Imnaha Afternoon

I painted this study yesterday late afternoon. It certainly was breathtaking to be looking down upon the Imnaha River like this. This viewpoint on Grizzly Ridge is more than 3000 feet above the canyon floor. The temperature was in the 90's on the floor and about 70 degrees on the ridge. This is the view looking north from Hells Canyon through Imnaha Canyon toward Imnaha and the Big Sheep Canyon. The ridge on the other side of the canyon is called the Sheep Creek Divide. The road up here is a narrow single lane gravel road with a few turnouts and lots of washboards on the steeper sections. The drop offs on the side of the road are impressive; if a car went off the road it may never be found in some places. I would also like to paint the view looking south if I can get back up this way again soon. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen.

Hells Canyon Morning

I painted this view this morning a couple of steps from my tent while camping in the Hells Canyon Recreation Area. The elevation is about 6600 feet or so according to the Forest Service topo map. It was a lovely view to contemplate while drinking my morning coffee. The wind was howling most of the night on top of this ridge (Summit Ridge), but it was fairly calm this morning. This view is looking east into Hells Canyon; in the first draw runs Saddle Creek while the Snake River is down there somewhere in the main canyon area. The mountains in the distance are the Seven Devils in Idaho. Makes me wish I had a trail horse and a pack mule to explore the area. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.

Mountain Shadows

This was the first study I painted yesterday while out woodcutting. There was a large wildfire in this area a few years ago, and combined with the white pine beetle infestation, there are quite a few bare areas on the mountains. It was fun to compose around the quickly moving cloud shadows. As I was walking along trying to find a view of the mountains to paint, I probably spent more time picking and eating huckleberries. It is still early in the season for them, but I probably found enough for some pancakes. I love listening to (and seeing) the goldfinches in the trees. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen.

Summer Meadow

Yesterday was firewood cutting day in the mountains. I took some time out to paint a little bit. One thing about painting as a side project is that you paint what is there rather than going out and looking for something. The choices are limited, but in some way it makes the process easier. This is what the scene looked like when I started the study, but within a few minutes I was repositioning my umbrella for rain rather than sun. Then it started pouring, accompanied by dramatic lightning and thunder. I was able to keep my painting dry, but the result was the rain flowed off the umbrella straight down my back. I called it close enough when it started to hail. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.

Afternoon Virga

Early August summer days are some of my favorites; with the sounds of grasshoppers and crickets in the fields, and the cottonwood fluff floating in the breeze. The days are warm, but not too hot. As soon as it gets just a little bit too warm, the thunderheads build and the rain is refreshingly welcome. There have been quite a few dramatic thunderstorms lately. This was a small quick study and yes, I was good and drenched by the time I decided it was finished enough. Study 8x6", Oil on Linen.

Cherry Pie

The sound of a summer breeze in massive old trees, washing over in rhythmic wave sets, on a hot quiet afternoon, has a nap-inducing effect. This is a nostalgic sound from my childhood as I lay in bed at night, often accompanied by dim distant flashes of heat lightning. Walking by the nearby farms, I watch the water skippers glide like ice skaters on the irrigation ditches. I recollect many quick dips into the canals to cool off during meandering bike rides and the searches for fat pollywogs to bring home in glass canning jars. The trick was to be dry upon returning home to avoid a scolding. The pollywogs weren't particularly welcome either. The only time when I can eat a perfect cherry is when I'm visiting my mother in July. The local bing cherries are enormous, impossible to fit in a cherry stoner, deep deep burgundy, nearly black, intensely flavored and sweet; nothing like what you see in the grocery stores, not even in Whole Foods. My favorite though are the tart Montmorency pie cherries that are difficult to find unless you pick them yourself. Nothing says summer like a homemade cherry pie and hand-cranked homemade vanilla ice cream on an afternoon after a nice nap with the sound of the breeze in the trees.

Three Wipers

A bad day painting is better than a good day ________. Today was an exceptionally bad day, I wiped down three studies after laboring over them. I couldn't do anything right. I felt like I had never painted before. I won't be able to paint for a couple of weeks so hopefully it will be like hitting the reset button.

There is a large Great Horned Owl that sits on the roof of my studio every night. Lately though it has been replaced by a new owl. It has taken me a while to figure out that it is a juvenile Great Horned Owl since it generally arrives after it is too dark to see it well. At first, I thought perhaps that maybe it was a Barn Owl because it has a piercing screech call instead of the typical hoo-s and it is a little bit smaller than the regular owl. But I finally got a good look at it and it is definitely a horned owl. I'll be glad when its voice changes since the all-night screeching is much less pleasant.

Summer Wildflowers

There is a type of wildflower that resembles a Shasta daisy that is very much like a weed in this area where there is a water supply. I wish that all weeds could be so lovely. They were interspersed here with a small yellow flower. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Chief Joseph Mountain

Study 10x6", Oil on Linen

Lounging Angus & Douglas Fir

Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Hurricane Creek & Sacajawea Peak

I had a good time painting this morning even if my study is horribly overworked; but wow, it is difficult to not overwork a complicated scene when the light is moving fast. I couldn't quite bring myself to wipe it all down, but it was close. I probably need to work smaller again to keep from working them to death. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.

Perfect Summer Morning

Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

More Haymaking

Study 10x6", Oil on Linen

Snow Runoff

The snow is melting rapidly in the warm July weather, all of the creeks are rushing with ice cold runoff. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.

Hay Rolls

The late summer has meant that everything is late this year, including the first hay cutting. The air is perfumed with the scent of mown grass right now. I can't seem to drive by a field of freshly bailed hay without wanting to stop and paint it. Study 10x6", oil on linen.

Wheel Line

I painted this study yesterday afternoon and it is a bit overworked. Don't worry, I'll try some different subjects than snowy mountains and farms soon; I'm taking advantage of the snow in the mountains before it all melts since the warm weather is making it disappear rapidly. One of my summer jobs in college years ago was assembling wheel line movers for a farm irrigation company, and I often set siphon tubes, changed hand lines and moved wheel lines. I loved the outdoor work and the rhythmic sound of the sprinklers. Study 10x6", oil on linen.

Summer Afternoon

I painted this study yesterday afternoon. This one is slightly bigger than I usually paint in the field, it is 10x8", oil on linen.

Mountain Veil

I painted this study a few days ago. It was quite challenging because the weather and lighting conditions changed every few seconds. In fact, my umbrella functioned more as a rain shelter than it did to shield the sun. It was pleasant though standing in a summer shower while painting. Study 8x6", oil on linen.

Wallowa Valley

These two studies were painted a couple of days ago in Oregon's Wallowa Valley. The second view is one I have painted before in the winter when it was covered with snow. As elsewhere in the western US this year, snow is still quite abundant in the mountains. These were painted in the same location looking different directions. As I was standing next to the fence of the field in front of me, a swather drove by cutting the rye grass hay, pelting me with rocks and cruft. I had quite a few bits of hay to pick off my painting and palette. In his hermetically sealed air conditioned cab the farmer had no idea that he was showering me with debris; and even if he did, he was only doing his job. A ready smile and a friendly wave accorded instant forgiveness. I need to get out again soon. Both studies, 8x6", oil on linen.

Nicasio Ranch

Today, Ernesto and I joined the California Art Club for their quarterly Paint Out at an equestrian ranch just outside Nicasio. The weather was quite windy and chilly, as we were on the fringe of the fog line. The wonderful part of it was that we had soft broken clouds to paint instead of the ubiquitous empty Bay Area skies. We saw so many ticks today that I still feel like I have them crawling on me. Still, it was great to be out painting. Both studies are 8x6", oil on linen.

Point Reyes

Yesterday, Ernesto, Bill and I went painting at the Point Reyes National Seashore. It was a sunny breezy day where the biggest challenge wasn't deciding what to paint, but finding a spot sheltered from the gale. The study above was on the lee side of the southern point of the headlands, on the north end of Drake's Bay. The cliff sides in this particular location had an intense red color, instead of the more typical pale tan, which was intriguing to paint juxtaposed with the teal water. Deer were abundant and there were also many elephant seals sunning themselves on the sand. Wildflowers were also still plentiful thanks to the late spring rains this year.

The study below was on Drake's Beach, where most of the people were concentrated into a very small area of the beach, to the right, behind the cliffs in this view. Out of the wind, up against the cliffs, it was a tiny zone of balmy summer. Both studies are 8x6", Oil on Linen.

Jenner Waves

From a study painted near Jenner late one afternoon near sunset. I think that this was the time that a wave sneaked in and carried my painting pack into the surf. I managed to retrieve it but had a heavy, wet and sandy pack to carry back to the car in soggy sneakers. Oil on Linen, 16x12".

Spring Idyll

From a study painted a few weeks ago on Table Mountain near the end of the day. Carpets of miniature lupine and other wildflowers were growing in the open areas between the oaks. Oil on Linen, 16x12".

Mid-Winter Sunshine

I painting the study for this on a beautiful Christmas morning, year before last. 14x11, oil on linen.

Early Summer Tranquility

The near-symmetry and tranquility of this location was what appealed to me when I painted the study for this scene a couple of years ago. In reality, I was awkwardly sitting (impossible to stand) on the shoulder of a busy highway very early on a chilly morning. I tried to imagine that I was somewhere warm and quiet. 14x11", oil on linen.

Wildflowers Near Sunset

This was near the end of the day as the sun was getting very low in the sky. The wind was becoming quite chilly, but the light was really beautiful. Study 8x6", oil on linen.

Wildflowers Among The Oaks

The study above was painted about noon; it was a gorgeous day for a picnic among the wildflowers. The study below was my warmup painting -- not wild about my composition choices, but I liked seeing the still-snowy Sierra in the distance. Studies 8x6 & 8x4", oil on linen.

Spring Wildflowers

Last weekend, Ernesto Nemesio, Bill Cone and I went out to paint wildflowers on Table Mountain near Oroville, California. The swathes of lush color were gorgeous and challenging to compose around. The miniature wild lupines were particularly prolific. It reminded me of turn-of-the-twentieth-century early California landscapes, a la Granville Redmond.

Spring Thaw

11x14", Oil on Linen

Marin Lea

From a few studies a couple of weeks ago in Marin County. 14x11", oil on linen.

Big Boulder

14x11", oil on linen.

Spring Patterns

The patterns of this scene were a challenging subject to attempt. 14x9 inches, oil on linen.

October Aspens

Painting fall colors, especially aspens are one of my favorite things. This small painting was painted from a series of studies I did in eastern Idaho a couple of autumns ago. 11x14, oil on linen.

Snowy Forest

I can't seem to go very long before I have an irresistible urge to paint a snow scene. I like everything about them: being outside standing in the snow, the design challenges, the light and color, the interesting shapes and textures, and the quiet. This may be my Christmas card this year. I'm working on a series of smaller paintings for a show this fall; this is the first of hopefully many. The study for this was painted in northeastern Oregon. 14x11", oil on linen.

June Morning

I painted the study for this piece a couple of summers ago on a June morning just after daybreak. The air was very atmospheric due to a combination of moisture and the haze of distant wildfires. I may refine it a bit more before I call it done. 24x18, oil on linen.

Lazy Early Spring Afternoon

A small herd of young Holstein heifers kept me company as I was painting this study. Some of them were posing for me as you can see, but most of them were behind me and beside me watching me paint. Some came as close as a couple of feet to get a good view; they were very curious. One of them had a cough, poor thing. This was a perfect setting for a picnic. Study 8x6, oil on linen.

Grazing At Noon

This was the first study I painted yesterday, about noon. The new green grass has not yet grown above the height of last years dead grass, so there is an assortment of mellow tawny hues mixed in with the vibrant fresh greens. The evergreen varieties of trees look like summer, but there are many deciduous varieties that have yet to bud. There is a modest sprinkling of early wildflowers, but the main show is yet to come. Study 8x6, oil on linen.

Spring Atmosphere

Ernesto and I both painted this view, but I think I prefer his composition choice. The weeping leaves of this tree with the atmospheric hills behind captured both of us. Study 8x6, oil on linen.

Late Afternoon

Ernesto and I went out painting again yesterday. It was a beautiful early spring day in Marin County. This was the last study I painted as the sun was getting low in the late afternoon. It was amazing how quickly the temperature dropped when the sun dipped below the horizon. The clouds in the sky were the early leading edge of the warm front that moved in overnight. Study 8x6, oil on linen.

Website Updated

At long last, my website is up-to-date; well mostly. And it is now possible to contact me through my website "contact" button. www.calahanfineart.com

Pearls and Rust

Last weekend, Ernesto and I went out painting on Alexander Mountain, above Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, better than the typical Bay Area summer day. The rust was very thick and all I could think about was remembering a quote (I think by the great Edgar Payne) something along the lines of, "Nature does not scatter pearls for lazy painters". I kept thinking that she doesn't scatter pearls for rusty ones either. Still, it was wonderful to be outside and painting. Looking forward to going again soon! Both studies are 8x6, oil on linen.

Show Moves To The North Point Gallery Next Month

After our small group show leaves Holton Studio Frame-Makers next month, you will find it at The North Point Gallery in San Francisco, along with a few new works. The show will run from February 3rd until March 5th. An artist's reception and preview will be on Wednesday, February 2nd between 5 & 7pm. Happy New Year!

Tumbled Bales

I finally had some time to paint this weekend. It has been many months since I have picked up a brush. Wow, am I rusty! I hardly knew which end to hold; not working as deliberately as I would like and feeling a little tentative. I'll probably let this one sit for a bit and see if I want to rework it. I painted the study for this one just over two years ago in Idaho. There is always something that I remember in particular about the experience of painting each study. This one I remember that I had a 15 minute time limit, and I remember the day as being a beautiful, calm, warm autumn day. 18x13", oil on linen.

Group Show

A few friends (Ernesto Nemesio, Bill Cone and Dice Tsutsumi) and myself are having a small group show at Holton Studios. The opening is this Saturday evening from 4-6. Drop by if you are in the neighborhood. The show runs from December 4th through January 8th.

Summer Hay

I thought I'd dive into this sooner rather than later while the study was fresh in my mind and still in my studio. 40x20 Oil on Linen.

Summer Haying

This is a small painting that I would like to paint up into a larger piece at some point. It is a an auction donation piece to benefit this year's Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts, June 4-6 in beautiful Joseph Oregon. This view was painted just outside Joseph in the Wallowa Valley. 12x6 Oil on Linen.

Winter Stream

Another snow painting from my Christmas studies. I'm not sure that I'm finished with this one yet. I think I need to let it sit for a bit and then come back to it. 24x18 Oil on Linen.

Winter Calm

I love to paint snow paintings because the snow exaggerates design choices, for better or worse. It certainly forces one to concentrate on every shape and edge. There is much to learn from the Russian masters since they faced this challenge often. As I was painting the study for this, I was standing on the ice shelf that was breaking up, trying to see how close I could safely stand near the edge. It was a beautiful morning and I loved every minute of being out in the snow painting. 24x18, Oil on Linen. SOLD at auction to benefit the Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise Oregon.

Autumn Pond

I painted this little painting a month or so ago for a benefit auction later this month. It was fun to do a smaller painting, I haven't done one for a while. I have several larger paintings in the works at the moment; two snow paintings from my Christmas studies are nearing completion. I will be posting them soon. 9x12 Oil on Linen.

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