Frozen River

Frozen River
Painting No. 4-A-13
8" x 8" oil on canvas board

The winter light here in Moab is just as stunning as the rest of the year, you just don't stop to notice it as often. As I was outside working on this small painting I noticed Ravens flying along the cliff faces, catching the warm up draft of air as it rises off the brick colored walls. I watched Robins search for seeds among the bushes that line the Colorado River banks, and I listened to the sound of ice sheets as they rubbed against each other in the still frozen and crowded water surface. How long until Spring comes? No one can say for sure, but I'm thankful for peaceful days of painting in the sunshine.

Winter Breath, Colordao River

Winter Breath
Painting No. 3-A-13
8" x 10"
oil on canvas board

Today was my day off so I went up the Colorado River along Hwy 128 known locally as "River Road" to a campground at a large bend in the river called "Goose Island". The temperature was 17 degrees but the scenery was beautiful and the traffic very lite. The Colorado River doesn't freeze over very often, the locals actually drive out here to see it....it's that rare, but with sustained temperatures below freezing for about 6 weeks the river can't help but ice over. As I'm painting I can here the water gurgling under the ice as it works the small ice breaks into larger chunks. It wont be long before it's flowing on the surface again.