Sleeping Princess

"Sleeping Princess" 2014 oil sold

I have been working on a series of these paintings from some photos I took a few years ago, trying to squeeze all the goodness out of the subject. I have always loved the Light vs. Dark combinations and have done many paintings with this as a driving element.  This pond once existed on Pioneer crossing in the heart of Utah county. I drove past it every morning on my way to a job I hated and wished I could paint those reflections. I think the hard part of painting reflections is getting the image to really feel like it is a reflection. Most people can see that the upside down image represents the mirrored image of the object above, but a reflection is more than that. The water reflects most of the light from the subject back... but not all so the reflection should be darker. I try to make the reflection less detailed and even slightly blurry to exaggerate the effect of the image in the water.

watercolor study

I did a quick study for a painting idea yesterday and posted it to Instagram.. the only way to get a long format image to work in Instagram's square presentation was to use a free app called Pic Stitch. The trade off is that your image has a huge white space proceeding the rather small image. Sigh.. what to do?

This small watercolor (5x13 inches) is the beginning stages of an idea for a large longer painting and a symptom of my growing obsession with long landscape format. I was originally thinking a painting ratio of 1 to 3, a triple square, would be good but I like this slightly less long format.

The Scene is of a pond on Pioneer Crossing (a main road in Utah County) looking east toward the Lone Peak and Timpanogos Mountains above Highland and American Fork. I like the atmospheric quality and depth of the background compared to the dark and textured nature of the foreground. I don't have the tree placement figure out yet, I like the ones on the right.. the trees on the left seem stiff.

Open to ponder

5x13 inches, watercolor $300 (presently unframed)

watercolors

A few watercolors from the past years I have recently framed.

"Cold Morning on the Colorado" 2013, watercolor $375

"Rock Curtain" 2012, watercolor $375

Untitled 2011, watercolor $200

Heber Series Frames

I have been working on making my own frames for some time now, partially because I can control the quality of the product, but also because I like having a hand in all aspects of the creation of my work.

"Cold Morning Shadow on the Colorado" 2013 oil 12x24 inches SOLD

This is a painting from Moab that I have reworked and re-framed. The original frame cut off the top of the rock formation and obscured the foreground.

I was disappointed by how it looked in that first frame, and I wanted to try out this curved corner frame I have been making. The finish on this frame is deep purple with an antique over it that makes it look rich black.

  This is a better look at the arched corner frames and the color and finish. I am leafing the inside lip and the outside edge with aluminum and toning it warm to look like 18 K gold... it is quite lovely in person, I don't think the pictures show the leaf off very well.

yes those are my feet...

This version (below) is a full arch on the top of the inside window of the frame. I have decided to call this series of frames the Heber series, with full arch or arched corners.

 I put this 9x12 from the Midway Plein air show in this frames ....

"Garden House" 2013 Oil 9x12 inches $625

Near the Lions back

Moab is famous for 4x4 and bike trails, one of the most notable obstacles in days past was the Lions back, a difficult descent and even harder ascent. there are some great videos of vehicles losing control and terrific crashes, this is possibly why they have closed it to traffic.

It has been a cold and windy week, the day I painted this it was humid and rainy. The Scene was all cool purples and violets... about 1/2 way through the sun came out and lit up everything with golden light. I might do more of these, I like the foreground, but it doesn't feel exactly right in this study, it needs a little more depth, in the color and value changes, and the shapes defining the contours of the landscape. Still an OK painting.

 

Plein Air Moab day 1

It is cold here in Moab. I am usaully painting in shorts, a tee shirt, and sandals when I am here. Today I was working on a watercolor wearing a hoodie, knit cap and gloves! There is another weird complication that I can see affecting the entire event down here; the parks and campgrounds are closed because of the government shut down. I can't paint in Arches National Park, and I can't camp along the Colorado River. Since those have been the mainstay of my trips here in Moab, I am in new terrain.

 

Had my headphones on today listening to Les Miserables, my all time favorite book. It has been a long time since I last read it. I have to say I enjoy having George Guidall reading to me as a change. I heard these lines about work, written By Victor Hugo a Century ago, resonating in my mind today.

“He had stopped working, and nothing is more dangerous than stopping work. It means the habit goes, a habit that is easy to let go of, hard to get back…”

I have a parallel thought about momentum: In all we do energy is needed as a source of combustion to achieve forward momentum. When in motion energy needs to be expended to keep the wheels turning, with a constant application of earnest effort great feats can be achieved. 

A very good thing about Plein Air painting competitions is the artificial constraint of time that forces this application of effort, or at least creates a situation that necessitates moving out of your warm studio, and straining under sub-par situations. Struggle is good. Hard work is its own reward.

 

available paintings

A link to current available paintings HERE.

Summit Gold

Oil 2007

36x72

sold

Lapping all the way to the River Bank

I have been very productive the past month but have not been very good posting new paintings here! Sorry about that. Here are two paintings I finished before my family and I went on family vacation, I submitted them to the Spring Salon in Springville, but they were not accepted...Drat!

I think they are some of my best work.

"Lapping all the way to the river bank"

20x40 inches Oil

sold

This is a painting I have done before on a smaller scale, you can see it below, I called it " a running start" I called this one "Rock Curtain". It has some great things happening in it. I love the dark foreground. This is longer than a double square... I like the long format too.

"Rock Curtain"

16x36 inches Oil

$4200

Paintings from Moab and the Colorado River

Here is a painting I did after the Kickstarter Project was done. I went a little faster and more abstract; against my instincts to slow down and tighten up with details as the painting was finishing.

"I'll have mine on the rocks" 

10x15 inches oil

 $850 

Paintings from the project that are still available directly from me. all the 5x7s are unframed, but the others include frames.

"2nd chance"

 9x12 inches oil 

$625 

"3 hour island" 

9x12 inches oil 

$625 

"8 PM" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225 

"Camp chair 1" 

5x7 inches oil 

$225 

"Camp chair 2" 

5x7 inches oil 

$225 

"Juxtaposed" 

8x10 inches oil

sold

"Light truck's Envy"

 9x12 inches oil 

$625 

"TLR (The Lone Ranger) Country"

 5x7 inches oil 

$225

"Mid-day washed out" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225 

"NBC (Negro Bills Canyon) Rocks" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225 

"Night jumper" 

5x7 inches oil 

$225 

"no more jet boats" 

5x7 inches oil 

$225

 

"Nocturne on the Colorado River" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225

 

"Once more from the Top" 

15x10 inches oil 

$850 

 
"Your Turn"
9x12 inches oil
$625

 "Outta Breath" 

5x7 inches oil

"Potash road" 

8x10 inches oil

sold

"Split personality" 

8x10 inches oil 

sold

 

"Any Direction" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225 

"Last Chance" 

5x7 inches oil

 $225 

"Lazy Fish Shadows" 

5x7 inches oil 

$225

Moab Plein Air 2012

Its Friday here in Moab, the Competition is over, we are waiting for the judges to award the ribbons. It is hailing at the present moment, I hope that my tent is still standing....

I got into moab Wednesday about 3 pm, I wanted to get a painting of Moab from the cliffs to the west of town. I thought I could hike the cliff trail I had painted form last week ( I came down to registar my surfaces and paint one day), but I was running out of time, energy, and water. I was close to the top but couldn't take any chances, so I stopped near the top. I painted looking toward where the Pot Ash road and Highway 191 meet up. I hiked down the mountain in the dark with a headlamp.

I spent the first night camped on the Colorado, right on the banks. A very relaxing night of sleep, and the best thing to wake up to in the morning, I could hear the fish jumping in the water.

I painted the Cliffs across the river, here is the start of a painting (the finished product is at the bottom of the page.)

In the Afternoon a "Quick Draw" was held, the rules were 3 hours, and we had to paint within a block of center and main street. I was parked in the street with my easel facing south (toward Eddie McStiff's). My wife and mom would say I am being to critical on myself here... but I didn't think the painting I did was the best ever. But I also don't usually paint cityscapes.

I got 2nd place in the quick draw! it comes with a couple of gift certificates too! I'll post a better picture when I get it back on Saturday.

I didn't have time to work on another painting last night, and I thought maybe I would get one done this morning, but the rain and thunder woke me up around 3 and I don't think I really ever went back to sleep. There was a nice waterfall at the top of Moon Flower Campground (that is where I am staying tonight too) and I was tempted to take a shower here... but I was rather cold already.

I entered the 9x12 cliff painting I did the other morning.. I called it "Moon Shadow" because the hills in the background look like a bum sticking up in the air... HA.

I have about 30 hours to paint and take pictures now.. I'll report on the results of the competition and sales, if there are any.