Stragglers

     This is the larger, finished painting I did from the small study that I posted earlier.  I think this is such a great area of the country, particularly, because it still has remnant scenes of the old west.  I think this is one of my favorites.

Fall Glory

    I have been wanting to paint some of the fall trees around here.   Catching some horses in the shade was the icing for me!  The cottonwoods are glorious at my elevation right now.  The hardest part for me is the golden color.  They are so spectacular you want to paint that color, but when you do it looks all wrong.  I went out yesterday and painted, wiping two times, so I quit.  Today, I tried again and this time it worked much better.

Stragglers (study)

     This small sketch is from the other day.  I am now working this into a larger painting.  This is a wonderful part of the west that is still going on here.  It is that time when cowboys move the cattle from the mountains back to the lower fields.  Although cattle will come down on their own if their owners don't come and get them.  On this rainy day a few stragglers are being brought back to the herd.  This young cowboy was soaked!

Aspen Light sketch

  This is a sketch I did of backlit aspens.  I love the patterns of light and dark they created.  It has been a challenge to try and capture this scene.

Shem Creek Before Sunrise

     I have been out for the past two weeks exploring parts of the east coast that I haven't seen.  First, I went to Charleston, SC to see the American Impressionists Society show at the M Gallery there.  It was a spectacular show in a beautiful gallery.  I had never been in Charleston before and it was as fabulous as everyone had told me.  Southern hospitality at its finest.  I think I gained a few pounds but loved every minute of it.  I also made a new friend...and award winner, Za Vue, a wonderful artist.  I liked her even before she won the Presidents Award!  Even though I had an 8 hour drive the next morning to drive back up to Virginia, Za convinced me to go to the paint out in the morning...at 7 am.  I was glad I did.  There were dozens of potential paintings all the way to our meeting spot.  This is at the Shem Creek preserve before the sun got very high.  It's a bit scuffed because it rode in the car for 10 days.

Misty Mountains

     The clouds were low the other day, a sure sign of colder weather coming.  I ran up to Lizard Head pass to catch them hanging in between the mountains and I was not disappointed.  The clouds usually change fast but this scene stayed somewhat similar for a while.  I love this area and this particular morning was an exceptional view.  I still have a couple of refinements to do, but it is mostly done.

Clouds over the Mountains

The clouds were building above Ute Mountain the other day and I was captivated by the view.  I did a very small, fast, oil sketch to catch the colors and work out the composition, I may post the little one too.  Then I started on this.  I had to work fast because the clouds, of course, are constantly changing.  I also took some photos to help save some information because storms were building around me as well lightning and all.

The Red Barn

     This is a wedding present for a dear friend's daughter.  She is getting married in a barn in memory of her mother...who loved barns.  I have always admired this one and hope it will always bring fond memories of her mom.

Wow, where did the summer go.  I got so busy with obligations that I didn't get much time to paint.  With September here, things are quieting down and I am ready to paint.  The Durango group is doing their open portrait on Tuesdays this fall from 9am to noon and I couldn't wait to attend.

I wish I would have gotten this lovely girl's name, I was happy to paint her.

PAAC Show 2013

I am honored to be juried into the PAAC show this year.  If you are in the Denver area please come see our show at the lovely Abend Gallery.

Late July Sky

I have had a long and exhausting month.  I went for a family reunion and ended up staying to take care of my mom from a fall she took.  I was truly running from dawn to dusk but I did manage to escape a day or two for painting.

These clouds were driving me to distraction as I was heading back from the rehab center where my mom was staying.  It was near a dear friends house so I called to see if she could come visit while I painted.  It ended up that sadly her father in law had passed just a couple of hours before I called.  He was a farmer and this seemed a fitting memorial to him as a gift to his son and daughter in law.

Late Spring Snowfall

This was one of the last snowfalls of the season...so far.  The grass, green and celebrating the spring melt against the softened snowy landscape.

The Blizzard

This was a painting I did in early March.  I had not gotten around to photographing it until a couple of days ago.  As always I am drawn to the softness of these kinds of scenes.  This scene is similar to "Across the Fields" that I did a few years ago.  It is in front of my house and I see this scene a lot when it is snowing and I am always drawn to it.  I wanted to incorporate the house this time and the "side roll" irrigation line into this composition.  The side roll is a wonderful indicator of the contour of the land between my place and the neighbors house.

The Sentinel

I haven't been posting for a while.  I have taken time off to process and think about where I am and where I am going.  Life is a constant "work in progress",  I think it is good to stop, in this busy life, and just reflect.  If you don't look at where you have been or where you are going you end up lost.

I have always liked trees and thought a good start up project would be to study different types of trees and their form.  Cottonwoods are ubiquitous out west and it is not uncommon to see one or more in a group, usually marking water or a fence row.

Last of the Light

A month ago I was chasing the moon and went up to Lizard Head Pass to see where the moon would be rising.  As a waited, this scene just happened right in front of me and I couldn't resist.  It was a good thing too, because where the moon came up wasn't good looking anyway.

Moonlit Clouds

I have been chasing the moon this last two months and especially the moon behind clouds.  I awoke early one morning hoping to catch such a scene and was rewarded with this.  This is "en plain air", which is done on site as it is happening, which is why it is a little rough.  As you may imagine it is a little hard seeing the artwork and looking at a bright moon.  I use a headlamp and make sure it doesn't shine directly on the canvas, as that blinds you as well.  This will be used for a larger work soon.

Old Pump House Door

While I was home I took a drive with my mom to visit some of the old places that my grand parents and great grand parents had lived.  Many of the old houses were long gone and newer houses were taking their place.  One that is still standing is now a bed and breakfast, lovingly restored by the owners.  Over the years they have added out buildings but, luckily, many of the old out buildings still remain.  This is one view of the pump house with its door latching being replaced a few times.  The door knob is gone, an old hasp has been pulled out and re-nailed, and the final, concrete block in front of the door to secure it.  I didn't get it completely finished because I ran out of time and had to leave it to dry, but I got most of it.

Last of the Color

I have been out and about for the last week.  I attended the American Impressionist Society's symposium in Indianapolis last weekend then visited with my mom near St. Louis.  I always love getting a chance to paint here and I was lucky that there was still some color.  This scene is less than a mile from the earlier painting "The Road Home".  There is usually a flock of turkeys hanging out in this field, but it could be turkey season and they are laying low.  I used to hunt quail and pheasant with my father and these fall scenes bring back fond memories.

Leave The Light On Please.

This was the porch of guest house I was staying at while attending Plein Air Moab.  I would leave the light on because sometimes I would come back after dark and it is really dark in the country when there is no moon out.  I got up early one morning before sunrise and painted this familiar rustic scene. This painting won a Award of Merit at the Plein Air Moab this October.  I would like to give a shout out to my friend Sonya Johnson who also won an Award of Merit at Plein Air Moab for her beautiful pastel painting "Late Afternoon Glow on the Monocline".  Way to go girl!

Old Red

Well, after a bizarre 2 weeks of first, being evacuated from our home for a wild fire, then losing internet access for a week, I am finally getting back to posting.  Luckily the the wildfire took out no homes and everyone was safe.  I want to thank the brave men and women firefighters who fought on that line all night to save everyone's property and what an awesome bunch they are!

The internet got lost just after that because of an upgrade to the system, not the fire as I had thought!  It is a real eye opener to have no access for a week.  The bad, couldn't post or do much of anything I used to on the web,  the good, I got lots of things done that needed to be taken care of!

This is another old chair in front of "Back of Beyond Bookstore" in Moab that I did, post show for Plein Air Moab, just because I thought they had so much character.

This was one of many wonderful views in Moab.  These old chairs were in front of Back on Beyond bookstore with their retro feel and funky peeling paint of various colors.

These two pieces have been juried into the 11th annual Lone Tree Art Exhibition and Sale, that is opening at the Lone Tree Arts Center in Lone Tree, Colorado.  The opening is this Saturday, Oct. 20 from 3 - 5 p.m. so if you happen to be in the neighborhood, please come, see the show and say hello.

Last week was Plein Air Moab and I spent the whole week painting around that magnificent area.  This was the first one I did.  I was staying at a guest house near Fisher Tower and got up very early to catch a nice sunrise scene.  I drove up to Fisher Tower hiking trail, which was pitch black at the time and waited.  I became enamored with the silhouette of one of the towers, the early signs of the sun coming up with the faint image of the plants and rocks in the foreground.  I had to paint fast because it changed quickly but I liked the result.

A tip when painting at night or when you need light.  I found that if I hung my headlamp around my neck upside down, that it would illuminate the palette and the painting without blinding me to the scene beyond.

Although I haven't been posting for a while, I have been painting.  I have been in a slump and not many good paintings have been coming out.  The good news is that I recently returned from a workshop with T.A. Lawson, a brilliant artist and pretty nice guy too!  This class was a good kick in my slump and got me thinking in the right direction.

This was from the first day.  I never expect to get a good painting in a class but this one turned out okay.  I probably should have been working on landscape or structures but I got enamored with this hasp, its honest, down home quality with rust, peeling paint and all.

The Road Home

I have gone home to visit my mother and I love visiting with her, but I also love sneaking out early in the morning to paint here.  This is the midwest and mornings can be soft and green.  Although there has been an awful drought here, it is still greener than my other home in southwest Colorado.

This scene holds many memories for me.  I practically lived on my horse when I was younger and this was usually where I went.  This area is next to a creek and it flooded often.  A wonderful way to pass hot, muggy days was to ride through the cool flood waters.  At this exact spot we had to dismount to save our lab, Buck, who had gotten caught in the swifter water just before he was swept into the main channel.  And here too was where I found my first leach, thankfully not on me, taking it home to examine.  When I was riding home this is the view I remember.

Lazy Day

When we were traveling near Yellowstone Park we stopped at the Grizzly and Wolf Center in West Yellowstone.  This is a great place to view grizzlies and wolves and learn all about them.

This bear was just happy to be out and decided to enjoy some sunshine.

The Morning March

We went on vacation recently.  I found myself going out to watch the sunrise every morning and being enthralled by the beauty of the light on the clouds,  with everything so peaceful and fresh.  On this morning there was a group of clouds rhythmically marching across the sky.

Moonrise

This painting was hanging around my studio for a while waiting to be finished.  I was undecided about a few things and had to wait around for the sunset to be just right.  It was amazing how many times just when it was getting close, clouds in the west would block the sun.

Sunset Serenade

Until recently we have had no clouds around for quite a while, hence the excitement about clouds.  We are getting some rain but I wish it were more.  This was a nice sunset view from my house.

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.