I’ve really enjoyed my winter break from grad school, especially having time to paint in the studio. This 16×20 inch oil was painted only with a pallette knife. When I started painting, I was using a brush but decided the pallette knife would create the kind of effects I wanted. This is part of West Fork, about 2.5 miles in, where …
Wolf Creek Falls
With all of the recent snow and melting runoff, my wife and I were interested to check out Wolf Creek Falls. The waterfall was not heavy but the weather was perfect for a hike. I lugged down a tripod to capture these pics. The last few images are actually Hassayampa Creek not much further downstream from the falls.
West Fork Oil Painting
This tranquil scene is one of my favorite spots to hike to at West Fork. I am impressed by the sloping red cliff, the crystal clear waters, and the backlit rock formations and trees. This oil painting is 16×20 inches, using a combination of brush and palette knife. I strive for a painterly effect with realistic lighting and vibrant colors …
Diversity of Arizona
Arizona is a state of diverse climates and environments. As an example, below are two photos taken within a 3 hour drive of each other. The first is from the Superstition Mountains, southeast of Phoenix, and the second is the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. For a nature lover such as me, the variety of sights is inspiring and always …
Painting Snow
In an earlier blog, I mentioned painting snow and felt inspired to paint this scene. My wife and I snow-shoed to this spot after receiving about a foot of snow. New fallen snow is a beautiful blanket creating graceful contours of the rocks and bushes it has covered. Here, Lynx Creek is partially covered with ice and rays of sun …
Prescott, AZ
I thought to share this picture because it really personifies Prescott. This is at the south side of the courthouse, Christmas lights still grace the trees, “Cowboy at Rest” speaks of Prescott’s early history, and a gorgeous sunset behind Thumb Butte is a common occurance. I am fortnuate to live in Prescott around such beautiful history and scenery!
Snow Day
Here are a few pictures from snow-shoeing near Lynx Lake after a winter storm in AZ. The last picture is of Mingus Mountain looking over Prescott Valley, not part of the snow-shoeing hike. I have an itch to try painting snow. I’ve heard it can be difficult, it is not simply using white paint but an appropriate color reflected on …
Cabin at Phantom Ranch
This painting is a little late for Christmas, but here it is at last. Oil paint tends to take about four times longer to dry in the winter, hence the tardiness of this image. I can’t say too much about this painting because it was a comission from a photo I did not take. Nonetheless, I put a little of …
A few recent paintings!
Here are three recent studio oil paintings. “Blue Juniper” and “Bright Angel” are available, however “Ponderosa” is already called for (but I could make prints of it if you are interested). I posted images of two of these already, but today they were dry enough to scan in at high resolution. Enjoy! “Blue Juniper” 11×14 “Bright Angel” 9×12 …
Walking in an Autumn Wonderland
Autumn in Arizona is not complete without hiking at West Fork, North of Sedona, a side canyon of Oak Creek. I talked my wife into waking up at 6am to beat the rush at the parking lot. A couple years ago, we waited one hour to get a parking spot. West Fork is popular this time of year and there …