Three Gossips in Winter

The Afternoon Gossips

Painting No. 8-B-13

8"x 8" oil on canvas panel

 

On Monday, the afternoon skies over the Canyonlands cleared and Phil Wagner, a local painter-poet, and I decided to paint in Arches National Park. With it's majestic rock formations and the La Sal Mountains as a backdrop this is one of the most scenic places in America.
The air was cool but clear as we pulled into the parking area across from what's known as The Three Gossips. The statuesque sandstone formation is iconic to this National Park and is featured in the movie: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The name suggests 3 prominent gossips but my eye always sees the forth as she leans into the ear of the central figure, (which makes the news just a little juicier).

We had almost no company today; a few people from Boise and a couple from Texas. The great thing about painting in the National Parks is that people are friendly. They are excited to be on vacation, awed by the size and beauty of the place and always curious to see an artist at work. Last October I posed for 100 or more photos while I was painting in the Parks.

Phil Wagner painting plein air near the Three Gossips.

February Sun

This afternoon I had the pleasure of painting with a new friend of mine; Phil Wagner. He's an oil painter and a poet. I like Phil, he reminds me to live in the moment. We painted at Big Bend Campground in the warm February light. Our styles are completely different which is really interesting to see how we interpret the landscape in opposite ways. We were also joined by the publisher of Utah Stories; Richard Markosian who photographed us as we painted the rock formations. Check out Utah Stories at: www.utahstories.com

Open Mic Night in Moab, Utah

Friday night was "open mic night" at the Wake and Bake Cafe in Moab, Utah. The local paper has advertised the event for the last month so I decided to give it a try. Moab is so small, with so few things to do at night that any event is usually worth attending.
What do you imagine that a poetry reading would be like? I first see a bunch of twenty to thirty something guys in goatees, black turtleneck sweaters, berets, and of course bongo drums, reading poetry about how life isn't fair. My next vision is Mike Meyers on stage in, "So I Married and Axe Murderer". The jazz quartet riffing while Mike lays down the lines with a cigarette wedged between his fingers' (one of my favorite movies when I'm feeling down and need a good laugh).

I arrive at the cafe at 6:15, probably 10 people sitting at various tables and couches. I immediately spot a couple that I met at a poetry event last month. I pull up a chair and we catch up on the latest news. Other people stream in and the place starts to fill up with chatter. The crowd is diverse, probably 30 people total; locals, new comers, river guides, musicians and retirees. I recognize a few more faces, some have visited me in the art gallery, some I met at the Red Rock Bakery. The lady scheduling the poets asks if I'm reading tonight?, "No Mame, just hear to listen". I order a beer from the waiter.

First poet tonight is Phil, an artist (oil painter) who recently invited me to coffee with him and his wife, really nice people as are most in this town. Phil used to teach poetry in California before moving to Moab. He's followed by probably 8-10 other poets including a local musician Scott Ibex who I've gotten to know recently. Scott reads a short story about a girlfriend in New York that he loved and lost. He opens up his inner thoughts and shines a spotlight on his painful broken heart. The room sits silently as he details in five or six pages the beauty he once cherished and the total abandonment he now feels. I sit quietly, hanging on every word hoping no one sees the dampness in my eyes as he's story crushes me. 

One lady sings the blues and recites a poem about her ex-lovers, another reads about her mom, still another about the birds in her backyard. I clap after each reading and am thankful for the chance to hear from these folks and catch up with my new friends.

For more information you can visit the Moab Poets and Writers at: http://www.moabpoetsandwriters.org



Shadow Study

Shadow Study
Painting No. 6-B-13
8" x 10"
Oil on canvas panel

This afternoon I ventured outside for a few hours of painting on location. I settled on this shadow study of the Rabbit Brush and boulders along the Colorado River. It's a classic example of my head not being totally focused on the compositional qualities of the painting. Never-the-less, after repainting the Rabbit brush 3 times I finally got some shadow color that I liked. This painting will be used as a color reference for a larger studio painting, but wont be hung for sale.



Things to consider:
Only 1 in 30 plein air paintings are really the quality to be shown in a gallery.
Do you, as an artist, hold onto your studies for future reference?
How many plein air paintings to you produce each year?


Shadow Land

Shadow Land
Painting No. 4-B-13
8" x 10"
oil on canvas board

Early evening light plays across the talus slopes and cliff face of Mat Martin Point just north of Big Bend Campground on the Colorado River. This shadow land holds the heart and imagination of all travelers who come here seeking an escape from the city and a visual feast for the soul.

Where do you go to escape from the normal?
Where do you find yourself leaving the road and entering the wild?
What inspires you as a traveler or painter?
I'd like to hear from you.

Juniper Morning

Juniper Morning
Painting No. 5-B-13
8"x 8" oil on canvas

The sky opened up for a couple hours this morning. So with the temperatures around 30 degrees I hiked along the trail near my house where I spotted this composition a couple days ago. Beautiful warm morning light touching the juniper tree, bushes and scattered rocks below a towering Navaho sandstone wall.


Hiking the Slickrock Trail

This evening I hiked the fabled Slickrock Trail just east of Moab, Utah.
I had heard from locals about how great it was to hike the practice loop (3 miles round trip) during the winter when the bikes are few and the locals rule the place. I tried during New Year's weekend to hike the trail with a local artists but the snow was deep enough that we got off track and she fell on her rear-end a few times due to the icy conditions...not a good day.
But today was special. I started out from the parking lot at 5 PM, the sun still hanging in the west, no wind, temperatures in the high 40's, no people for miles. Imagine a place where you can hike for miles across twisting and turning sandstone trails that lead you past some of the most coveted views of the American west. It's really something to see, with 200 foot vertical gorges at your feet and the towering La Sal Mountains draped in fresh snow as a backdrop. The trail is marked with a white stripe every 30 feet which is a good thing because there are at least 2 opportunities on the practice loop to miss a critical turn and ride your bike into eternity. I love the wildness of this place.


Tarte Roja (Afternoon Red)

Tarde Roja
Painting No. 2-B-13
8"x 8", oil on canvas

Late afternoon light slips along the canyon walls and brings the red rock of the Canyonlands to a blazing finale as I quickly set up my plein air equipment and capture the moment. 
How beautiful the fading light is here along the Colorado River, finer that most places I believe. Perhaps it's because of the clean air, I'm not sure, but the unique quality of light is hard to describe in adequate terms.  
 

Cloudy Day

Cloudy Day
Painting No.  1-B-13
8" x 10" oil on canvas panel

What do you do on your day off?
I go outside and work on plein air paintings. Today's effort was near Big Bend Campground just north of Moab, Utah. I like this area, lots of variety in a one mile stretch of river. It was cloudy today which puts a huge dampener on telling the story of how spectacular the rock formations are.

This drainage channel near the overflow campground was the nicest composition I could find this morning. I did manage to keep the coolest colors to the background and the warmest and brightest colors to the foreground; together with the variety of round, angular and vertical lines adds a certain amount of movement to a dreary day.

A Good Friday in Moab

Today the sun came out and brightened my day here in Moab. I rose early and went to the gym for a 40 minute run on the treadmill; still too cold to run outside. I like to listen to up beat music when I run; rock or dance music keeps me moving along. Today it was "The Cat Empire".....I'll let them tell you what they're all about;

Where hip-hop meets reggae, where jazz is played with dirty hands, where a Cuban line meets an Aussie rule, where nothing seems in place but sounds like many places played in one earthy chord. This is the island where THE CAT EMPIRE was born. (Written by the band in 2001)

This band is totally awesome, check them out at www.thecatempire.com

Breakfast at my usual spot the Red Rock Bakery & Cafe. Howard and staff serving up delicious locally roasted coffee and bagels....love this place. Now I just need to get the other artists and poets to join me once or twice a week to plot our overthrow of society :)

I also got word that my upcoming Beginning Pencil Drawing class at the MARC (Moab Art and Recreation Center) has 11 students and the Beginning Oil Painting class has 4 students. Classes start next week and run for 6 weeks. This should be fun and interesting.

Also I want to mention the Moab Brewery www.themoabbrewery.com , I had dinner there tonight where they served the most delicious vegetarian Asiago & Garlic Ravioli Dinner for $10.69. Really, really good.