On The Ebb

Standing this close to the water's edge, all I could think about was "rogue wave".  The tide was ebbing though, only one wave got my boots wet.  This study is a bit rough and unfinished, but I was growing hungry and fatigued so I bailed since I was starting to thrash it. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen. 

Afternoon Shadow

My favorite time of the year to paint at the beach is on a sunny winter day.  It has been calm, warm and absolutely glorious at the ocean.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen. 

China Camp

I painted this study at China Camp State Park a couple of weekends ago, mostly as a demo.  It was a gorgeous day on the bay.  Study 10x7.5", Oil on Linen. 

Smoky Reflections

The smoke was a little less thick this morning.  This view is a short distance from the last study I did, but in very different lighting conditions for the same time of day.  I really enjoyed the muted colors and soft reddish sunlight.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

River Bend

I'd like to try this view again because I think I could do a better job with it, but I might not get the chance.  Today the visibility due to smoke is down to about a mile and a half and it is difficult to be outside.  I would never know that there are mountains across the valley, because I can't even see a hint of them today.  Good day for being inside and cooking, and I also have a few unfinished studies to fiddle with.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Mountain Stream

Another view of the Lostine River on a smoky autumn afternoon.  Study 8x10", Oil on Linen.  

Lostine Afternoon

I was attracted to a small rock island in the middle of the Lostine river, it reminded me of a sailing ship.  Study 12x9", Oil on Linen.  

Liquid Tranquility

I'm not wild about the composition of this one, but I like it as a lighting study and the fact that I'm starting to shake the rust off and feel more comfortable painting.  If only it didn't take so long for me to get into a groove.  I'm really excited about what I plan to paint next, I was hoping it would be today, but it is very overcast at the moment so it might have to wait for another day.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Lodgepole & Aspen

Lodgepole pine and quaking aspen on a pond at the end of the day.  Lodgepole pines are challenging for me to paint because they seem to be more branches than needles, it is a lot of busy, fiddly stuff.  There was some nice early autumn color and the weather was serene.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Kokanee Heaven

There were large numbers of Kokanee fish spawning in the river yesterday evening as I was painting this study. Kokanee are a landlocked type of sockeye salmon common to the inland Pacific Northwest lakes and streams; a favorite with the eagles and osprey, and of course the anglers. The fish have bright red bodies and are very beautiful swimming in the shallow water. Again, this was a bit ambitions to try to tackle as a study in a very limited time window, but it sure was fun to try to paint. The temperature is very chilly right now and the foliage is turning rapidly especially on the underbrush. This morning it didn't get above freezing until the sun was up for over an hour; meanwhile, the sunshine sparkled beautifully on all of the ice caused by frozen overnight irrigation sprinkling. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Wallowa Headwaters

My favorite study of the summer so far.  If I do a larger painting of this one, I will refine some of the shapes, but I'm really happy with the structure and movement of this one overall.  I guess I have to get used to saying autumn instead of summer because the weather has definitely turned the corner this week.  I may try one more angle on this setting before I move on to something else.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen. 

Lakehead Atmosphere

Another view of the lake and the mountains surrounding it in the late afternoon light.  This view is near the lake head.  Study 9.5x8 inches, Oil on Linen.  

Last Reach

The last reach of the day; the last reach of summer.  A beautiful evening at the lake and breezy enough for a light sail.  I did feel a little bit like a tourist painting the lake, but the sculptural forms of the mountains are so interesting to me in the last light of the day.  I wish there had been some clouds to break up the uniformity of the sky, but this way the slight shadow of the mountain on the atmosphere was visible.  Study 12x7", Oil on Linen.

Cassata al forno

A break from my usual painting blog.  I found a local rancher with two Guernsey cows who sells excellent raw fresh milk and eggs in small quantities. I bought some and in slow food style, I made the butter and ricotta cheese for this Sicilian ricotta cake.  It was from a Saveur recipe in their Authentic Italian cookbook. I also made vanilla bean gelato, yogurt, and used the butter and cheese whey to make a lovely pumpernickel rye bread with freshly milled wholegrain flour. Cassata al forno, 9" on ceramic plate. iPhone photo.  :)

Mountain Shadows

This subject was a bit ambitious considering how little time I had to try to capture it.  Gotta try though.  Study 12x8", Oil on Linen.

Indian Summer

This is the narrow sliver of time when the snow has all melted from the mountains before it starts snowing again.  Painting this study was a little bit frustrating because I was trying a new canvas surface and the paint did not want to stick to it.  It was like trying to spread peanut butter on the top of jelly.  I persevered anyway though.  Study 12x7", Oil on slippery linen.  

Late August Wheat Harvest

I went out to paint a different georgic scene, some hay rolls I spotted the night before, but they had already been picked up before I arrived.  A short distance farther along the road, they were harvesting wheat and the bright red trucks and harvester surrounded by the glowing chaff cloud, the golden field, and the blue mountains, were too tempting to pass up. I usually avoid painting Chief Joseph Mountain because it is such a difficult shape to compose around, and because of its imposing size, and the fact that it seems to have a personality of its own, but today I couldn't resist.  Looking at it from the western end, it doesn't look like such a big lump rising straight out of the flat valley floor.  The truck drivers were very patient and friendly as they drove by.  Study 10x6", Oil on Linen. 

Evening Pond

The smoke was pretty thick yesterday evening when I painted this study, however the winds last evening blew a lot of it away so it is clearer today.  The sun near sunset yesterday was brilliant red from the dense smoke.  It was pretty, but it is nice to not be breathing so much of it today.  We have had at least one night of freezing temperatures and the maple trees have started to bronze already; autumn feels early this year, it isn't even September yet.  Study, 10x7", Oil on Linen.  

Trees and Grass

As I was painting this little study, a tiny curious fawn, still with spots, wandered up to me a couple of times to see what I was doing.  I could hear a larger deer, perhaps the protective doe, just out of view, stomping and snorting.  Yesterday evening when I painted this study, it was clear despite the persistent nearby wildfires; today is quite smoky.  During the last few days there has been a constant drone of single and large double-rotor helicopters hauling buckets, flying to the fire from the heli-base in Joseph.  Study 8x10", Oil on Linen.

Afternoon Pond

The short hike into this location was through grass and thistle taller than my head, I was picking burrs out of my hair when I got home.  I haven't tackled the boot laces yet, they seem permanently welded together.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Sheep Pasture

I rushed the composition of this study in an effort to have time to capture the quickly changing light.  I'm hoping that my photo reference will be adequate to help recompose it later if I decide to make a painting of the scene.  I was standing on the side of the road in some very tall grass; tall enough that the seed tops of the grass tried to repaint my painting for me in the wind.  I don't think they liked the composition either.  There is also a stream in this scene that I didn't work into it that may be the missing balancing element.  The wind last night blew away much of this smoky atmosphere, so it is somewhat clearer today if I decide to paint this evening.  Study 10x7", Oil on Linen.

Afternoon Clouds

The last couple of days I waited too late in the day to go out painting and the weather became overcast and flat.  So today when I noticed the clouds starting to form, I stopped my chores mid-stream and painted from my yard.  This is the view toward the south, looking across the valley at the Hurricane Creek drainage.  Study 8x10", Oil on Linen.

Evening Crickets

Painting this study was one of the most pleasant painting outings I've ever experienced: perfect weather, beautiful light, a nice scene, and a friendly property owner who came over to take a look.  I painted this scene once before on an early morning in the late spring, but I like this summer evening version much better.  One thing that I miss from the first version though is the paint horses which provided scale and secondary focal points.  Study, 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Christmas in August

I painted this scene once early on a gorgeous snowy Christmas morning, and it will forever remind me of Christmas even when painted on an August evening.  Study, 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Wallowa River

A section of the upstream Wallowa River, near our house, actually a short walk away; but I was lazy and rode the ATV down the hill.  This is another scene that I have wanted to paint in the snowy winter.  Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.  If I were to repaint this scene, I would probably re-compose it to be something more like the image below:

Prairie Creek

I have been tempted to paint this scene in the winter, maybe now that I have done a summer study, I'll return to paint it in the snow.  10x6", Oil on Linen.

The Neighbors

The neighbor's farm below our house, so pretty this morning in the morning smoky light.  The backlit  Scotch thistle was lovely to paint, but the shoelaces to my hiking boots now function more like Velcro. 10x8", Oil on Linen.  

Smoky Dawn

The smoky light was very painterly this morning.  10x6", Oil on Linen.  

Afternoon Haze

I wasn't able to go on my annual eastern Sierra trip this year, but I'm getting out to paint anyway.  This small study was from a couple of days ago.  We have been having quite a bit of smoky atmosphere due to wildfires, which flattens the light, but depending on the time of day can also create some beautiful color.  10x8", Oil on Linen.

Summer Wildflowers

This is a smaller painting from a study from last summer painted in northeastern Oregon. 18x12", Oil on Linen. SOLD

Wallowa Study

This small painting is really more of a color study from a smaller study I painted last summer in the Wallowa Valley in northeastern Oregon.  20x10", Oil on Linen. 

Summer Pond

This was painted from an incomplete study painted last summer in northeastern Oregon on a beautiful early morning.  18x12", Oil on Linen.  

Alpine Cathedral

This was painted based on a study painted last summer in the high eastern Sierra, in the Gem Lakes area.  We are getting ready now for this year's pack trip, I can't wait to get back up in the mountains.  20x10" Oil on Linen.  Available for purchase at Holton's.

Sacajawea Mountain

This is from a study painted on a morning last summer on Hurricane Creek looking toward Sacajawea Mountain in Northeastern Oregon.  24x14" Oil on Linen. SOLD.

Afternoon Showers

When I painted the study for this piece I never finished it because I got frustrated with my painting setup blowing over and grit getting stuck in my paint. The scene looked pretty, but it was difficult to capture with the wind. 18x14, Oil on Linen.

Sierra Sunrise

When I haven't been painting in a while, my natural tendencies are to tighten up, paint too much detail and to over-complicate the painting. Still, it is fun to be painting. I will let this one sit for a bit and see if I want to rework it or crop it. 18x14", Oil on Linen.

Alpine Morning

I am finally able to paint again, and I do feel a bit rusty. This seemed to be a nice warm-up subject for a smaller painting. This was from a study painted on last year's Sierra trip. 18x14", Oil on Linen

Gnarly

Tim at Holton Frames created this beautiful frame for this piece. I love the chiseled bevel and the gnarled oak wood with the gnarled oak tree.  Available for purchase at Holton's.

Bronze

I was very pleasantly surprised and happy to win the bronze medal at the 2011 OPA Western Regional Exhibition held this year at the Lee Youngman Gallery in Calistoga California for my "June Pasture" piece. Perfect motivation to get busy painting again. :)

OPA Western Regional Exhibition

I submitted my "June Pasture" piece into the OPA Western Regional Exhibition this year and it was accepted. The show will run from October 8th - October 30th, 2011 at the Lee Youngman Gallery in Calistoga, California.

Sierra Sunrise

I just returned from a week-long hiking and painting backcountry trip in the eastern Sierra. This year we chose the Chickenfoot Lake/Gem Lakes area of the John Muir Wilderness, up Rock Creek, between Mammoth Lakes and Bishop. The elevation was around 10,500 feet or so, high enough to make my face puffy in the mornings. The area was amazing with a wonderful diversity of painting subject. It was a little overwhelming at first, it always takes me a day or two to settle in and not scrape everything down. There were ten of us in all -- 7 oil painters, 2 pastel painters, and one photographer: Ernesto Nemesio, Bill Cone, Paul Kratter, Jim Wodark, Timon Sloan, Robert Watters, Terry Miura, Daniel Aldana, and Michele de Braganca. We were packed in by the Rock Creek Pack Station and fed by Gene, one of their excellent cooks. Great weather, superb company, yummy food, and beautiful views. Paradise. I have posted 10 studies that I finished while on the trip. I have a few more that I didn't finish, that I may post later if I can finish them from my photo reference.

Sunrise was roughly at 6am and hit the mountain like this study at about 6:15, which meant getting up about 5:30 to be set up and ready for it. The light moved very quickly and the colors were rapidly changing; great practice for keeping things simple. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Morning Backlight Study

I painted this study more as an exercise than as a study for a final painting. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen

Slice Of Morning Light

I liked the way a thin swath of sunlight came through the gap between two mountains early in the morning. I roughed in this study one morning and finished it a couple of days later. When I came back to it with fresh eyes, I found that a lot of my color was way off, not sure what I was thinking at the time. Sometimes all it takes is having one off color that everything else starts keying off of and suddenly the whole piece is strange. This view was painted from the meadow by Chickenfoot Lake, a few steps from our campsite. The mosquitos were particularly fond of this time of the morning before the sun hits the meadow. Fortunately though, the mosquitos were more fond of Ernesto than they were of me. At one point I had at least 8 mosquitos embedded in the painting and about 20 on my palette. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen.

Between the Gems

This study was painted along the creek that flowed between the Gem Lakes. I need to refine some of the shapes of the creek and boulders, but I was happy that the clouds were obliging that afternoon. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

High Sierra High Noon

The light was very flat at noon and I was struggling to find something I wanted to paint, so I decided to try to do a quick study of one of the mountain forms and snow patterns. It was also nice to have some cloud shapes to play with. It is usually wise to have a tube of grey paint when painting all this granite or one spends a lot of time mixing greys. I was standing next to the uppermost Gem Lake, the lake in the basin above this near ridge is Treasure Lake. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen

Sierra Morning

Terry Miura and Paul Kratter had already painted this view before I did and I loved both of their studies so I wanted to try it too. The lake in the background is Chickenfoot Lake. The fields of snow coming down to meet the water are beautiful elements to paint, but are intimidating to design around. The blues tend to go a bit electric when digitally photographed, so this looks a little off in color from the actual painting. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Snow On Gem Lake

This one is maybe my favorite from the trip. This is the uppermost Gem Lake. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Shade Color Study

I painted this study the first morning of the trip, not really sure where the sun was going to shine when it rose. It was a nice way to get familiar with the local colors in shade. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen

Gem Lake Reflections

I kinda rushed this study because I was standing in a rather swampy area thick with mosquitos. I liked the nearly symmetrical composition of the scene, reminiscent of a cathedral in nature. I could almost hear the Palestrina. Study 10x8", Oil on Linen

Chickenfoot Lake Morning

One of the mornings was quite windy. I chose to paint this little scene near our campsite largely because it was in the lee of a hill and relatively calm. The sunlight hitting the jewel tones of the water was also very appealing. Study 10x6", Oil on Linen.