Oil Studies

9×12, Hermit Trail Study 16×20, Kaibab Juniper Study 9×12, Kaibab Study 8×10 Cedar Ridge Study (Kaibab Trail) These are oil studies that became part of my big painting posted earlier on this blog.  They are done from charcoal sketches from photographs I took on two different hikes last winter and spring.  I hiked the Kaibab and Bright Angel Trail the …

Getting Ready

I am getting ready for my thesis art exhibit coming up in mid November at Prescott College.  Here is a finished framed painting for the show.  The frame is made from alder and milled by my father-in-law.   I stained and finished the frame in a walnut color.  I love the grain of this wood and the outdoors character in brings …

One more time!

Here is a slightly better photograph of my big painting.  It was dry enough to bring it outside to take a better picture of it.  I think the title will be “The Grand Canyon Sublime.” 

Big Painting!!

   Here it is at long last!  So many hours I put into getting to this big painting and actually painting it.  Don’t ask how many hours it took, because I seriously do not know.  I don’t think hours make a painting.  Sometimes, everything falls into place and it seems I spend little time on a painting, then I struggle …

Excited about my new Canon DSLR 50D

Here are a few fun photographs I took with my new Canon 50D.  I am excited about all the little ways I can creatively capture a picture, especially these sunset images.  My wife and I watched the sunset in Prescott Valley, looking over the Iron King Trail towards the Granite Dells.  Glassford Hill was on the left and Granite Mountain …

The Grand Tetons

This high country is amazing!  The Grand Teton area is verdant, lush, cascading waterfalls, inspirational overlooks, clear/deep glacial lakes…  We saw moose, bison, coyote, and other small critters.  The Grand Teton mountains tower above the high plains of Wyoming as they scrape the sky and scatter the suns evening rays.  Snow still clings to the rocky peaks, melting but not …

Grand Canyon South Rim Visit

I traveled with my wife up to the Grand Canyon in mid May to first and formost visit the collections archive.  I am researching Thomas Moran’s artwork of the Grand Canyon and had arranged to see an original painting and reproductions of his sketches at the archive.  Since we were up here, might as well make a weekend out of it.  …

Clear Creek

A hot Sunday afternoon means a trip to Clear Creek. My wife, myself, and some of my family drove from Prescott to the Verde Valley to visit one of our favorite swimming holes at Clear Creek. The hole is a short hike from the Bull Pen. Bull Pen is about four miles from on a washboard/rocky road from highway 260 …

“Autumn’s Glory”

“Autumn’s Glory” 24×30 acrylic This is based from a photograph taken near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was October, fall colors were at their peak. During the late afternoon and as the sun lowered, it filtered through the trees, creating dramatic shadows and highlighting the grass. A deer is staring back at the viewer, ready to leap …

“Aspen Spires”

“Aspen Spires” 20×16 oil I feel the Aspens are most glorious during the Autumn months, especially near and on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, AZ. Looking up to the peaks from Hart Prairie, two Aspen trees tower above everything else. I enjoyed creating vibrancy with complimentary colors in this piece: yellow and purple. I look forward every year to …