A Colorful Day

There is a lot more color going on up higher in the mountains now, some is even past.  I was going to paint at the bridge on Hillside road just below Rico, but there were some determined fly fishermen there so I drove on up the hill and painted this scene instead.  I know it is similar to the other but I liked playing with the shadows and looking back down the road.

A Symphony of Color

Yesterday was just a glorious day, perfect in every way.  The fall colors are just now starting to get interesting so I made good use of the day.  This was up the West Fork of the Dolores River, just below Dunton, Colorado.

Nocturne #1

I have been watching Marc Hanson's blog and was intrigued by his nocturnes, so I decided to try it myself. The moon is at full or just before and is quite bright right now.  I may do one with the moon in it next, though it was blinding me when I looked toward it.  Something came snorting along the east side of the house which sent me, quickly, inside.  When I tell this story, everyone asks me what is was.  I was not going to hang around to find out! It may have been something harmless, but there are bears (and skunks) here and I didn't want to take a chance at having an unfortunate surprise.

History's Lessons

This painting was part of the Mesa Verde Paint Out that happened earlier this year.  The show will be displayed at the Goodnight Trail Gallery in Mancos, Colorado, which will be showing from Sept. 25 through October 31.  If you are interested in purchasing any artwork in this show please contact the gallery, but you had better hurry, some have already sold.  Part of the proceeds from the sale of these works will help support the Mesa Verde Foundation which is a wonderful group of people who are dedicated to preserving and sharing their excitement about this wonderful site.  There are some great artists involved in this show and some stunning work.  Click here to go to the Mesa Verde Paint Out to see some of these works.

This painting had been sitting around my studio for a while,  I was nervous about putting the people in it (and messing it up).  Deadlines are fast approaching and it always seems to be the motivation I need to get it done.  A great motivator for procrastination!

Late Summer Shadows

There were clouds around this morning casting shadows across the fields.  I liked it best when it put a spotlight on this rise, with the houses lit upon it.  The silhouette of this with the valley beyond in blues and purples inspired me to paint it.

Just Before Sunup

I thought I would paint a small quickie early this morning to warm up for the day.  It happens that this morning was about 35 degrees out.  Not too bad but my hands got a bit cold.  It is still shiny with wet paint so the photo is pretty rough, you can't see those scratchy strokes in real life.

Dolores Bridge

I see this bridge just about every morning. I am always drawn to the way the light plays across the forms. Straight lines, structures and perspective aren't my favorite subjects, but I liked this scene.

Cedar on the Rocks

There are cedars everywhere around here and the place I like them most is in the red rock country.  This painting had been hanging around for a bit, it wasn't quite done.  I picked it up today and decided to play with it.  I originally liked the way the shadow played along the rocks and the contrast of colors in the scene.  I may still adjust it some more later.