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!

I offer this as an 8 x 10 giclee print for $45 USD.

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.