Spirit Cave

Spirit Cave

Painting No. 1-F-13

8"x 8" oil on canvas

A few weeks ago a local painter, Tony Lema, took me south of Moab about 40 miles to the Needles overlook road where we painted in the back country for a few hours. Since then I've gone back 3 times including today.
As the late afternoon sun pushed across the western sky I noticed this cave as I drove through a meadow and up a canyon towards an old cow camp. There's something particular about this place; I had the feeling of being watched as I painted. Afterwards I hiked a few side canyons looking for petroglyphs but didn't spot any.

Spring Color: Indian Paintbrush

Spring Color

Painting No. 7-E-12

9"x 12" oil on canvas panel

The recent Spring rains have left the hillsides full of wildflowers. My favorite is the Indian Paintbrush. I love the vibrancy of the color and the way it grows in small colonies, almost like bouquets in the desert.

Do you Wish People Would Buy More of Your Art?

Sun Glow

Painting No. 3-E-13

8"x 8" oil on canvas panel

 

As some of you know I'm painting full time in Moab, Utah. The good news is that the paintings are selling and requests are coming for subject matter. So I headed up the Colorado River and painted in the shade of the Navajo stone walls during the mid-day sun. This little painting took about an hour and felt really good. This is the light quality that can be captured when a painter takes the time to go outside to paint in the field. The plein air technique of painting from direct observation is the only real way to become a better landscape painter. I've completed approximately 400 outdoor paintings and I'm looking forward to the next 1,000.

Painting a Large Sky Scene Part 2

From Part 1 of Painting a Large Sky Scene; I transferred the line work from my preliminary sketch to the canvas surface. Now I concentrate on blocking in large areas within the painting with singular colors. For example, the entire cloud mass is painted this blue gray as a mid-tone starting point. Later I will come back and add darker shadows and lighter shadows. Later still I will add high-key sunlight spots.

At this stage I have added the darker areas to the underside of the clouds, I have added lighter areas of shadow to the clouds, (everything in this style of landscape painting is about modeling how light falls on a surface. I always try to model the shadow (low-key) areas for dark-medium-light tones and the sunlight (high-key) areas for dark-medium-light. At the bottom of the painting I have painted a medium-base tone for the distant foothills and a odd shaped foreground mass. Notice the blue sky values; the upper painting is an intense blues that fades as it falls.

The final painting has highlights in the clouds, and a corresponding foreground brightness. The lower left corner has the airport buildings and highway shown as a scale reference. The distant rain showers are hitting at various intervals for a more elaborate depth perspective.

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.

Saturday Night, Moab, Utah

Saturday Night

Painting No. 4-D-13

12"x 24" oil on canvas panel

Moab, Utah at night

Arches National Park: Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock

Painting No. 2-D-13

12"x 12" oil on canvas panel

 

Last Saturday morning I was in Arches National Park visiting Sarah Hamingson, the current Community Artist in the Parks pastel artist. I had intended to paint en plein air at the Balanced Rock parking lot but I forgot my mineral spirits and resorted to sketching several versions of Balanced Rock before deciding that I liked this angle the best. It's a tough subject to paint, the subject is awkward and impossibly balanced.

 

This is the usual view of the rock, which is kinda ugly to work with from an artistic perspective. The angle of my painting is at the far right side of the photo, and from the base looking up. Essentially my painting is a study of warm shadow contrasts in a typically cool environment.

 

Arches National Park; North Window

North Window

Painting No. 1-D-13

16" x 20" oil on canvas

 

About a week ago I drove into Arches National Park after a full day of rain storms and painted a small plein air sketch on location at the arch known as the North Window. Once back in the studio I reworked the composition of the Juniper trees, the small wash, and Sagebrush. At the suggestion of Tim Morse I added a couple distant clouds to draw the eye through the opening. The composition is the classic Edgar Payne "O" pattern, with the help of the Junipers for scale. 

Walking in Your Footsteps: Dinosaur Tracks in Moab

Jurassic Park in my back yard.

I read in the Moab Sun News about 2 sites just north of Moab, Utah that held some interesting foot prints of dinosaurs. Naturally this got my attention.

Back in 1993 when the movie Jurassic Park came out my daughter became interested in everything dinosaur related. So with the help of a geologist and the mineral records at a university we set out cross country through the Nevada desert in search of fossils. We actually found some great sites that held fossilized bone fragments, beaver teeth (beavers like 10 feet long) and fish fossils. But now I'm in Utah which is probably as close to Ground Zero for all thing paleontology related, so I set out to see the tracks. The first set are located about 20 miles north of Moab on Hwy 191. Take the North Klondike Road about 2 miles to a small dirt parking lot and hike 500 feet up the trail to the site. The tracks in this photo are made by a Sauropod; a large herbivore. What is really cool is that the tracks clearly show the dinosaur making a right turn in the mud which is rare as far as finding tracks go. There are also many 3 toed carnivorous along side the Sauropod's tracks suggesting possibly a hunting party.....cool stuff to imagine as your standing there.


The second site is located 10 miles north of Moab on Willow Springs Road. This road was the original entrance into Arches National Park and is described by Edward Abbey in his book Desert Solitaire". Go about 3.4 miles to a site on the slick rock that has a display sign posted and look for small clusters of rocks that people have placed next to the tracks.

 This site has many 3 toed carnivore tracks that are easy to see the direction of the footprints as the dinosaur moved along in the mud. Both of these locations are easy to reach with a vehicle that has reasonable ground clearance. 

Evening Light over Utah

Desert Sunset Study 1

8" x 10" oil on canvas

 

Last night, after I closed the gallery, I drove to the high desert north of Moab and painted a couple sky studies. The quality of light in the evening sky is just as varied and stunning as the atmosphere that falls against the Navajo sandstone. At this location looking west across the Utah desert, on a clear day I can see 80-100 miles. This long-distance view only accentuates the cloud-sky colors and patterns. After painting I drove to the Monitor and Merrimac Buttes to watch the last purples fade from the spring sky.  

Desert Sunset Study 2

8"x 8" oil on canvas

Best Plein Air Day Ever......so far

Today was some of the best plein air painting that I've experienced since arriving in Moab. The day started at the Red Rock Bakery of course with the owner, Howard, pouring coffee and talking Utah politics with the tourists.....always worth listening in.
Next, I'm making arrangements with my friend Phil Wagner; oil painter, poet and renaissance man, to paint in Arches National Park at 10 A.M. When I finally arrive this is what I see on the side of the road (photo to the left). Phil has framed and attached make-shift wooden legs to a 32" x 40" piece of plywood, constructing a tabletop-like paint surface for his newest (and largest) plein air painting. Looking very-much like a giant robot spider, I'm waiting for it to start walking around at anytime now.
Phil paints a bright base coat of yellow paint which immediately gets the visitors attention and the cars start pulling over.

This is exactly why I love working with Phil; he is always experimenting with something new. He is either studying dead painters, fiddling with art chemicals or stretching the limits of whats possibly in the field.

I setup my small plein air kit close to him, it looks like a pack of cigarettes next to his rig. During the day we stop and talk to the park visitors, honestly, we posed for probably 10 photos and were captured many more times by the folks in cars who were too busy to talk.
We paint until 3 P.M. at which time Robin Straub, Phil's wife and another great plein air painter arrives to load the contraption into her 4-Runner.
Afterwards I drove out to Wolfe Ranch and hiked to the Delicate Arch Overlook. It's a short hike with the addition of a slickrock rim that rises to the east and adds an additional 1/4 mile to a point that most visitors wont ever see. I stayed on the rocks for probably another 2 hours.
It was warm and peaceful, nearly poetic in-nature.
I saw the first lizard of the year.
I saw Indian Paintbrush blooming.
I took the time to talk to some friendly looking cactus,
and I watched as silent forms of tiny people raced back and forth under the Delicate Arch, so far away that I couldn't hear their chattering.........something of Ed Abbey in all of this.

Mata Ortiz Pottery is Art

So now I have become an art trader.

 

A couple days ago a gentleman arrived in the gallery who sells pottery to art galleries throughout the southwest U.S.. The other artist and myself purchased approximately 20 pieces to resell. Since I know nothing about pottery I was relying on his advice and direction.

 

On initial examination you might think that these pots are replicas or reproductions of ancient pots used by early natives to this country but that would be wrong. What I have found out since then is that these pots are all made by hand in Mexico by a small select group of artists in the town of Mata Ortiz, hence the pots are known simple as "Mata Ortiz". It all started with a curious boy, Juan Quezada who without any outside help collected old pottery sherd's (broken pieces) and taught himself the ancient art of pottery. Here's where is gets interesting; each piece is considered an individual piece or art, no pottery wheel is used in it's formation, no stencils or airbrushes are used to paint the pots, every touch to the pot is completely done by hand, even the firing is done over cow dung (no thermostat controlled oven). 

The pottery was given the "official art" status in the mid-1970's by Spencer MacCallum who recognized the significance of the talent involved with this work.

 

 

 



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.

The Perfect Day in Moab Utah

How do you describe a near perfect day in Moab, Utah?
Here's how....

• 7:30 am - Go to the gym and run for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I usually run for 40 minutes but I was afraid of being late for breakfast. On the IPod? Everclear. 
• 9:00 am - Meet a friend at the Rock Rock Bakery and Internet Cafe for coffee and bagels. As you know this is my favorite morning hangout location; it's always a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.
• 11:00am - Drive to Arches National Park with my breakfast friend and slowly drive through the park, stopping at the Garden of Eden. Hike up to North Arch, South Arch and Turret Arch. It was windy today but still a pleasant time with only a few tourists.
• 1:00pm - Lunch at Fiesta Mexicana with my breakfast friend. This is a great restaurant; the service is quick, the food great and the prices are very reasonable.
• 2:30pm - Back to Arches NP to paint en plein air (painting outdoors) with 2 of my new local friends Phil Wagner and Robin Struab. We painted for nearly 3 hours at Ham Rock, which is just southeast of balanced Rock. It was windy and cool, but we had a great time of being in close proximity to one another.
• 5:30pm - At Phil and Robin's place for wine and a serious discussion of art topics.
• 8:00pm - Home for dinner and blogging.

Moab plein air painters Phil Wagner and Robin Struab working

through the afternoon at Ham Rock in Arches National Park.

 

Moab Community Theatre 2013

What a great night to be in Moab, Utah.
The weather was just perfect today. I was in the gallery working on a new painting and a fellow artist came in, sat and talked for a half hour or so. Then I got a call inviting me to a "happy hour social" at a friends house after work. These are the nicest people, they've really allowed me to be a part of their lives and meet their close friends. Really a great group of Moabites, I can't say enough for their generosity towards me.
After drinking come wine and singing along to the ukulele, we all walked down to Star Hall; a cosy historic theater originally built in 1905, that's a wonderful place to see movies and plays. Tonight's entertainment was the Moab Community Theatres' production of "A Company of Wayward Saints", written by George Herman and directed by Shane Bartosh.
This play written in 1963 tells the tale of a theater company attempting to earn enough money to travel home by performing a one-night play for a rich benefactor.
I really enjoyed the production. I thought the entire cast was spot on and that everything was done with great precision and professionalism.

The play runs March 3rd at 2:00pm, and March 7,8,9 at 7:00pm.

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.

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.