", a strong cold front moved in.  I drove up to 10,000 foot elevation to catch the snowfall.  The lake was only slightly freezing so there was some reflection in the water that was fun to catch.

Beneath the Cottonwoods

This is the first painting for the Sedona Plein Air Festival 2020, "Year of the Woman".  A friend of mine has a lovely property in a canyon with huge cottonwood trees.  They were in all their fall glory when I went to paint there, it was a delight just to be there.  It is available at this link: https://sedonaartscenter.org/product/beneath-the-cottonwoods-spaf2020/

Aspen Fall

 

Aspen Fall

12 x 12

Oil on linen

930.00

https://sedonaartscenter.org/product/beneath-the-cottonwoods-spaf2020/

This painting was done late in the fall season for the aspen trees.  The lovely carpet of leaves covering the ground and more leaves falling from the trees were what entranced me in this scene.

These next six paintings are with the Sedona Plein Air Festival "Year of the Woman" 2020.  This first one "Aspen Fall" won an award of merit.  They are all available through the link.