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.

This was the second day of the Mancos Open Studios Tour and the Weber Canyon fire.  The fire was much closer this day and the winds carried the smoke overhead covering the sun.  Those little bits of white and black stuck to the painting are actually ash from the fire.

Things are looking better there today but it is still only 15% contained.  This and the previous posted artwork are for sale and the purchase price will go directly to the Mancos Fire Department.  You can purchase it from the Goodnight Trail Gallery or you may contact me directly, because the gallery may be temporarily closed because of the fire.

Weber Canyon Fire, Day One

     On Friday a fire started up Weber Canyon near Mancos, CO.  Well before this fire broke out, we were to have our first Mancos Open Studio Tour this Saturday and Sunday.  I was painting in town on Saturday and the smoke and fire were all I could concentrate on so I painted it.  I decided that I will donate all the money to the Mancos Fire Department for their hard work at trying to get a jump on it.  Unfortunately it is tinder dry here and with winds the fire grew rapidly.  It has now taken about 6000 acres of land and, thankfully, so far no houses are involved.  If you wish to purchase this, or the other painting I will post tomorrow, you may call the Goodnight Trail Gallery in Mancos at 970-533-1177.  100% of the price of this painting is going to the Fire Crew.

Evening Color

This was done earlier but left the studio before I could get a picture of it.  Since it just came back I thought I would post it.

I am off to Scottsdale to attend a workshop by Aaron Allen Westerberg.  I will try and post what I can from that workshop.

Woman Reading (Head Study)

It is portrait Wednesday again.  Today I brought my friend Mac to sit for us, a person I have long admired and wanted to paint.  She is a fiesty 91 year old that looks and acts much younger than her years.

Sun and Snow

Since it was a school holiday yesterday we went up to Telluride.  While the family went skiing I wandered down near the park where I could walk along a cleared trail to find something to paint.  Since the snow was up to the picnic table tops I decided to clear off a table top as my base of operations.  Wading out to the table was rather interesting with a backpack on. Although it was about 15ºF, the sun was warm and sitting out of the wind made it rather nice on my perch.  

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.

Cowboy Study

I have been planning on doing a painting of cowboys at work.  I got this photo from a cattle drive just up the river from Dolores.

Coyote Study

This is a study of a coyote for a larger painting I plan to do.  This fellow lived at the Beartooth Nature Center in Red Lodge, MT.  They rescue injured and problem animals that would otherwise have been euthanized.  If you're ever near there please visit them and support their good work.

The reds came out a lot hotter in the photo than they are on the painting.

Night Passage

Last night a couldn't sleep, I heard the dog whining, I hadn't fed or put her up.  As I walked to her pen I was blown away with the night sky.  These beautiful fluffy clouds rimmed with white from the moon, floating in a dome of stars.  Though the deer weren't right there last night, I had seen them trailing across our field like this many times before.

My life has been in chaos lately, so I haven't been posting as much.  I hope to get back at it soon.

Early Light

Sorry I haven't posted recently.  I did some painting but wiped most of them.  I am also trying to get things ready around the house before the snow flies.  This time last year we had two foot on the ground and it didn't leave until April!

This scene is in Dolores next to the river.  The sun rising over the canyon lit the top half of the trees. I haven't practiced much on buildings so I'm a little weak on this one.  This is a beautiful old house in the Craftsman style.  These houses are rare around here.

Tomoe

This painting is off of an original drawing from a figure drawing group I used to run here. This is one of my favorite models, Tomoe.  We had been playing dress up the model and she suggested her traditional Japanese outfit might be fun.  After she struck a pose, I moved around the model to find a view that excited me.  This is what came of that...she is lit from the front, but my view was "backlit".  I have always liked using the toned paper as part of the drawing and here I tried it with a toned canvas.

Carmel Fog

I took Brian Blood's workshop this last weekend.  I learned a lot even though it was two days. Hopefully I will get rid of those bad habits I have been carrying around.  I love his use of color, bold strokes, sense of light, etc., etc. and hope to incorporate that into my work, that is, if I ever figure out how to do it.  This was one of two I didn't wipe.  This was next to the beach at Carmel, CA. I want to work more on this one but thought I would show it anyway.

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.

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.

Color Float

I wanted to try a new technique and experiment a little. This also served the purpose of covering up an ugly painting and saving the panel.