Sunrise on the Valley

Painting No. 150
Sunrise on the Valley
Carson Valley, Nevada
20"x 24" oil on canvas
December 11, 2011

Finished studio painting based on several plein air paintings and observations.
The Carson Valley has some great sunrise's during the winter months,  and this is my attempt to capture the fleeting light of early morning.

Dawn over Sierra Canyon (Study)

Painting No. 146
Dawn over Sierra Canyon (Study)
Carson Valley, Nevada
6"x 8", oil on linen
November 26, 2011

The sun has swept to the south, the nights are colder and were 2/3 the way through Fall. I'm working on developing ideas for larger paintings. This painting is a layout of an earlier study combined with dawn colors as observed from by back door.

Sierra Canyon

Painting No. 140
Sierra Canyon
Carson Valley, Nevada
7.5"x 9", oil on linen panel
November 10, 2011

Located along the Eastern Sierra Mountain Range, in Carson Valley, Nevada is the town of Genoa and many cattle ranches. This scene is along Genoa Lane, looking west to Sierra Canyon and one of the local ranches.
This painting is a study for a larger painting that I'm working on and it reminds me of something John Carlson said about painting mountains, that one needs to feel the weight of the mountain to capture it's essence.