Wildflowers in the Foothills

Painting No. 96, Wildflowers in the Foothills
Washoe Valley, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel

Wildflowers have begun to emerge once again along the foothills of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. What once was flat grey's of Sagebrush and Rabbitbrush covered hillsides has now given way to shades of yellow, green and blue.
Off the beaten path and balancing on a steep hillside, I set-up my tripod and pochade box near the flowers, with a view of the Sierra's in the background. The wind is in my face and the rolling clouds from the west are threatening to bring the next storm in any minute. I paint fast, wanting to capture the light before the clouds turn everything into a muted mess of shadow colors.
This is Will James country, where he wrote Smoky, the Cow Horse at his ranch house not more that 2 miles west of here. The scenery continues to inspire those willing to leave the roads behind and roam the hills.

"The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it."   Will James

Spring Colors

Painting No. 95, Spring Colors
Washoe Valley, Nevada
8"x10", oil on linen panel

This location is just above Deadman's Creek Trail, south of Washoe Lake State Park. Another fine afternoon for painting, a small granite lizard watches me from his perch on a nearby boulder. His black and grey body lies unmoving for an hour as he soaks in the last warmth of the day. I paint quickly, trying to capture the sunlight accents on the rocks before they disappear in the cliff shadow as it traverses the hillside.

There are 3 items of note in this painting. First is the use of Alizarin Crimson and French Ultramarine to create a purple-ish red for the shadow areas of the rocks. It's a good choice rather than fighting against a dull shadow color choice. Secondly, the strong angled lines of the foreground boulders help to maintain the steepness of the hillside without overpowering the rest of the image, Edgar Payne, in his book "Composition of Outdoor Painting", would refer to this as a "Diagonal Line" composition. Many landscape painters prefer strong diagonal lines to keep the painting from becoming dull. Lastly, the addition of the small hawk on the rocky edge helps to create eye movement within the painting. Notice how your eye naturally starts at the bottom of the cliff, then follows up the angled rocks to the left, then traverses straight across to the hawk, then drops straight down to the bottom of the cliff. This circular eye movement makes a painting interesting to observe while still allowing you time later on to explore other areas outside the circle.

Winter Loosens Her Grip

Painting No. 94, Winter Loosens Her Grip
Spooner Lake, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel

The snow is beginning to recede from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. South facing slopes of many mountains have been cleared, leaving only the north slopes to slowly melt in the cool light of spring. Spooner Lake is full of icy water, the geese are bobbing across the surface and best of all, no mosquitoes....yet.
I decide to abandon the original idea of painting the lake and instead climb a small ridge looking for a composition that captures the newly exposed earth.
Below me on the lake trail, 4 hikers pass-by gingerly stepping from one icy purchase to another, being careful not to fall in the trampled slush. Despite the warm clear weather, the snow drifts and muddy conditions keep most people from bringing the family to this altitude.
The solitude of the mountains is both refreshing and invigorating as I take an hour to complete this plein air painting.

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir 

Evening Light



Painting No. 92, Evening Light

Fredericksberg, California

8"x10", oil on linen

Thursday evening....finally no snow or rain.

From this vantage point I can nearly see all the way to Jack's Valley. Ranch houses are spread out and interspersed with irrigation ditches and willow hedges forming a patch work quilt of pasture land and alfalfa fields.

The evening is quiet, the only traffic is people returning home from work. Curiously, once the sun finally dips behind Jobs Peak, my sense of smell is altered. There are no cows within a quarter mile yet they smell like their standing next to me, almost overpowering.

This painting is an example of what Edgar Payne referred to as a "steel yard" composition. Where a large object is placed on one side of the painting and another smaller object on the opposite side, with a point of interest closer to the big object which acts a balance point for the composition.

VALLEY RANCH, Carson Valley, Nevada

Painting No. 91, Valley Ranch,
Carson Valley, Nevada
6"x8", oil on linen panel

I stopped at this somewhat abandoned ranch house on Hwy 88, south of Gardnerville this afternoon. The wind was blowing about 20 mph, snow was threatening from the southwest. I lashed my easel to the truck mirror to keep it from blowing away. I'm really tired of the cold weather, it feels like spring has been disregarded and we'll go from 30 deg weather straight to the 80's in a week or two. Never-the-less, the trees are budding-out, the grass is no longer pale yellow and the valley is noticeably changing into the multiple shades of green that it's well known for.
I paint quickly, each stroke meaningful and deliberate. Cows graze next to me, they stop from a moment, look at me and snort, I smile back and keep working. I'm finished in an hour, I love the trees and the foothills.