Fade to Grey

     It was snowing this morning and it calls to me to paint.  I can't explain it, but like a sirens call, I need to try and capture the image in front of me.

Chamisa Morning

     This was a scene right out of my front door.  I love watching this chamisa (Rabbit Brush) in various seasons.  The early morning sun lights this chamisa up,  I found it too appealing to ignore.  This is available through Mary Williams Fine Art in Boulder, CO.  $700.00

Looking Back

     This is a study for a painting I am preparing to do.  I am glad I did it, because I found a lot of errors that had to be corrected.  Drawing people and animals takes a lot of drawing skills and I really should do them more often.

Reverence

     One of the earlier aspen paintings I did, before the fall color.  I caught sight for this crooked little tree among the straighter big aspens.  I wanted to catch the feeling of the light filtering down and the depth of the forrest.  This was done plein air on location.  I am now doing a larger version of this.

Aspen Reverie

    This fall the color came and went very quickly here.   I did this plein air painting high up in the mountains.  It was lovely just to stand in the aspens and enjoy the glow.  All that was gone within two weeks.

The Collector

     During the Escalante Plein Air Festival we had a "Paint the Town" competition.  As I was driving the streets looking for a good subject, of which there were many, I happened upon this gentleman's shed with these skulls on it.  There were more skulls but I chose to do just these few.  He did have quite a collection.

Pastoral Town

     Escalante Utah is a very small town in a remote part of Utah.  The surrounding area is rocks and desert, but the town has irrigation ditches that provide grass and trees.  The town still has a lot of its rural character, with barns and fields within the town limits.  I had been wanting to try shadows on a white horse and this scene gave me this opportunity.

Escalante Light

     This is another done at the Escalante Plein Air Festival.  There is a lot of red rock there and also white rock.  It was an interesting challenge to paint the shadows of white rock.  SOLD

Warm Shadows

     This is another from the Escalante Plein Air Festival.  There is a lot of red rock and red sand in this area and I loved the complimentary nature of this scene.

Illuminated History

     This painting was done for the nocturne at Escalante Plein Air festival in Escalante, UT.  This sweet little store, called the "Peoples Exchange", and is the last remaining old storefront on this street.  The main thoroughfare through town used to be here but moved to Hwy. 12 when it was put in.  It is now a history center for the town.  Dr. Bines and his wife have lovingly, and painstakingly refurbished it to its original glory.  The stone steps in front are worn down from all the people coming through this door.  I am glad they saved this sweet place.

The Warm Up

     This is a scene that presented itself while I was painting under a bridge near Driggs Idaho.  There was a huge hatch of flies, which the swallows, fish and such were feasting upon.  I guess that the swallows time their hatching of chicks to the hatching of flies.  It was really a magical experience.  These little baby swallows would leave the nest and plunk into the river below.  At first, I was worried for them, then realized they float and can kind of "breast stroke" to shore where the parents find them.  This one happened to be sitting right in front of my palette as I painted a bridge scene.  Needless to say I stopped and painted this little guy while he fluffed and warmed himself up after the cold water.  I call this one  "The Warm Up".

Summer Fields

     I am sorry for the long lapse in posting.  I was informed my Google blog was in Google + and was now defunct and that this blog was a part of that.  I couldn't use it for a while but it seems to be up and running again.  Go figure!

     This is a painting I did while at the Driggs Plein Air Festival in Driggs Idaho.  There were many wonderful artists and people there and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.

     This is available through Kilgore American Indian Arts in Mancos, CO,  $500.00

Sheep Along the Bridgers

     This is one from summer while visiting my son in Bozeman.  We lived in Montana for a while and it just felt like home to me and it will forever be in my heart.

Ghost Ranch rocks 2

     This is the more recognizable rock formation that stands above the Ghost Ranch complex.

Ghost Ranch rocks 1

     In October I headed to Abiquiu to work on a painting I have been trying to perfect for a year.  I took a break from that and headed to Ghost Ranch with good friend and artist Rita Cirillo to do some quick plein air paintings.

Beverly

     This is a lady who works where my mom lives.  I have been pestering her to let me do a portrait of her.  This was done from life in about 2 hours.

Forest Idle

     This was done up at Lizardhead Pass.  I like to go up there to catch the early snows.