Moonlight Sonata

I woke up very early today and noticed the moon in the clouds and I couldn't resist.  Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" was playing in my head, so I put it on to listen to.  These paintings are hard because the lack of light means, lack of color!  I don't mean on the painting as much as on the palette! I couldn't tell ultramarine blue from burnt umber or what color I was mixing.  A head lamp helped but it will blind you if it shines directly on the canvas.  Still, it is a lot of fun painting these kind of scenes.

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.

Blue and Gold

I got a chance to go out painting with Veryl, Rosie Sandifer and Ralph Oberg, wow was I in seventh heaven!  I just wish I could paint!  All these guys are great painters and it was a learning experience to see how they dealt with different scenes.  All of mine looked horrible, of course, so I am reworking and touching up those that are salvagable.  This is the first of those I have finished.  The best thing I can do is practice, practice, practice.

Evening Shadows

This is a study of the beaver ponds above Rico, Colorado.   I loved the light, colors and reflection here.  I had to wipe the first try because it just wasn't working well at all.  I am hoping to do a larger painting of this next.

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.

Orange Sky

I reworked the earlier post "At Sunset".  I painted directly over the old one and gave it more of an orange tint, mostly because that is what the sky looked like that inspired it!  It was a bugger to get the colors right and there are some things that could still improve. Still, I like it much better than the old one.

Moon just before sunrise

This is the larger painting I did from the study, trying to get more of the light just before the sun breaks over the mountains.  There are still things I want to fix before this one is done.

Moon just before sunrise - Study

I was working early in my studio and happened to step outside and was taken by the beautiful colors right before sunrise.  I think this banding of colors is called twilight, a refraction of light just before the sun breaks over the edge of the earth.   I went out the next day and set up early.  I had to use a head lamp because it was too dark to see my palette.  I started to paint before it got too light because it happens so quickly.  This is that early morning study.

Early Morning Light

I like the feel of early mornings and have been looking to paint the soft muted colors that I see before the sun comes up.

After Aspevig's "Lost Eagle Peak"

I really admire Clyde Aspevig's work, that boy can paint! I have been dying to study some of his work, of course this is no where close to the original. This was a quickie, less than an hour, since I have to go somewhere soon. It's a great way to learn techniques. Never pass something you've copied off as your own.

At Sunset

We had this beautiful sunset after it had been raining all day. I want to rework this one because the colors aren't right.

Through the Forest

This is the second one I got done on Wednesday.

After the rain

I have been out for a while and am just now getting a chance to paint again. Veryl, Leonard Davis and myself went up early Wednesday morning to paint below Helmet Peak. It was an absolutely fabulous morning, cool and bug free, fresh from recent rains. I painted this one early while the clouds still hid the tops of the mountains giving them a lovely etherial feeling.

Keeping a Watchful Eye

Wolves are respected and persecuted by humans, hence the watchful eye.

More people watching

This scene was in a coffee shop in Red Lodge, Montana. This biker, wearing a bandana on his head, was leaning on the counter waiting for his coffee. I really liked the pose, it reminds me of a cowboy leaning against the bar at an old time saloon.

Lunch at Allegro

I was having lunch at this great little restaurant in Livingston, Montana. I had a window seat so I thought I would sketch what I saw. There was this pigeon who liked the view as well.

Absarokas over the Yellowstone

This is a morning painting of the Absarokas with the Yellowstone River in the foreground. This was another hour to hour and a half painting. These are just quick studies, not finished pieces. There are several things that need to be fixed, but I do like the color of the mountains backlit. There were fires in the area so everything was slightly hazy.  This place has a special place in my heart since I woke to those mountains every morning for five years, I still consider it home.

The Draft Horse

I had taken a sculpture class with Veryl Goodnight earlier this year and this handsome devil was one of our models. I'm sorry I can't remember his name right now.

I am having trouble getting this copied after drawing it in graphite. My scanner isn't doing a good job and neither is my camera. To add to the frustration my printer is refusing to print! Guess I'll avoid electronics the rest of the day.

Lancaster House - Mesa Verde

Veryl got us another chance to go back up and work on the Lancaster house in Mesa Verde. Ranger Tom Wolf, "the only wolf in the park" as he says, was gracious enough to escort us on his day off! He is a great treasure trove of knowledge and really enhances a visit to the park. Karen Kristen and Marilyn Kroeker joined in on the adventure as well. Adding to our fun was a small fire that started in the park, helicopters flying overhead to get water and a big gust of wind from a threatening cloud. Fun and excitement was had by all.

We are all hoping to have some nice paintings for the show at Veryl's gallery, The Goodnight Trail Gallery in Mancos, CO, this September. Part of the proceeds go to funding the new visitor center near the gate, so please come and support a good cause, we'd love to see you!

Afternoon Clouds

I really love clouds, backlit especially so. These remind me of the proverbial "clouds having a silver lining". Since I feel challenged on my landscape paintings, maybe there is hope for me yet.

It's all fun and games until...

Since it is cherry season and I need to practice, I figured I'd have a little fun doing these.

Taking the Plunge

Sorry I've been out for the last two and a half weeks attending my nephew and great nephews weddings so not much chance to paint. This was a big road trip to California with my Mom and Aunts Una and Donna. We had a great time but I think we are all bushed. Lots of great scenery that distracted me all the way there and back. Hopefully I will be able to post more often now that that most obligations are behind me.

Since I am way out of practice I decided to start with something simple. Right, sounded good until I had to deal with that white gravy boat! This is something I definitely need to practice more. I wanted to play with the idea of creating tension and action so I placed it going over the edge, just for fun.