MY BACKYARD

     Well I went from 10,000 feet and 70 degree days to 118 back here in Arizona. I'm still in the "plein air" mood so I set up in the shade as the sun was going down in my backyard. I live on a cliff overlooking a river valley with mountains (called "hills" in Colorado and other places where they have real mountains) on the other side. My dogs and I hike down there everyday. There is also a horse ranch on the other side.

SUNSET TROUT LAKE

     Well I finally made it over to Trout Lake which is one of the most beautiful places I have found in my travels. The colors are quite different when the sun starts going down.

ASPEN SHADE

     This is another morning relaxing underneath the Aspens. There was a slight breeze playing soft tunes with the Aspen leaves as I sat and contemplated the universe while painting this little slice of a heavenly piece of earth.

TROUT LAKE MEADOW

     One morning while hiking with the dogs down Lizard Head Trail, I noticed this large sunlight meadow. Jack took off running through the soft green grass, so as I followed him I noticed the mountain in the distance. The next morning, I threw on my backpack and we went back to this meadow to paint. It was an enchanting morning sitting there painting this glorious view of the mountains in the distance around Trout Lake.

BACKLIT PINES

     This was another little one looking across the dandelion meadow at the distant mountains. I was still doing some recovery from the altitude illness, so was not hiking as much as usual. I'm glad in a way, it was forcing me to find great things to design and paint right there in my intimate camp backyard. I would do a few small paintings and then rest or take a short nap and then get up and do another.

NATURE'S ARRANGMENT

     Early in my painting career I made a decision that i didn't ever want to get stuck painting the same thing over and over, like an assembly line. Years later I began my plein air work with mostly a foreground, middle ground, and something in the distance (preferably purple mountains). They sold very well. After awhile I felt like I was going "to work" every time I would go out to paint. I suddenly realized that I had fallen into the trap. I made a choice that day to switch my operating basis and just find something that moved me and had nothing to do with sales or who might like it. I painted a big black airplane that day. It felt wonderful, I really felt the joy of painting again. It is tough for artist trying to make a living and at the same time keep their work fresh and innovative.
     I would have never imagined that I would be sitting outdoors in the land of Colorado mountains lookin down at the ground two foot in front of me, painting a few little dandelions. It was a challenge to paint something new and not "set up" in a studio with controlled lighting, etc.; But it was exciting and I loved it.

DANDELION MEADOW

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  This was an exercise in simplification. A zillion Dandelions out there in this sunny meadow, but if I paint each one...well you get the idea. Sort of like painting the ocean waves, just pick out what looks like a good area and make it the focus..then make everything else support that area.