MAROON BELLS

26X26

     This is a popular scene in Aspen, Colorado. I spent a summer up there taking Tango Lessons from Heather Morrow (Aspen Tango) and painting.

TSEGI Canyon de Chelly

24x24

     This place always seems to have some kind of spiritual connection for me. It can be just certain feelings or images in my mind, or one time I got really ill in the middle of a painting and it took a couple days in the campsite to recover. It is a beautiful and enchanting valley with a long and dramatic history. There were wars in the canyon between the Indians and American Cavalry. The Indians were sent to Oklahoma and then brought back again. You must have a guide with you to go down into the Canyon and he must own property down there. There are also old 6 wheel drive Trucks that take groups of people for tours. They have to know where to drive because of the quick sand.
     The river used to take a little different path every year to erode the bottom of the canyon in more of a flat manner. The Army cane in a planted 100s of Cottonwood trees to "stop the erosion". What it ended up doing was to cause the river to erode huge ditches making it very difficult for the inhabitants to navigate down there with their vehicles. The trees all turn colors in the Autumn causing the bottom of the canyon to "glow" when you are down there. The yellow trees light up against the purple canyon walls creating a gorgeous and wonderful marriage of light and color.

TROUT LAKE

24X36

     This is one of those scenes I've painted before, but for me, like Monet's hay stacks or waterlilies..I continue to be inspired by it. It is a place that is close for me to drive to from where I live in Arizona. I have been going there for many years, camping, hiking, and painting this lake from different spots. On this particular piece, I wanted to give priority to design and spontaneous brush work with a minimum of detail. I keyed the painting in from the front bottom and moved up while working back and forth somewhat with "atmospheric perspective" in mind. Then I went back over it, adjusting areas I felt needed more or less. I think I kept it simple and said all I wanted to say.
     In the Design, I tried to use all the painting elements in support of the bowl in the distant snow covered mountains. Art rules are made to be broken, but I usually try to follow a few guide lines in the "Sequence" of the painting process. I like to start fast with more emotion and as the painting progresses slow down and put more thought into it. I work Large to Small shapes and brush sizes; Thin (but not runny) to Thick paint; Dark to Light values; Brush work and painting handling Loose to Tight. I always do thumbnails sketches and then a final drawing, and I like to work from a small field study for color information.

EVENING GLOW

20x30

     I've got a show coming up in Jan, so have been doing some larger studio pieces lately.
     If you are in the Phoenix area next month, I am doing a couple all day workshops. They are on Sat Dec 1 at the Salt River Canyon and Dec 8 will be at the old historic town of Jerome. Contact Scottsdale Art School to sign up.
     I will also be starting a new session of Basic Painting classes in Jan starting on the 12th. Every Saturday morning. There is a Part 1 and 2. This class has evolved over a 10 year period and has become very popular. We really cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. It is hard work with homework every week.

SHADES OF PRICKLY PEAR

     I did this cactus study one morning during a workshop I was attending with Kathryn Stats. I donated this painting to the Daily Paint Works help the Hurricane Sandy victims auction.

LAST DAYS OF DESERT SUMMER

8X10

     Well the summer monsoons are over and the river has dwindled down to a creek. The mornings here in the AZ desert have become very pleasant for anything, especially a walk down to the river with the dogs to paint.
     I have started my fall classes at Scottsdale Art School. Click to check them out. I am going to do 2 one day workshops this Winter and 2 more in the Spring. If you are in the area, they will be a lot of fun. Going up to historic Jerome, AZ,  Sedona Red Rock, Salt River Canyon, and the Gold King Mine with it's Ghost Town and old trucks. The other class is a long time favorite, Basic Painting and Design Part 1 & 2 that is held every Sat. morning.

    

MY DOG'S VIEW

12x16

     When I was pulling out to leave our campsite in Colorado last time I was here, both dogs were staring out the window at this little road. So this time I got up early in the morning and painted a 12x16 of it. I call it "My Dog's View"
     It's always somewhat of a challenge painting all the different shades and temperatures of "GREENS" in Colorado in the summer.