Raymond Peak, Late Spring

Painting No. 112, Raymond Peak, Late Spring
Alpine County, California
6"x 8", oil on linen panel
6-26-2011

Raymond Peak was named in 1865 for the mineral examiner Rossiter W. Raymond. It's peak elevation is 10,023 ft above sea level, with rocky volcanic composition and surrounded by lower, rolling, pine covered mountains. The Pacific Crest Trail passes to the east and north of the peak and is probably still covered in 3 feet of hard packed snow as of late. Getting the chance to paint in these mountains is just another reason why the Sierra's are such a wonderful mountain range to explore.

Sierra Afternnon, with Hawkins Peak

Painting No. 111, Sierra Afternoon, with Hawkins Peak
Alpine County, California
8"x 6", oil on linen panel
6-25-2011

Last weekend my wife and I stayed in a campground outside of Markleeville, California. This was the same campground where my grandparents brought my brother and I each summer and we would stay for up to a month back in the early 1980's. The terrain is a small bowl shaped valley, surrounded by low hills on all sides.

These pine trees with the slight hint of the south slope of Hawkins Peak was the best composition I could find. I painted in the early afternoon, concentrating on adding additional detail of the tree's branches and varying the shades of shadows within the fading forest.

Sierra Sunrise

Painting No. 107, Sierra Sunrise
Silver Peak, Alpine County, California
8" x 6", Oil on Linen Panel
June 17, 2011

On my way to a week long plein air class in Markleeville, I pulled the truck over and painted this scene just after sunrise. The weather has finally decided to warm-up and the painting opportunities abound.

Columbia Basin, Pre Dawn

Painting No. 100, Columbia Basin, Pre Dawn
Moses Lake, Washington
6"x8", oil on linen panel
June, 2011

A few miles west of Moses Lake, Washington, the countryside is a rather flat landscape with large swaths of vegetable farms in every direction. The only vertical relief are power poles and the Poplar and Cottonwood trees that huddle around the farm houses that appear every 80 acres or so.
Dawn comes early here, I was out of bed at 4:45 am and still rushing to paint the every changing colors of this vast sky.
Kim and I were in town for the high school graduation of our nephew, and to meet our extended family.

Spring Evening, West Carson River

Painting No. 99, Spring Evening, West Carson River Woodford's Station, California
20"x16" oil on canvas

Sunday afternoon I couldn't take the rainy weather any longer, so I went for a drive and ended up west of Woodford's Station on Hwy 88. The location caught my eye as I'm driving up through the canyon, so I turn around and go back to investigate. This is my first time seeing these falls, and they are impressive, especially with the huge amount of water that's forced into this narrow canyon from the rains and subsequent snow melt.
Daylight is fading, so I quickly set-up my easel, draw a couple pencil sketches of different compositions, and finally settle for a view of the upper half of the falls. About 15 minutes into the work, it begins to sprinkle. At 20 minutes I realize that I don't have enough white paint to finish in the field. I'm starting to get frustrated which, believe it or not, actually helps me to paint faster and better. I push on, cursing the weather and my lack of planning.

Palm Canyon Afternoon

Painting No. 98, Palm Canyon Afternoon
San Jacinto Mountains, California
8"x10", oil on linen panel

I drove from my Dad's house near Mountain Center, along Hwy 74 looking for a spot where I could paint these Century Plants and also capture the vastness of the high desert experience. I find the Century Plant to be the most interesting of all plants in this region. The name is a little miss leading, it blooms once in it's lifetime then dies. This happens between 20-30 years of age, not at 100 years as the name would have you believe. Additionally, it's part of the Aloe family and some species can grown up to 22' in height. The closest plant in the painting is about 8' tall.
If you ever have the chance to take Hwy 74 between Palm Springs and Anza, don't pass it up! In the 20 mile stretch, the altitude changes from 500' to over 5000' above sea level. The vegetation varies from arid desert to high brush, oak trees and eventually tall shady pines near the summit.
I parked in a turn out and surveyed the rolling drainage's for a suitable composition. The Spring-like conditions are perfect, no bugs, no snakes (yesterday we saw a Rattle Snake that was big and black), nobody stopping to see what I'm up to. The sun is really bright, almost blinding without my sunglasses on. My eyes ache after an hour of working on this plein air painting. In the distance is Butterfly Peak with an altitude over 6300'.

Morning Light, San Jacinto Mountains

Painting No. 97, Morning Light, San Jacinto Mountains
Mountain Center, California
10"x 8", oil on linen panel

Just after dawn, I hike into this location near Morris Creek on the southwest corner of the San Jacinto Mountain Range in southern California.
This granite mountain range is a mix of high desert and alpine plant life, such as the Century Plants shown here together with Manzanita and stately pine trees on the distant Pyramid Peak.
As I paint, my emotional response to the scene is to try and capture the contrasts of the glacier polished granite boulders as they pass from the cool dawn colors into the bright, clear light of direct sun.The day before, my sister and I explored an area about 100 yards south of here which contained 8 indian griding holes in a large, flat granite slab. This was the home of a people called Cahuilla (Ka-we'-a), a name that translates in English as "master" or "the great nation". They have lived in this area since 1100 A.D. or longer.