Moab Weather: April Showers

April Showers

Painting No. 5-D-13

8"x 8" oil on canvas

 

Lately we have had a real mixed bag of weather, from snow to rain to shorts weather. Lately I just don't know what I'm gonna see when I head out the door to the gallery. Today for example, it was raining really hard until 11:30-ish. By 1 PM it cleared up enough that I drove out near the Moab airport and painted this little cloud study. I'm thinking of doing a large painting, possibly 36" x 36" of something along this line, and I need to decide quickly.

Don't let the weather get you down, head out just after the rain and capture it's beauty.

Balancing Act

Balancing Act
Painting No. 1-C-13
8" x 8" oil on canvas panel

My days are busy lately, which is a good thing.
Now that spring is upon us here in Moab, every artist in town is wanting to go outside and paint.
Yesterday it was Phil Wagner and Robin Straut, (Robins' work is currently on display at the Red Rock Bakery). The painting, "Balancing Act" was yesterdays' effort as we painted under the shadow of Ham Rock at Arches National Park. Today I painted with Tony Lema, business owner and oil painter, at the formation known as "Parade of Elephants", also inside Arches N.P. The conditions were pleasant with beautiful sunny skies, no wind and only a few tourists. One young man photographed me while I painted, others pull up in their car and watch for a few seconds before going on. I actually like painting near the tourists, it makes me work harder to produce a quality product. Perhaps I go a little beyond what I would settle for if no one was watching.

Tony Lema working on his plein air oil painting at Parade of Elephants.

Moab Visitor Center in Snow

Moab Visitor Center

Painting No. 1-A-13

I was in the gallery most of the day and at some point I decided that I needed to paint plein air (out in the open) but the temperature never got above 18 degrees today. So I set up my paint kit in the gallery and worked out the window towards the Moab Visitor Center. The mountains pictured are south of town and are known as "Behind the Rocks".

I thought the cool blues combined with red-ish shadows and dead leaves worked well. Your thoughts?

First Day at the Overlook Gallery

First Day at the Gallery

Today I'm officially moved into the Overlook Gallery in Moab, Utah.
How does one deal with this kind of change? If it was just a matter of changing jobs, or changing housing locations, that's one thing. but changing life all together is hard on the temperament of an individual. Remember that movie, "Never Cry Wolf" about the researcher tracking wolves in northern Canada? Today I felt like him, dropped off in the middle of nowhere (no offense to you Moabites), it's really cold (+1 degree this morning) and I'm looking at my supplies scattered around the gallery floor wondering what to do?......yes indeed, what to do?
I start with the most important things first; get the radio cracked up and make some good strong coffee. Ok, that's going. Now develop a schedule.

1. Breakfast and art studies
2. Drawing and or painting
3. Marketing strategies
4. Lunch
5. More drawing and or painting
6. Close shop and find something to entertain myself with.

Breakfast is hard boiled eggs and cheese, with coffee and a new book on composition for 2 dimensional art. I'm sitting in my favorite chair, in the sun, watching as the shadows play against the red rock cliffs, sipping coffee and learning something new...pretty good start. Afterwards I work at framing 3 plein air pieces for a local restaurant owner who has volunteered to hang my work.......new opportunities are arriving, yeeaah!!!
At eleven o'clock I'm visited my another shop owner who also happens to be an artist. He chats me up then invites me to lunch at the deli across the street. This place makes a different soup each day and it's really good.
Later in the afternoon I inventory my frames and start thinking about marketing ideas for the future. I've been thinking for a few months about what I expect out of myself and what I want to gain financially from being here. Somewhere in the next 6 months these 2 ideas must cross paths and work together to achieve my goals.....it's all up to me at this point....stay tuned.
 

Canyon Light in Moab, Utah

Canyon Light
Painting No. 1-L-12
36" x 36"
oil on canvas

This is my latest painting of the rock formations around Moab, Utah. It's based on plein air field studies and a few photos of the area. This is also my first studio painting from the new adventure of leaving my old life and starting a new one here in Utah.

Here's a view of a portion of the studio-gallery space I will be in beginning in 2 weeks. It was a hassle moving everything I own across 2 states in the middle of winter but I made it and nothing was damaged in the move.


Back Forty

Back Forty
Painting No. 3-H-12
8"x10" oil on canvas board

Beautiful hot summer weather prevailed in Teton County during the Driggs Digs Plein Air Festival in Driggs, Idaho last week. This painting is from just outside of Tetonia, a small ranching community near Driggs. Within 50 miles of Driggs you could paint an entire career and never repeat the same scene.

Sierra Majesty

Sierra Majesty
Painting No. 4-F-12

Last week I participated in the Markleeville Plein Air Festival in Markleeville, California. This is one of my final paintings for the show.

Sierra Foothills

Sierra Foothills
Painting No. 15-E-12
8"x 8" oil on linen panel

A painting of the pinion pines and sagebrush that surround Indian Creek Reservoir in Alpine County, California.

Dusk After the Rain

Dusk After the Rain
Painting No. 9-E-12
9"x12" oil on linen panel

It had rained for nearly 18 hours straight. The rivers were swollen to their banks and the tops of the highest peaks had a fresh dusting on snow. I decided to paint this view of the Madison Valley because of the available trees vs. the mountains, to add depth and perspective. Directly behind me is the confluence of the Gibbon River and the Firehole River which becomes the Madison River, some of the most legendary fly fishing in the Western United States. But more importantly, this is the spot where the 1870 Yellowstone Expedition camped overnight and discussed the unique qualities of this place and how they should be protected for all Americans. This conversation became the birthplace of the idea of the National Park System. In some ways, this is sacred ground of the central idea that we as Americans can protect areas of our vast western landscape to always remember the explorer and discoverer in all of us that is part of the American culture. 

Along the Madison River

Along the Madison River
Painting No. 8-E-12
8"x 10", oil on canvas panel

This is an afternoon painting of the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park. My wife and I were there last week and I had the chance to paint nearly everyday.

Range of Light

Range of Light
Painting No. 4-D-12

The mountains near Mammoth California offer endless opportunities to paint the high-thin atmosphere of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This painting reminds me of camping trips with my brother and grandparents about 2 miles from this location.

Spring Weather
Painting No. 2-D-12
8"X10" oil on canvas

Typical weather for this time of year. A mix of snow showers, clouds and partial sun.
The wind stopped blowing long enough for me to capture this local ranch in the Carson Valley.

Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure
Painting No. 6-C-12
16" x 20", oil on canvas

This is the latest studio painting of the mountains in early spring. It was windy and cold as I painted my field sketch but was well worth the discomfort to capture such beauty.

Round Valley (study)
Painting No. 5-C-12
8" x 10", oil on canvas panel

This is a small plein air painting that I did last weekend on a quick trip to Bishop, California.
Though this painting lacks detail, it makes up for it with vibrant, fresh color. It's rough and kind of slapped on but I love it.
I'll be using this as my color reference for several paintings in the next month.

Sunrise Glory

Sunrise Glory
Painting No. 4-C-12
16"x 20" oil on canvas

A beautiful studio painting based on a field sketch from a recent road trip.

Mountain Melody
Painting No. 3-C-12
8"x10" oil on canvas panel

Small studio painting of our wonderful Sierra Nevada mountains.

Fading Light, Stewart Indian School

Painting No. 136
Fading Light, Stewart Indian School
8" x 8"
oil on canvas
October 18, 2011

Summer is gone.
It's not coming back for a long time.
The cool afternoons and evenings of mid- Fall have invaded the Eagle Valley, and I have come back to the school to finish my series of paintings.
Why is it that we gravitate to certain scenes? There are over 80 buildings on this site, yet I find myself drawn to only a few. I walk the dirt roads that separate the old teacher housing buildings in search of a good composition, and time after time I end-up on the same corner composing one of three buildings. I have purposely decided to do all the paintings in 8"x 8" panels. This format seams to fit the box shape of the buildings and helps me to control the framimg.
The overgrown schrubs, golden Foxtail's and nearly barren trees seamed to add to the loneliness of the scene and the boarded-up emptiness of the house.