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.

MacCat

     This is a portrait of a stray cat that has adopted my mother.  I had never seen one of these types of cats before but looked him up and found he is a "Scottish Fold" breed.  He always seems to have his ears back, though they are just turned down a bit, which gives him a fierce look.  My mother has McIntosh in her line and their slogan is "Touch Not The Cat Bot A Glove".  I thought it was appropriate for this cat.  This is a very quick sketch done from life.

Snowy Eve II

          I am very honored that my piece "Snowy Eve II" was accepted into the Oil Painters of America - Western Regional this year!  There is so much wonderful work in this show and I am very humbled to be a part of it.
          This is looking across from my property.  I did one earlier that was mostly the tree in the foreground and you could barely see the ones in the background.  With each snow it changes and trying to capture its many moods is a fun challenge.

Haze at Dawn

     This was at sunrise in the midwest but this same type of light happens here in the west from the fires that are raging here.  This was painted from my parents farm, one of the last ones to be done from there.

Steam

     This is from the steam train in Durango, Colorado.  There is something fascinating about steam engines that seem to be living, breathing beasts.  This was a very cold night and with station lights and the steam enveloping the engine, became an etherial vision of a bygone era.

Babble of Spring

     This is up LaPlata canyon.  It has been very dry this last year and this would be the amount of water that would be towards the end of summer.  I wanted to do a study looking into the water and the contrast between rocks sticking out of the water and those submerged in the water.  I also wanted to work on how to paint the water falls and how it affects the pool.  It was an interesting challenge and would like to try more of these.

Model in March

     This is a model we had on March 18th to sit for us.  I am sorry I don't remember her name but she was a lovely model.

Terrapin Ridge

     I had done this scene before but that one was in the springtime and was done en plein air.   This is a larger version of that scene in the fall.  I liked the warms against the cool of the blacktop road.

White Wolf

     On my recent trip to Yellowstone I stopped by the Wolf and Grizzly Center in West Yellowstone.  It is a great place to see wolves and grizzlies since it is rare to actually see them in the park.  Most of these guys are rescues and they have a very nice set up for them to roam in.  This particular wolf likes to get up on this rise and look at the people in an observation room.  On this day only two of us were in there so he was looking right at me.

Goldeneye Parade

     This was the scene across the road from the Big Horn sheep.  I had been watching this group when the sheep showed up behind me.

Enjoying the Snow

     This is from my recent trip to Yellowstone Park.  My friend and I stopped by the Wolf and Grizzly Center in West Yellowstone to get some pictures of the wildlife they have there.  It had snowed the night before and the bears were clearly enjoying romping in the snow.  This bear in particular decided to plop himself down and just enjoy it.

Poipu Sunrise

     This was Christmas morning near Poipu.  I wanted to try painting into the sun again but in the morning this time.  It was best when the sun went behind the clouds.

Poipu Sunrise 12.24.17

This is the Christmas eve sunrise colors that greeted me.   This was before the sun came up.  I painted quickly hoping for a second one.

Poipu Sunset

I missed the sunrise this morning so I decided to catch the sunset.  The sun was really intense and looking toward it I had to just glance or block parts so I could see.  It was interesting to try this though.  When I was doing the sunrise it was usually before the sun came up.  With the sunset I had to do it before it set because I would be walking back in the dark in some rough terrain.

Shipwreck Sunrise 12.20.17

     My family and I recently visited the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian chain.  This is one of my favorite islands, though all of them are very special to me.  I wanted to paint some of the sunrises while I was there.  I missed the day before this one which was spectacular in its subtle hues and never saw another like it the whole time I was there.  There were days of off and on again gentle rain and this one shows those rains far off to the south of Kauai over the ocean.  This is just off of Shipwreck Beach.

High Country Color

     My good painting buddy and I were way up in the mountains looking for color.  As we came down this road I wanted to try and capture this scene of the road going down and the mountain side coming up in the distance.  I found the pattern of aspens and pine forests on the far hill beautiful.

sunrise on the bluff

     I caught this early in the morning not too far below Durango Mountain Resort.  The sun was lighting just the top of the cliffs with the tall aspens in the foreground still in the shadow.  This is a very small painting, so small I had to hold it in my hand to paint it.

Morning Reflections

     This is a small piece I did early in the morning.  The early morning light was hitting the mountain behind the trees giving it a golden color while the trees and valley floor were still in shadow.  I was fascinated by the color combination and reflections in the water.  This is one of my favorite spots along the Dolores river.

On a Moonlit Night

     I love it when the full moon is out.  The softness of the light is irresistible to try and paint.  Even more exciting for me is how the moon lights the clouds.

Cedar Moonset

     This is one out back of my studio.  I love coming out during full moon with the rising or setting of the moon and try to catch the beautiful colors.   I have painted this hill many times but I think this one is the best so far.

Terrapin Ridge

     This scene is to the right of the Tree Line scene.  This has always been a pretty area and I always wanted to find a way to paint it and give it justice.   Early morning light through the trees seemed to fit it well.

Tree Line

     While visiting my mom, I like to sneak away early in the morning to paint.  This is an area of the creek bottom that I have always been fond of.  Tree line usually means the elevation where trees won't grow in the mountains, but in this instance it is the division of two fields.

Late Spring Snow

    This is an update on a piece I did much earlier.  I was never quite happy with the entire composition so I went in and "fixed" a few things.

Boy with Driving hat

     This young man had this great turn of the century "news boy" look.

Conversations

    Now for something completely different.  While on vacation I happened to catch this couple sitting on this picnic bench.  I thought it interesting their pose and imagined all sorts of conversations they could be having...or not.

A Winter's Tale

     This was done up at the pass with a pretty good storm coming through.  The layers of trees and mountain side are what drew me to this scene.