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.

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?


Winter Loosens Her Grip

Painting No. 94, Winter Loosens Her Grip
Spooner Lake, Nevada
8"x 6", oil on linen panel

The snow is beginning to recede from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. South facing slopes of many mountains have been cleared, leaving only the north slopes to slowly melt in the cool light of spring. Spooner Lake is full of icy water, the geese are bobbing across the surface and best of all, no mosquitoes....yet.
I decide to abandon the original idea of painting the lake and instead climb a small ridge looking for a composition that captures the newly exposed earth.
Below me on the lake trail, 4 hikers pass-by gingerly stepping from one icy purchase to another, being careful not to fall in the trampled slush. Despite the warm clear weather, the snow drifts and muddy conditions keep most people from bringing the family to this altitude.
The solitude of the mountains is both refreshing and invigorating as I take an hour to complete this plein air painting.

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir