Before I even knew I would be part of the 42nd Annual Phippen Art Show and Sale for the year of 2016, I was planning and completing new oil paintings. I suppose this may seem unusual for an artist to be so well organized, yet this is what I do. I don’t work so well under a lot of pressure. I can do painting demonstrations and even participate in the quick draw event at the Phippen Show, but it’s the twenty plus paintings to complete to premier at this well attended art show that makes me plan way ahead. Also, I juggle a lot of different hats in my life and if I can’t manage my stress level, well, my back pain flares up and I can’t do anything then. I just finished my seventeenth year of employment at The Frame & I, a custom picture frame shop and art gallery in the heart of beautiful downtown Prescott, AZ. This is a semi-full time job, where I work four days a week managing the shop, helping clients, and completing frame orders. I love it there, the challenges of figuring out appropriate methods to frame whatever kind of artwork might walk into our door, and the creative atmosphere of working as a craftsperson. Building things is rewarding and see the end result, along with a delighted customer’s reaction, is a wonderful feeling. And, I should mention, my other hat is being a husband and a Dad. Our second child is due to arrive any day! So, with no further adieu, I thought to give a sampling of recent new oil paintings that will be on display for the first time at the Phippen show in about a month and a half. I am trying some new formats using elongated panels and separating compositions into triptychs.
“Angling for the Best View” (from the Grandview Trail at the Grand Canyon)
12×27 oil – framed as a triptych
“Daybreak at Copper Lake” (from a hiking trip Northeast of Seattle, in the Cascade Mountains)
22×32 oil
“Autumn Aria” (from near Carbondale, CO)
45×30 oil (Triptych)
“Yavapai Point Sundown” (The Grand Canyon)
9×24 oil
“Culmination” (from Yavapai Point at the Grand Canyon)
10×24 oil
“Autumn Passage” (at Lockett Meadow near Flagstaff, AZ)
5×11 oil
“Glorious Summer” (Lynx Lake near Prescott, AZ)
7×16 oil
“Sunset Shower” (from Grandview at the Grand Canyon)
10×20 oil
“Eagle’s View” (from Grandview at the Grand Canyon)
6×16 oil
“Wind Swept” (inspired from a backpacking trip on Tanner Trail, at the Grand Canyon)
6×20 oil
“Blissful Passage” (Lockett Meadow near Flagstaff, AZ)
10×18 oil