"Cold Creek" ©

The morning sun is just grazing the cold creek at the start of a new day.

Oil on Linen, 16" X 20"

"Ram" ©

Framing paintings ate up most of my day but I did manage to paint this little Ram in between drilling, boxing and wiring.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Marilyn Posing" ©

I had the chance to paint Marilyn again, on a smaller panel. What a face she has and you can't turn your back on her. I have no clue what she will do, bite, trample, lick? The folks at the Gentle Barn just told me not to and with an animal that big you don't question the authorities.

Oil on Panel, 12" X 12"

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"Goat" ©

A gallery called looking for some of my animal paintings, so I have the opportunity to paint more fur and feathers. This goat lives out at the Gentle Barn in Canyon Country and was willing to pose.

Oil on Panel, 12" X 9"

"Waiting For Rain" ©

Tonight I shot this painting on my studio easel because the Canvas is 12" X 12" and photographing tighter (just the painting) I lose part of the painting. I know you photo folks are giggling at me.

All of the natural Southern California landscape is starting to droop. The greens have turned gold, the rusty brush is gray and the sandy riverbed sinks under foot. I think we are all "waiting for rain".

Oil on Panel, 12" X 12"

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"Inland Trail, Catalina Island" ©

This painting may be the final version of "Chasing The Sun" (posted June 8th and August 8th). I am still working on small transitions and enjoying the details. In the morning with new eyes I'll have a better idea.

Oil on Linen, 20" X 24"

"Vasquez Rocks, Summer Evening" ©

Making every area of the painting interesting was one of the things that Scott Christensen repeated often in his teachings. It's a delicate dance to keep the little areas of the painting interesting but not so interesting as to distract from the main idea (focus) of the painting and at the same time keep the edges of the painting a bit duller and so on. I keep those thoughts preforming a jig in my head while painting the "Vasquez Rocks" on a summer evening.

Oil on panel, 6" X 8"

"Hot Rocks" ©

Painting in the Vasquez Rocks park is always a challenge, especially because the rock formations are quite bizarre. All at once they are stunning and strange. My painting buddy and I went out at about 4:45pm. The wind was calm and cool, not one snake, an absolutely lovely evening amongst the "Hot Rocks".

Oil on panel, 6" X 8"

"Approaching Storm, Teton Canyon" ©

Eventually the skies opened and rain poured out. Until then thunder pounded sounding like angels roller skating around the big wooden rink in the sky.

This painting had to be quick with the impending weather. I premixed all the colors that I was witnessing and then just moved paint from the palette to the canvas as fast as I could. The mood appeals to me and I am glad there was just enough time to capture the feel of the moment.

Oil on Panel, 10" X 8"

"Midday Cottonwoods" ©

This is another Teton Valley, Idaho plein air painting where the challenge was to take the view that I was looking at, which was early in the morning, and key the painting as if it was midday, in other words "high key". Geez talk about a brain twister and yet a great lesson. It opened my eyes to a whole new set of possibilities, we already know we can move mountains, trees, add clouds and so on, but to consider that we can actually change the time of day too, well that is something to really think about.

Oil on panel 6" X 8"

"On The Way To Swan Valley" ©

Swan Valley Idaho is full of lovely vistas, a river running down from the Teton Valley and small farms dotting the landscape. This view is on the way from the Teton Valley heading to Swan Valley, the way I traveled on my way home to California last week.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

"Study for Chasing The Sun" ©

At the Christensen workshop, Scott talked a lot about finding the "good idea". I painted "Chasing The Sun" early in June and since have reworked the sky and foreground a couple of times. The painting has a glimmer of a good idea, too much to abandon the piece. In search of the "good idea" I painted a small study of the large painting, changing the composition a bit and the palette totally. Two things I am seeing as I post this is the path in the foreground needs to be brought closer to the viewer and the shift between the distant mountain and the closer mountain is too great. I'll look at it with new eyes in the morning, searching for the "good idea".

Oil on panel, 6" X 8"

"Morning Light" ©

Small streams lace their way throughout the Teton Valley. In the cool of the morning I stopped at this one, entranced by the calm water and morning sunlight just starting to light up the land.

Oil on Linen, 14" X 18"

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"Tree Study" ©

At the recent workshop one of the "assignments" was to paint a tree, paying attention to the values, shapes and the way the top of the tree meets the sky. I picked this interesting stubby tree and enjoyed getting to know her.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10

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"Summer Afternoon" ©

This little painting is still on the easel in a field in the heart of the Teton Valley, where I spent the last couple of weeks painting. I was participating in a workshop presented by Scott Christensen. I'll post more about it, but to start I would like to say that it's rare to find a brilliant artist that is also a brilliant teacher and Scott is both.

Oil on panel, 9" X 12"

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