Desert Bloom, Christmas in the Southwest, Poinsettia, and Friend's Grandson

The "Desert Bloom "painting was a first for me. Not the first flower I've ever painted but the first canvas of this size. It is 36" x 40". I painted it to hang on a wall in my master bedroom/bath. I knew it would take me several days to cover a canvas of this size so I started with an under painting done in acrylic paints and then proceeded to paint the canvas in oils. I loved the effect and I'm sure I will paint this way on a large canvas again. I also managed to get a small oil completed for a Christmas card this year. It is of an adobe door I saw in Santa Fe, NM a couple of years ago. I added the snow and the wreath. I also painted/taught this poinsettia at Canvas-a-la-Carte and last but not least I was honored to paint a friend's grandson. I did this in exchange for a wonderful print from the famous Indian artist Kevin Red Star. The young man also happens to be his grandson. Wow, no pressure there. What am I thinking, painting a famous artist's grandson. I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out, but most importantly I'm sure my friend will love it. What are friends for, they have to love your art, right? Merry Christmas to all. We're back to Alaska for Christmas.

More Grand Canyon Paintings

I couldn't upload all of the images in one post so here are the rest of the Grand Canyon paintings. Be sure to look at the previous posts to see more paintings of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Paintings

Last May, Roger and I joined an eight day rafting adventure down the Grand Canyon. Our main purpose was to satisfy an item on our bucket list, but I also wanted to paint. We joined a plein air painting trip led by Cody De Long, an amazing artist who has received awards for his paintings of the Grand Canyon. I had the opportunity to paint twice a day during the trip so theoretically I should have finished the trip with 12 - 14 paintings. It didn't happen! I found out how difficult it is to complete a painting in around two hours. I was depressed when we ended the trip and I only had one painting that was reasonably good. I felt I had wasted time painting on the river instead of just enjoying the magnificent scenery. Well five months later I have now completed five more paintings. One a month, which at my speed that is just about right. The trip was an amazing experience best summed up by poet Amil Quayle called

"Go There"
Anything you have read about the Grand Canyon is a lie
Language falters and dies before the fact
The experience is inexpressible in words
The Grand Canyon is its own language
Written across space, causality and time
See how puny these words are
Do not believe them
Go there

Greeting Card Art "Water Lilies"

I decided to paint some greeting cards in acrylic earlier this summer. After I got started I couldn't quit and ended up painting a total of 10 original cards that I photographed and also turned the photos into to greeting cards. Each original 5" x 7" painting was painted from photo's I've taken on my travels and are suitable for framing. It was a nice break from oil painting and gave me some idea's for Canvas a la Carte. Who wouldn't enjoy receiving an original piece of art in the form of a greeting card. Available for purchase in Blue Raven this fall.

"School's Out - Summer of '61"

Summer in Alaska is flying by. Gardening, family and company has kept me very busy, however, I'm still finding time to do a little painting. I agreed to do a small oil painting to be used as a door prize at my high school reunion later this month. I'll be celebrating my graduation back in 1961 which makes this one the 5oth. Wow how did I get this old. I've painted a special painting for the door prize which I'm calling "School's Out - Summer of '61". While hiking one summer on Kodiak Island in Alaska I saw this old bus completely overgrown with "elder"berry bushes. It seems like a perfect subject for my high school reunion. 9" x 12" gallery wrap oil.

Cactus and Joshua

Prior to going on the Grand Canyon rafting and painting trip I was able to complete some additional cactus paintings, both are oil on acrylic 5" x 7". I also completed a painting of a Joshua Tree. Joshua's are members of the Yucca family and grow in our community as well as in forests of Joshua's on highway 91. In the spring they have a beautiful cluster of white blooms. I have never seen two Joshua's that are exactly the same in shape or number of branches. As the story goes the Joshua's were named by the Mormon settlers who thought the plant like Joshua of the bible were raising their arms to heaver. They are, to me, one of the most fascinating plants that grow on the desert. They seem almost surreal so I tried to paint it that way. Joshua is an oil 9" x 12".

Springtime on the Desert

Springtime is my favorite time to be on the desert. Everything comes alive almost over night. The desert seems to know it's growing season is limited to a short period before the sun scorches the earth once more. The variety of flowers are as intense as their colors. The flowers of the pepper bush put out a scent to attract the insects so its blossoms will be fertilized. The honey sweetness of it's bloom overwhelms my senses and fills the night air. The flowers I enjoy the most, however, are the members of the cactus family with their neon colors they blind the eye with beauty. I find it hard to resist painting the cactus this time of the year and so I offer these two beauties for your enjoyment. Englemann's Hedgehog 6" x 8" oil and Beaver Tail Prickly-Pear 8" x 6" oil .

Coyote Moon

Here is my offering for the class I teach at Canvas a la Carte tomorrow night. I hope everyone will enjoy doing this whimsical coyote. We hear the Coyotes howling often in Kayenta. When I hear them they always sound so joyful like they just had a long awaited for meal. I think the Coyote in the painting must be well fed as he seems to be smiling. We also see the night sky in this beautiful "dark" community of Kayenta so I added the big dipper.

Bonnie and Penny

I decided that it was time to paint a self portrait... at age 5 that is. When I was that age my parents lived on a small farm at the point where Federal Blvd. and the Boulder Turnpike intersected in Westminster, Colorado. I have fond memories of living there even though it was only for a brief period of my life before the State exercised their right of eminent domain. We literally lived "Old McDonald's Farm" and every animal had a name. The animals I remember most were the chickens, it was my job to help gather the eggs, our ducks Huey, Louie and Louise, our dog Bob, our goat Nanny, our horse Beauty, and my calf Penny, so named because she was copper colored like a penny. I'm sure my memory was prompted by the photo that led me to paint this self portrait. The easiest thing about the painting was not remembering exactly what I looked like. I do remember my red cowboy boots as they were a favorite. My sister thinks it looks like me when I was little so I will go with her expert opinion. I especially hope my family will enjoy this one.

"Gila on Cactus" and "Rufus the Rangy Rooster"

While it is always nice to sell a painting, I enjoy donating my art to worthy causes if they can raise some money for the organization at a fundraiser. Such was the case last night. We attended the Heart Walk Foundation auction to aid the Q'ero Indians of Peru. The foundation has no paid employees and are not affiliated with any religious organization. They truly work from the heart and their only mission is to aid this dieing culture by providing services to help them survive. I was proud to offer "Gila on Cactus" for their auction. My hope is that the proceeds from the sale of this pastel will further the Heart Walk Foundation's mission. To learn more about the Heart Walk Foundation, visit their web site at www.heartwalkfoundation.org/index.php

On another note I will be teaching another class at Canvas a la Carte. We will paint Rufus the Rangy Rooster. Join us at Blue Raven on March 17th for lots of fun.

Marshland

Here is another water scene. This one is done in pastel. I started this painting for a bird art show. My intention was to place some ducks in the painting, however, when I added a duck in the foreground it just took away the calming serenity of the scene. I took the bird out and decided I liked the painting a lot better without the birds. I ended up painting a Chickadee in oil for the art show and I promise to post that one at a later date. Pastel 11" x 14".

Steamboat Mountain

This painting of Steamboat Mountain on the Green River started as a watercolor sketch done in camp the evening after we past this scene. Roger and I rafted the Green River through the Gates of Lodore National Monument summer before last. As we rounded the bend in the river this massive towering sandstone cliff came into view. We agreed it was the most impressive of all the rock formations on that river. The canyon narrowed just past this bend and we met rapids that wanted to shove us against the cliff face which was a shear drop from mountain top to the river. For some reason I could not get a good photo reproduction of the colors in this painting but I was pretty happy with the results of my work. Moving water is for me a challenging aspect of painting. I have decided to paint as much water as I can for the next couple of months in order to prepare for our Grand Canyon painting and rafting trip in May. This is an oil 8" x 10". Hope you enjoy it.