Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Clouds over Utah


"Clouds over Utah", 10 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board
I'm not actually sure exactly where this is in Utah--it is somewhere between Capitol Reef and Escalante. I went through all my photos of the trip, but couldn't find this particular view. So I hope the painting speaks for itself--

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Friday, February 24, 2017

Utah Color


"Utah Color", 10 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board
I am continually going back to my photos of Escalante and the backside of Capitol Reef in Utah because of my memories of being there. Unlike Bryce and Zion, there were no tourists--just deserts, mountains, canyons, sunlight and color.

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Tongariro Crossing


"Tongariro Crossing", 10 x 12, Oil on Museum Board

In my mind, the name "Tongariro" brings forth a concept of the mythical. But the 12 mile hike itself over the Tongariro Crossing on the North Island of New Zealand was one tough hike--especially the "steps" coming down the far side. No, I didn't take my paints with me--this was a studio painting and a difficult one, because the rocky landscape had neither dramatic values or dramatic colors. So it was a challenge, just as the hike itself was a challenge.



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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Death Valley Winter


"Death Valley Winter", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
I don't generally like paintings where the surface has dried and the artist has painted over, sometimes multiple times, building up the surface with paint so the original brushwork is lost. I generally try to finish my painting at once, leaving the brushwork as is. I've always thought there was a sense and feeling of freedom in an alla prima approach. But this painting was different. Even after it dried, I painted over some parts of it, more than once, and when the paint buildup was too much for me, I scraped and scraped and did it over again, more than once. It was an exercise not in trying to make it look like something, but trying to make it work in some other way. I don't know if I succeeded. I don't know why this little painting grabbed me this way, but then its all a big experiment, right?

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Monday, February 6, 2017

Tumbledown Mountain


"Tumbledown Mountain", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
Years ago we flew by helicopter into the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia. We could only take a few pounds of luggage with us, so I fashioneded a small pochade box out of a tin box for kids' pencils. It was one of my best painting trips--hiking the rugged trails from the lodge. As I am still drawn to that experience, this painting was from a photo of the mountains during that trip.

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