In Sight

Big Horn Wildflowers

2012-02-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Along Highway 16 west of Buffalo, Wyoming, the meadows in the Big Horn Mountain passes are covered in seasonal flowers.

Available $80

Technical: 6x8 oil on canvas. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, magenta, viridian, transparent oxide red, dioxazine purple.

Fall Changes

2012-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

A lone tree in a prairie field shows the changes of fall in it's warm colored jacket. The fields are full of rust and golden hues. This is the same tree painted another year in Rain on the Run.

Available $80

Technical: 6x8 oil on canvas. Painted on location (plein air) October 11, 2011. Mostly knife work. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, transparent oxide red.

Mighty Oak

2012-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

A huge oak casts long shadows on the rolling landscape and field of an early summer crop. In eastern Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Available $390

Technical: 16x20 oil on canvas. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, transparent oxide red, viridian.

Cumulonimbi

2012-01-21T06:43:00.000-08:00

Cumulonimbi

6x8 oil on canvas

These cumulonimbus clouds hang over an evening landscape. They are peaceful behemoths, drifting slowly; no threat of rain at the moment. That will come later, elsewhere, further down their shifting path. For now, they gracefully morph and reflect the warm hues of the declining sun.

Technical: 6x8 oil on canvas. Knife only. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, red deep, viridian.

Available for purchase: $80

Swallowtail Butterfly and Thistles

2012-01-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Swallowtail Butterfly and Thistles

6x8 oil on canvas

This hungry black swallowtail butterfly is having a snack on a thistle. The late afternoon sunlight makes wing shadows on the butterfly's own body. This is almost certainly a male black swallowtail butterfly, papilio polyxenes, but it seems to be missing some characteristic blue spots between the two rows of yellow spots.

Technical: 6x8 oil on canvas. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, dioxazine purple.

Available for purchase: $80

2012-01-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Teton Forest Flowers

6x8 oil on board

This forest meadow is in western Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. Lupine and wild roses are in the shadows of the pine trees. I'm always struck by the vibrant colored flowers in the Rocky Mountain forest. The Lupine is hard to see in a photo, but a little exaggeration gives it the prominence that the eye sees in life.

Technical: 6x8 oil on board. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, viridian, transparent oxide red.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-12-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

Air Force Memorial

8x10 oil on mounted linen

The Air Force Memorial just outside of Alexandria near Washington DC is an impressive trio of triangular steel columns that reach to the sky. The design depicts jets shooting skyward in arching flight.

When I saw the memorial, I was totally entranced with it. The sun reflected off it like mirrors. It was beautiful. But painting it was very elusive. How to make the bright reflections real? I ended up painting in three times over on the same canvas. My first effort attempted to create the light by darkening the sky.

Adding a brighter sky made the columns fade. Finally, I added the morning clouds and gave form to the bare December trees. My white paint couldn't get any whiter, so I added some light vibration near the columns to indicate radiance.

Technical: 8x10 oil on mounten linen. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, viridian, transparent oxide red.

Private collection. Reprints by private arrangement.

Diane

2011-12-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Diane

10x12 watercolor

Diane is a friend and neighbor who passed away in March this year. Her husband approached me about doing a painting to better remember her. Even though I'm more familiar with oils, I chose watercolors because they have a special luminosity that make faces glow.

Technical: Windsor Newton artist watercolors on Arches cold-press paper.

(Not for sale.)

2011-12-01T20:57:00.001-08:00

Alone at the Fen

6x8 oil on board

The Izaak Walton Fen is a wonderful island of wetland in the middle of farmlands, and a favorite for painting. Canadian Geese often frequent the fen. This goose was all alone in the deepening light and long shadows of late day.

Technical: 6 x 8 oil on board. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, viridian, transparent oxide red.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

Oronoco Bridge and Dam

6x8 original oil on mounted canvas

The lower side of the Oronoco dam is a lovely, peaceful area . The river opens into a broad shallow stretch of slow moving water. High trees line the upper banks on all sides. A little paradise on the river. The graceful lines of the bridge arch over the dam.

Technical: 6 x 8 original oil on mounted canvas. Palette: ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, viridian, transparent oxide red.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-11-28T03:43:00.001-08:00

Teton Barn

6x8 oil on board

This scenic barn is near the base of the Tetons, south of Jenny Lake. On this day, the shadows of the mountain provide a deep backdrop for the bright reflections on the barn. The grasses and the Clover provide colorful lunch for the horses.

Technical: 6 x 8 oil on board. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, viridian, transparent oxide red.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-11-26T05:12:00.001-08:00

Wisconsin Fields

6x8 oil on board

Plowed fields with furrowed plants. A cloudy sky lets light through, creating small blankets of light in the nearby river and distant bluffs.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-11-24T19:55:00.001-08:00

Cactus

6x8 oil on board

This prickly pear cactus has lovely yellow flowers in the withering sun of the desert.

Technical: 6x8 oil on board. Palette ultramarine blue, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, viridian, transparet oxide red, titanium white

Available for purchase: $80.

2011-11-11T17:39:00.001-08:00

Washington D.C. LDS Temple at Sunset
22x28 oil on board

The Washington D.C. LDS Temple is built of pinkish granite. Its location in Kensington Maryland is such that it seems to rise out of the ground as you drive towards the west on the beltway. At night it is a bright white like the most noble of monuments. In the day, it appears gray against the sky. In this depiction, the sunset casts a red and pink glow on the temple to the west, and the bright floodlights overpower the deepening shadows on the east.

This painting has been over a year in the making. A gift for a son who lives in the area, I envisioned a composition that was not day gray, nor night white. Yet this combination was deceptively difficult to get right because it was a composite of a sunset and night reference materials. Early versions resulted in a washed out and ghostly look. Once the shadows were deepened, and the floodlight impact was reduced, it looked correct.

Technical: 22x28 oil on board with pumice in the gesso; ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, permanent red, titanium white, cadmium yellow deep, alizarin crimson, viridian.

Not for sale. Reprints by arrangement.

2011-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Riverton Sunset
6x8 oil on mounted canvas

This is what we saw in Riverton Wyoming in an amazing sunset.
Available for purchase: $80

2011-10-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

Aster and Butterfly
6x8 oil on board

These aster were just on the side of the road. I was drawn to the color, but when I looked closely there were dozens of small yellow butterflies drawing nectar. It was an amazing scene.
Available for purchase: $80

2011-10-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Country Lane
6x8 oil study on mounted canvas

A country lane leads past a farm and to hills in the distance. The sun warms the grasses and lane nearby.
Available for purchase: $80.

2011-10-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Fremont Sunset
6x8 oil on mounted canvas

A late fall sunset in Fremont Minnesota. Much of the corn is already in. The sun set the haze in the sky ablaze with color.
Available for purchase: $80

2011-10-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Rains
6x8 mounted canvas

Rain in the distance saturates the farmland, with crops in neat rows. The heavy dark clouds can no longer hold their payload of needed moisture.
Available for purchase: $80

2011-10-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Wyoming Rains II
6x8 oil on mounted canvas

Small study of rain clouds and shadows on the plains near Wheatland Wyoming. There were so many interesting things to paint that night. The threatening storms were moving across the plains.
Available for purchase: $80

2011-10-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Quarry Hill Pond
8x10 oil on mounted linen / plein air

Quarry Hill is a nature preserve near Rochester, Minnesota. It has a lovely pond with a little jetty, which has a trail. The fall colors were vibrant on this fall day. The sun provided a backlight for the water and a small tree on the jetty.

Technical: 8x10 oil on mounted linen, brush, painted on location (plein air). Palette: cadmium red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, transparent oxide red, titanium white.

Sold

2011-10-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Milkweeds
8x10 oil on mounted linen /plein air

The milkweed filled the fields this evening as I went out to paint. The backlit down of the pods radiated in the deepening evening light. The pods glowed.

Technical: 8x10 oil on pumice board, brush, painted on location (plein air). Palette cadmium red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, titanium white, transparent oxide red.

Available for purchase: $145

2011-10-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Fall Fields and Trees
9x12 oil on board - plein air

Fields near harvest in the fall
Hills in distance, as a wall
A tree stands tall amidst the corn
In orange light of Autumn morn

This tree and a pair of buddy trees stand in the middle of a large field of corn. The morning light was perfect today on a crisp October morning.

Technical: 9x10 oil on pumice board, knife and brush, painted on location (plein air). Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $175

2011-09-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Tomato
6x8 oil on canvas

Tomato from garden, Oh do not dismay -
Your colors the subject of study today.
Tomato, tomato, how lucky are you!
Your siblings were cooked in a large pot of stew.

Seeking a roundish fruit to paint, I found this tomato in a large container of tomatoes freshly picked and awaiting fall canning. The tomato was just a little shy of ripe, and had a lovely orange in it's reds, and some minor splits to give it character.

Technical: 6x8 oil on canvas, brush only. Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

2011-09-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Squash
6x8 oil on canvas

Squash upon the artist's stand
Do you know what's soon at hand?
You'll be halved and baked with sugar
End your life as a yummy dinner.

In a series of still life studies, this is a squash from the garden. It had interesting blemishes on it. The dark tones of green made it a challenge to show the light. Darker background helped.

Technical: 6x8 on canvas, knife only. Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-09-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Four Point Lake
7x9 oil on canvas / plein air

Pretty plants on northern shore
Purple flowers to adore
Invasive species!? What a shame!
How sad the beauty gets such blame!

A short vacation to Four Point Lake near Hackensack gave us two relaxing days in beautiful fall weather. I was entranced with the colors and plants on the lake. I fell in love with this big purple flowered plant contrasted with the yellows in the lake grasses and blues of the lake. How ironic to later see a poster about invasive aquatic species and recognize the purple flowered plant as purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which is considered an invasive plant because it crowds out native plants. Too bad because it is beautiful when it is in large blankets. In any case, it was fun to paint.

Technical: 7x9 oil on canvas, knife only, painted on location (plein air). Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $90

2011-09-17T19:49:00.001-07:00

Fall Approaches
6x8 oil on board / plein air

A bumper crop of yellow plants
Drapes fields in waves quite golden
How fortunate for allergies
That paintings have no pollen!
- bjc

Cold nights and shorter sunny days have brought a bumper crop of golden rod, dry grasses in the fields, and trees just on the verge of fall reds. This field at Gamehaven Scout Reservation near Rochester, Minnesota is covered in golds, tans, and some crimson from patches of sumac.

Technical: 6x8 oil on board, painted on location (plein air). Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $80

2011-09-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sumac Stand
6x8 / oil on board - plein air

The shorter days of Autumn
Make cooler nights to keep
A stand of sumac changes hue
To warm fields prior to sleep
- bjc

Sumac is usually the harbinger of the color change in the fall, with its bright crimson blankets amidst the drying grasses. Here, an stand of sumac covers almost an entire hill, some of it almost orange in the late afternoon light. The deepening light turns the clouds to ribbons of color.

Technical: 6x8 oil on board, painted on location (plein air). Palette: permanent red, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, titanium white.

Available for puchase: $80

2011-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Brooklet
9x12 oil on board

A tree arches over a brooklet in the low areas between fields. More of the tree seems to be on the opposite side of the brooklet. On this morning, storm clouds come in waves, and I get rained out ... twice.

Technical: 9x12 oil on board. Painted mostly on location; completed in the studio from memory. Palette: titanium white, cad lemon yellow, permanent red, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson.

Available for purchase: $175

Engine *

2011-08-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

A train engine waits on a spur track in the deepening shadows of the evening. It seems to rest while other trains pass by. Named "Dodge Center", its paint is worn and fading. The low sun makes the lower horizon glow. The tracks are ablaze with reflected sunset.

Technical: Painted on location over two nights. 9x12 oil on pumice board. Mostly knife, but some minimal brush. Palette: Titanium white, cad lemon yellow, permanent red, ultramarine blue.

* Sold

2011-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Uinta Lake
8x10 oil on canvas

Uinta County Wyoming is in south west Wyoming, on the north side of the Uinta mountain range. This little lake is on the 640 acre Unita County Youth Camp, where we stayed for a family reunion. While the rest of the family canoed, I painted on the shore.

The man-made lake is stocked with fish, as a fishing preserve. This particular afternoon, the fish were biting. It's not unusual to hear a few fish splashes and see the ripples on a mountain lake. However, this afternoon, the fish were literally leaping out of the lake to catch the insects flying near the water. Perhaps I should have put a line on my longest paint brushes.

Painted on location, touched up in studio. 8x10 oil on pumice board. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Sold

2011-07-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Devil's Gate and Sweetwater River
9x12 Oil on board / plein air

In the years we've traveled west through Wyoming, I've marveled at the majestic landscape and dramatic lighting from the light and weather. Over the years I've composed and painted dozens of landscapes in my head, settling for taking a few pictures, always meaning to get them out and paint.

A slower schedule this year with a few extra hours at the Martin's Cove historic site Visitor's Center allowed me to pull out the paints and put my own interpretation on the beauty of the location. How amazing it must have been to pioneer travelers. Of course, this is also a place of tragedy, death, and rescue of the Martin Handcart Company in 1856, and thus the museum.

It was a treat to walk on the trail the pioneers walked an paint from the angle they would have seen. The dramatic dark storm clouds in the distance made the cliffs of Devil's Gate stand out in the late afternoon light. The Sweetwater River travels towards the gash in the rock, where it cut a path anciently. The River is calm and peaceful, with the life sustaining water for the pioneers, yet it in winter it will become life draining with life sapping icy cold which must be endured through crossing.

Painted on location, touched up in studio. 9x12 oil on pumice board. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $175

2011-07-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wyoming Rains at Sunset
8x10 oil on canvas / plein air

I've always wanted to paint the majestic but sparse beauty of Wyoming. We took to long route west this year, following the Oregon / Mormon Trail. The slower pace allows for some painting time. This is near Wheatland, Wyoming. Serious but sparse rain clouds moved through the area all day threatening but only dropping rain in a haphazard fashion. The sunset was gorgeous as it fought with the rains on the mountains for attention.

Technical: Painted on location in one session. 8x10 Oils on pumice board, both brushes and knives. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $145

2011-07-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Wetlands from Marsh
9x12 oil on board / plein air

Went to some wetlands I've been eying for some time. These are man-made from what use to be an unusable marshy area, just west of the golf course. The land was shaped to provide holding areas for water in a pleasing organization to appear natural. What once was unusable is now a favorite recreation place. I see people walking and playing with dogs here, all the time. It was a mostly overcast day with indistinct shadows and a grey feeling. There were cattails, clover, and daisies on the shore.

Technical: Painted on location in one session. 9x12 oil on pumice board. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $175

Come on location with me! Click the panoramic image below.

2011-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Daisy Shore
8x10 oil on mounted linen / plein air

Pulled out the paints while we waited for the annual Independence Day fireworks at Silver Lake. The sun came through this stand of trees and highlighted bunches of daisies on the shore. The light was deep in the sky and almost yellow in the humidity. I pulled out my expensive new mounted linen canvases, ready for blissful ecstasy in painting. But it was not to be. The canvas seemed to repel the paint! Quite different from my thirsty pumice gesso panels that drink in the first layer. I switched to the knife and pushed the paint on thicker, which seemed to help. The knife gave me great texture, especially in the backlit leaves of the tree.

Technical: Painted on location in one session.8x10 oil on mounted linen . Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $125 unframed.

2011-07-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Clover All Over
11x14 oil on board / plein air

You may think the scene is familiar. I liked the fields of clover so much, I decided to go back again today and paint it again while the clover was so prominent. I love the way the clover blankets parts of the field.

Technical: Painted on location in one session. Gesso with pumice on board. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white. I pushed the reds in this one to desaturate the green; it gives the painting quite a different feeling. This canvas was larger, so it took a little longer to complete.

Available for purchase: $210

2011-07-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Over-Clovered
9x12 oil on board / plein air

A good friend suggested a field full of clover near her house. What a great suggestion it was. There were huge patches of clover throughout the field. They seemed to ebb and flow almost like water. The patches in the distance on the hilly field were really lovely.

Technical: Painted on location in one session. Gesso with pumice on board. Palette: Ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, titanium white.

Available for purchase: $175

2011-06-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Abandoned Cement Plant
9x12 oil on board / plein air

These towers used to be part of Northstar Cement, which then became the old ROMAC plant in Rochester Minnesota. Now near a more modern concrete facility, the old towers are in decay, and will be torn down in the next year.

The day was mostly overcast with varying cloud cover. Darker clouds in the distance, yet peeks of sunshine through the shifting clouds.

Technical: done with a knife on pumice-gesso board. Standard minimal palette -- ultramarine blue, cadmium red, cad yellow light, titanium white, with alizarin crimson and a touch of viridian. Completed on location.

Available for purchase: $175

2011-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sentinel
11x14 oil on board

Just South of Pine Island on Highway 52 stands a prominent tree, tall but leaning, next to a well-kept barn. It seems to be watching for something, or maybe protecting the barn, like a sentinel. The two seem to go together like old friends. It was sad to hear from the owner that the tree will come down sometime in the next year or so for a highway improvement. The morning started cloudy and then patches of light came through, placing the tree and barn in the light while leaving the distance in humid mist.

Technical: 11x14 oil on pumice gessoed board. Standard minimal palette -- ultramarine blue, cadmium red, cad yellow light, titanium white, with alizarin crimson and a touch of viridian.

Available for purchase: $210

2011-05-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sliced Apple
6x8 oil on canvas

Traveling on vacation, I had a real itch to paint. Unfortunately, I'd purposely left the oils at home, taking my travel watercolor set with me instead. I dropped into Utrecht in Columbus, Ohio and bought a palette knife, five tubes of paint and a canvas pad. I looked for a suitable subject and found an apple in the food box. There was a knife in the composition, originally, but it was too much.

Technical: Nothing but knife. Palette: cad red, cad yellow light, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, titanium white. 6x8 canvas. The apple was eaten afterwards.

(Not for sale)

2011-05-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hidden Bluebells
9x12 oil on board

I heard the bluebells were out in the woods, so I went to nearby Oxbow park and took a hike. I was rewarded with this lovely patch of bluebells with a smattering of other wildflowers. The entire area was in the deep afternoon shade, with just a few patches of light coming though the forest canopy.

Technical: 9x12 oil on gesso pumice board. Standard minimal palette -- ultramarine blue, cadmium red, cad yellow light, titanium white, and added alizarin crimson and a touch of viridian. Mostly brushwork, with palette knife used for texture in the flowers and leaves. Started on site, but completed in the studio.

Available for purchase: $175 unframed

2011-05-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Government Center
9x12 oil on board

I love buildings and architecture. This is the Government Center complex in Rochester Minnesota, which houses the county and city branches of government. (I've been there many times for driver's licenses, jury duty, and visiting a friend in the slammer... but I digress.)

An unusual set of octagonal domes on the building set it apart. I discovered quite by accident the best light is when all of the visible sides of the dome have a different light. That put the face in the shadow, but also left some interesting light on the trees.

Technical: palette was extended minimal: ultramarine blue, cad yellow light, permanent red, alizarin crimson and titanium white.

Available for purchase: $175

2011-04-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Craving
8x10 oil on canvas

The challenge was to paint a jar of peanut butter, chocolate, and something metal. Then, eat it.

Technical: Cad yellow light, ultramarine blue, permanent red, titanium white. Knife and brush.

Available for purchase: $100 unframed.

2011-04-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Egg
6x8 oil on canvas

This is a white egg on white linen in the natural light of a north facing window. This applies new training on seeing and enhancing the subtle colors that are present in the light of the moment. Pushing the chroma up a little provides a delight for the eyes. This painting is fun if you view it at a distance.

Technical. Nothing is more daunting than looking at something that is white, such as an egg or white cloth and trying to see the subtle colors that exist in the white. Suddenly the color becomes visible. It is exciting. Other paintings in this study.

6x8 oil on canvas, using palette knife.

Sold

2011-03-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pears
6x8 oil on canvas

Two green Anjou pears on a white linen tablecloth set against a scarlet background.

Technical: This small still-life study applies new skills recently learned from Kami Polzin. She has had us working on values and colors. (See my other blog BrianSense if you want more detail). She has also been teaching us to use a palette knife. This is my first painting completed totally using a palette knife. I've discovered I really like painting with palette knives. The color stays so much cleaner.

Palette: alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, permanent red, titanium white.

Sold

2011-02-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

Assisi Heights Convent
24x48 inches / oil on canvas

Assisi Heights is a convent in Rochester Minnesota, and a frequent subject of my paintings. It sits on a tall hill and looks over much of the city.

This work is a commissioned work for a retirement home. It is stylized for a purpose. Residents of the home have aging eyes and aging memories, so the curators wanted recognizable scenes familiar to them, which would be comforting and help memory. Aging eyes often mute and blur what is visible, so the painting needed to be big with large shapes. Residents need predictable colors, with deeper saturation and high contrast to help with visual recognition.

So, I tried a new approach – an (acrylic) line underpainting with high contrast and thick black lines to make the image quickly recognizable. I added lots of shadow. I used more iconic and stylized shapes, such as classic shaped tree and puffy clouds to help in recognition. I kept the sky blue, the clouds white and the trees green. That may sound obvious, but when you paint you discover the sky is often not really blue, clouds are not always white, and foliage is not always green. So the colors are predictable for a reason.

This is the largest work I’ve ever done at 24×48 inches. Palette is cadmium red, ultramarine blue, titanium white, ivory black (lines), cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow deep (orange), yellow ochre. (No greens were used.)

Not for sale.

2010-11-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

Fall Willows at Lake Shady

9x12 oil on canvas / plein air

We went back out to Lake Shady to the same spot. I decided to try the same scene again. This time I finished completely on location. Perhaps I lost too much time analyzing the view before. I looked again. This is the best composition to my eye. The willows has lost some of their green, but still had reds, oranges, and scarlets in the foliage and trunks. I adjusted my distance atmosphere, and this helped, too.

You may find some interest in comparing the two paintings and deciding which parts are better and which ring more true to the eye.

Technical: Painted entirely on location. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, cad yellow light, cad yellow deep, alizarin, raw sienna, and permanent red.

Available for purchase. $165 unframed.

2010-10-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Autumn Chromatics at Lake Shady
9x12 Oil on Board

Autumn has run it's course for most trees, which are mostly leafless. However, just above what used to be Lake Shady, there is a wonderful show of colors in the willows on the banks. (At least I think they're willows -- small trees 5 to 9 foot high.) The willows had bright intense lime greens, lemon yellows, fire oranges, crimson reds. It was a feast for the eyes.

Technical: This was painted mostly on location, but ran out of time and finished in the studio. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, cad yellow light, cad yellow deep, alizarin, raw sienna, and permanent red.

Available for purchase: $165 unframed

2010-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

Corn Bales
8x10 Oil on Board / Plein Air
I love a field with large rolled bales. These corn bales sit in a rolling field, awaiting transport to storage. The few grasses visible have an intense green.

Technical: Painted on location. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, cad yellow light, cad yellow deep, yellow ochre, alizarin, raw sienna, and permanent red.

Available for purchase. $125 unframed.

2010-10-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bridge and Skyline
9x12 Oil on Board

The leaves are nearly gone in the trees near the Silver Lake bridge, but the side effect is the Rochester city skyline shows through the trees! The great thing about being an artist is you don't need Photoshop to push reality a little -- if you don't like a wire or light post you just don't paint it. So, a little careful looking and a little bit of creative thinning of the trees and more of the skyline is visible to enjoy. The colors were intense with all kinds of yellows, oranges, reds and browns, with a most intense green in the grasses.

Technical: This was painted mostly on location, but ran out of time and finished in the studio. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow ochre, cad yellow, cad yellow deep, alizarin, raw sienna, and permanent red.

Available for purchase: $175 unframed

Tree Fall *

2010-10-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Went out with some new found plein air painting friends I met at the recent class I took from Marc Hanson. There is a bend in the river just west of HyVee North in Rochester. I've painted here before in the winter in a painting called River Bend. This is a different view on the west side of the large sand bar. The low angle of the sun from the left bank made such a deep contrast in values for the light on the trees, the ribbons of light across the smooth river and the reflections on the ripples. Fall affects the trees each differently, the trees in the center hanging on to only a portion of their leaves, with the trees on the right just starting to turn, and many in the distance totally bereft of leaves. The grasses on the bank also show the same variety of life and death in this final season before winter.

Technical: 9x12 oil on board. This was painted mostly on location, but after considering it afterwards I made some significant edits to the sand bar and the values in the distance to get things right. So, it's not quite plein air. The composition was tricky. The tall orange tree in the center was an obvious point of focus, but there was an imperfect dying tree falling into the water on the left. Leave it or paint it out. My good friend Joe Melton made a wonderful composition without it, in a tight view of the scene. I decided I wanted the full effect of the ripples in the water, and the failing falling tree touching the water added to the story and balance of color of the river. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow ochre, terra rosa, cad yellow, cad yellow deep, alizarin, burnt sienna, raw sienna, viridian and permanent red.

* Sold

2010-10-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Bridge of Light
9x12 oil on board

Silver Lake Bridge again in my sights. The light and curves of these lovely decorative bridges are so enticing to paint. On this morning, the light from the east provided backlighting for the fall plants as well as a strong light on the path beyond the bridge. The fall colors provide a warm orange glow in the mid-ground and distance.

Technical: I expanded my standard palette to include burnt sienna and raw sienna. I rediscovered what a rich black these colors can make. The addition of viridian (green) gave me some very subtle hues. The composition was difficult... the light on the row of the plants in the front and the path out the right was a clear focus. However, when I gave the tree on the left it's full light, it distracted from the focus, so I dropped it just a shade or two of value and saturation.

Sold

2010-10-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Rochester Fall Skyline

12x24 oil on board

I've always been entranced with this particular view of the Rochester Skyline. From the angle by the Silver Lake soccer fields, it appears as if on the largest lake. The reflections are fantastic on a calm day. This fall day was very calm and the reds and oranges in the trees made a great color harmonic to the blues and warm whites in the early morning sun.
Technical: This is my second 12x24 inch canvas and I love the size for it's panoramic feeling. Palette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow ochre, terra rosa, cad yellow, cad yellow deep, alizarin and permanent red.

Available for purchase: $450, unframed.

2010-10-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Milkweed Field

6x8 oil on board / plein air - alla prima

The fall colors in Wisconsin are at their peak in the trees. The colors and varieties in the ground cover, brush, native flowers and weeds seem brighter and more varied than I remember in previous years. Have I been so unobservant? I don't recall seeing all the purple flowers like I saw last week in Autumn Blaze. Yet today as we drove, I saw them on many stretches of roadway.

The milkweed in this field was almost as thick as snow, and made a bright contrast to the deep reds and browns in the weeds. The sun tried hard to break through the clouds, but only small patches of blue could be seen. The hint of red was in trees everywhere, and spotted the distant hills near Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Technical. 6x8 oil on board. Painted on location in one session. Pallette was ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow ochre, terra rosa, cad yellow, cad yellow deep, and permanent red.

Available for purchase. $75 unframed

2010-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

Autumn Blaze

9x12 Oil on Board

You may be disappointed if you're a purist of plein air. I went out with some new plein air friends and the day was blustery. Being a plein air painter is like that, you get the weather that's there and you have to deal with it. I clamped down my palette, moved my turpentine down inside the french easel drawer, and set the clamps on the canvas. I loved the scene, because my eyes saw the blanket of beautiful purple daisy-like flowers (Asters?),

the yellow daisies, the red-topped grasses and black-topped brush. The trees were just beginning to turn orange. It was overcast, and the grey sky and choppy water removed all reflection. I had most of it roughed in when I ran out of time on site.

When I pulled out the painting in the studio to finish it, it looked dreary. The lake looked like a parking lot.

It was fairly true to what I'd seen, but it looked flat and grey and it just didn't excite me. Fall colors are such a treat for the eyes and the subdued light and colors in the painting belied the visual excitement of the color in person. Your brain has a way of picking out the spots of color and giving them more importance than the camera does. I decided it needed some sun and some cheer. So I used a little artistic license and created a sunnier day by punching up the values and the chroma. The joy I get from the brighter colors and values outweighs any guilt from my plein air conscience.

Technical. 9x12 oil on board. I added Terra Rosa, Sienna, and Yellow Ochre to my palette of Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Deep (orange), Titanium White and Alizarin. I put Viridian and Permanent Red on the palette, but hardly used them. I've included a reference photo for your interest.

In addition to changing the weather, you can see I took several liberties in the composition. I changed the shoreline to be more interesting, adding some juts to break up the straight curve. I simplified the trees because they overlaid each other in a way that looks almost unbelievable. I removed all the buildings in the distance because they distracted.

Sold

2010-09-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Hollow Vista

24x36 oil on canvas

Sleepy Hollow is a favorite place. Located Northeast of Vernal, Utah, the peaceful valley looks west towards the mountains. This is a warm summer day, there is buzzing in the air, and humming birds nearby. Sit down and rest for a while.

Technical: This is the biggest oil painting I have done so far. I stretched my own canvas. Palette: Ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow deep, permanent red, alizarin crimson, naples yellow, yellow ochre.

Available for sale: $850, unframed. This painting has a 1.5 inch studio wrap and does not require a frame.

Dinner on Third Street *

2010-08-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

Rochester has an quarterly art walk, where galleries and businesses in town host an evening of art of display. During the summer, Rochester also has a festival event every Thursday called Thursdays on First. Several blocks of street are blocked and become walking areas. Stages are set up. Bands come. Tents go up. Vendors come. People come. Lots and lots of people. On this night, August 5th, the Art Walk and Thursdays on First occurred on the same night. So the local Art Council called the evening "Paint the Town". The idea was to have dozens of plein air artists along the Art Walk tour, as well as easels that Art Walk participants could paint on, creating an atmosphere of artistic creation. I promised my friend on the Art Council that I would come and paint. In the end, just she and I showed up to paint. But I had fun, anyway!

I set up on 3rd Street across from Sontes restaurant. They have tables on the sidewalk and these that are actually in the street almost in front of Hight and Randall jewelers. This was challenge for me because there were people in the scene; something I haven't done much. But they sketched in quite well, and I was encouraged. I roughed in the scene on sight, but in took another evening to finish the people, and another evening to finish the trees and the lettering on the sign. So it no longer qualifies as plein air.

Technical: 9x12 oil on board. I used an underpainting of reds to form the shapes. Palette: Ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow deep, permanent red, alizarin crimson, naples yellow.

* Sold

2010-08-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Burano, Venice, Italy
5x8 watercolor, plein air

This is my "post card" from a trip to Venice. I traveled on business to work in with an International Standards group. On a recommendation from a friend, before meetings one morning, I took a ferry out to one of the smaller islands, Burano.

Burano's claim to fame is Venetian lace. However, it also has a tradition of painting the row houses bright colors. the color are bright, chromatic, and the effect is much like a bouquet of flowers. I arrived as the town was waking up, and walked almost alone, past the colorful houses. Although there are many bigger tourist spots to see, I decided to take an hour and do a quick sketch and wash.

It was a pleasant break from meetings and I met a few nice people as well.

2010-08-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Boat Rentals at Silver Lake
9x12 oil on board

One of the past times at Silver Lake is renting paddle boats. The night of the Fourth of July fireworks (which was the 5th because of rain) there were lots of boats paddling about. The rental shack was patriotic and flew a flag.

Available for sale: $145 unframed

2010-07-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ryan, Jana, Blake, and Adam

24x36 watercolor

This is a special project for family. I prefer oils for landscapes, but when I do portraits, I prefer watercolors. Flesh tones seem so natural in watercolors.

The project had several steps. Finding the right pose was challenge enough with two active children. The end drawing came from a composite of multiple images. I made a detailed drawing on graph paper that allowed for the rework that (for me) is part of getting a good likeness. I then transferred the essentials of the drawing to the water color paper.

Creating a portrait is more difficult than just drawing people because the viewers expect the results to look like the subject. The result has to recognizable, which is why a portrait is sometimes called a "likeness". I decided to work large, and this is in fact the largest painting I've done.

I used Arches paper, which is such a great paper to work with. It easily takes multiple washes of paint, and takes a lot of scrubbing and scratching (which were needed to fix a couple of errors as I went along.) I used a full palette of Windsor and Newton artist grade watercolors.

2010-06-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Whitewater Thistle

9x12 oil on board

The sun breaks through the morning mists amidst the trees and fields at Whitewater State Park in South East Minnesota. A giant thistle commands the tangle of grasses and plants, king of all it surveys. Its dominance will be as fleeting as the shadows.

The story:

I took my paints with me as my wife and I were adult leaders at our church's Youth Camp for Young Women. As I got up Tuesday morning, there was this fantastic morning scene with a giant thistle, dew on the grass and the sun breaking through the morning mist. I immediately grabbed my paints and then remembered I had other responsibilities. So I pulled out the sketch book, made a quick sketch, and snapped a couple of photos. My plan was to get up early and paint the next morning.

Three hours later I returned to the spot to find that the park crews had mowed down the entire area, including the giant thistle! It had been so magnificent. The next day, I used a combination of location (for the trees that were still there), my sketch, some photo references, my memory and a little imagination to capture the moment as I remember it.

I finished the highlighting and some grasses at home. Appreciation to my artist friend, Jen Kennedy, for encouragement and suggestions.

Palette: Ultramarine blue, permanent red, cadmium yellow, naples yellow, alizarin, titanium white.

Sold

2010-06-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Chester's

8x10 oil on board / plein air

The Peace Plaza in downtown Rochester has open air seating for a local restaurant, Chester's. It is nicely arranged with plants on racks and in big pots. It makes a colorful setting. It also happens to be right next to SEMVA Art Gallery, where I show.

I painted this on location Friday night and did just a little studio touchup yesterday. They had a great band playing and a curious audience. Palette is minimal: titanium white, ultramarine blue, permanent red, cadmium yellow, naples yellow, alizarin (crimson), with tiny amount of viridian green.

Sold

2010-02-27T21:04:00.001-08:00

Hope and Healing
12x24 oil on board

Assisi Heights convent sits atop one of the tallest hills in the city, seemingly watching over the shadowed Mayo Clinic buildings that dominate the downtown Rochester skyline. This day deep threatening clouds were rolling past, and the sun broke through. It illuminated the convent as if the heavens were smiling upon it.

The wide format lent itself perfectly to the wide view of the subject (click on the image for a larger image. It also put the Mayo complex in the scene, naturally. I wanted the juxtaposition of the convent and the clinic to figure in the painting. Both represent hope and healing.

The Mayo Clinic has a long and historic association with the Sisters of Saint Francis. Prompted by a tornado in 1883, the Sisters built Saint Mary's Hospital (not in this painting). The Sisters staffed the hospital, Mayo provided the doctors. In 1986, Mayo and the Sisters of Saint Francis joined under one governing board for efficiency.

Assisi Heights, a mother house where nuns could live and retire, was built about 1956. Fifty years later, in 2006, the Sisters of Saint Francis were faced with the twin problems of rising costs and declining numbers because of attrition and age. The Mayo foundation came to the rescue and purchased the building with the promise that the remaining Sisters could stay there through their final years. The facility is additionally used today for Spiritual outreach and concerts -- hope healing on many levels.

Technical: limited palette of ultramarine blue, titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium yellow deep, permanent red and alizarin crimson.

Available for purchase. $400 unframed.

2009-09-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

Alberta Falls - Rocky Mountain National Park
9x12 oil on board

Alberta Falls is a popular destination in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Forceful and noisy, it has a major fall and a lesser fall below with a few rapid cascades below that. Framed by tall trees and vertical cliffs, it makes its own visual composition. It is highly photographed, easily accessed by a half-mile trail from a nearby parking lot.

Available for purchase: $125

2009-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Split Rock Lighthouse
9x12 oil on board

Split Rock Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque and recognized scenes in Minnesota. It sits atop a massive outcropping of lava rock on the shore of Lake Superior, some 60 minutes North of Duluth. Here, the light house and rocks glow in the light of an early morning sun and a calm lake.

Palette: Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Red, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Titatium White.

Sold

2009-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Rays of Hope
12x16 oil on canvasboard / plein air

We traveled to the North Shore of Lake Superior on a little family vacation. All the children were home. I sneaked away Monday morning to see a lovely sunrise. A rain storm was moving to the east, leaving a trail of clouds that dissipated in the rising sun. The light broke through the clouds and reflected brightly on the water. The sky pushed itself in from the west. A red ribbon of filtered light glowed below the cloud base.

I couldn't find any land mass that helped the composition, so I concentrated on the columns of light and reflections in the water.

I named this Rays of Hope for a good friend who is fighting lung cancer. I wanted to paint something to encourage her, and it seems that God provided just the inspiring scene I needed.

12x16 oil on canvasboard. Palette: ultramarine blue, titanium white, permanent red, cadmium yellow.

(Not for sale)

2009-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Fall River Falls
12x16 oil on cavasboard / plein air

Vacationing at Cascade River State Park in northern Minnesota, I sneaked away one morning while the youth in our church group were still sleeping. There are many gorgeous and fantastic waterfalls along the North Shore, every one of the worthy of several studies. This smaller set of falls on Fall River, just south of Grand Marais, caught my eye. Fall River goes through a series of sharp drops to get from the plateau down to the lake, passing under the highway. The lovely side trickles from the falls were fun to paint.

Painted on 12x16 canvas board. Palette: ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, permanent red, cad yellow deep (orange), titanium white, alizarin crimson, just a spot of veridian green.

Available for purchase. $225 unframed.

2009-07-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Snowmass Lake
12x16 oil on board

This painting of Snowmass Peak reflecting in Snowmass Lake is based on a personal photo. The original was hard won -- the only way to get to Snowmass Lake in the Maroon Bells wilderness area near Aspen, Colorado is to put on your pack and hike. Easy for the teenagers in our group, but a greater challenge to those of us of advancing age and weight. The visual beauty on the hike through the Bells was awesome and one of my favorite life memories. The highlight was pristine Snowmass Lake with a reflection like a mirror. Unparalleled beauty!

Painted on 12x16 canvas board. Palette: ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, permanent red, cad yellow deep (orange), titanium white, alizarin crimson, just a spot of veridian green.

Available for purchase: $225 unframed

2009-07-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

Sunset Fishing at Silver Lake
8x10 oil on board

Silver Lake is a favorite spot for picturesque scenes. By chance I was out recently and saw an amazing sunset reflection through the arches of one of the bridges. A small girl oblivious to the beauty around her was fishing off the bridge. The glow in the arch was almost surreal. The girl was perfectly positioned for a great painting and a perfect photo.

I painted this in two sessions -- the first at SEMVA Art Gallery as part of a demonstration of oil painting. The second in the studio to paint in the girl. A detail of the girl is below, right.

Available for purchase: $150 unframed.

2009-05-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Central Park Fountain
8x10 Oil on Board / Plein Air

Central Park is the oldest park in Rochester. The city has grown up around it, with the Mayo Clinic campus on the South. While it still gets visitors, it is a couple of blocks off the main thoroughfare and not as frequented.

The fountain was out of service for many years, and just repaired this year. A little jury-rigging brought it back to life. It was really splashing in the sunlight.

Sold

2009-05-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Old Library - Mayo Student Center
9x12 oil on board / plein air

This historic building is used now as the Mayo Clinic Mitchell Student Center. Students attending medical school have access to computers and anatomy models for study. Before the building was acquired by Mayo in 1972, it was Rochester's Public Library. Built in 1937, the Public Library was designed by Rochester Architect,
Harold Crawford.

This was a treat to paint. Traveling through town last week, looking for something to paint, the building caught my eye because of the fun light on the side of the building. As I painted, I realized the tree was a flowering crab, and it would soon bloom. So I finished only the structure of the trees, and set the painting on the shelf.

All through the week, I pestered a buddy who works at the clinic for updates on the bloom status of the tree. He reported Thursday that the tree was starting to bloom. I was devastated earlier today when the cloud cover came in. But, by 4pm we had some sun and I had the light I needed to finish. The blooms were delightful.

Sold

2009-05-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

Chester Wetlands
8x10 oil on board / plein air

Just East of Rochester, near Chester, are some lovely, unnamed wetlands. It was a windy spring morning and the clouds rushed past going south-west -- very uncommon. The patchwork clouds left alternating light and shade. A stand of pines left the nearby water surprisingly still. Orioles kept me company while I painted.

Sold

2008-12-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

Silver Lake Bridges in the Fall
12x16 oil on board

I've always loved these decorative bridges on the walking paths at Silver Lake in Rochester, Minnesota. They are so graceful and give a fairy-tale look to this famous city park. One ofter finds people near the bridges on the little islands, fishing for sunfish. Late in the fall, only a few trees hung to their leaves. This one started plein air on an unusually nice fall day, but the weather turned and it was finished in the studio.

Available for purchase: $225 unframed

2008-10-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Plummer House Tower
9x12 oil on board / plein air

The Plummer House was constructed in 1917 by Henry Plummer, who helped establish the Mayo Clinic along with William and Charles Mayo. Plummer was an inventor as well as a doctor, inventing the medical records system that is still in use at the clinic, today. He outfitted his home with the latest technology of the day. The home sits atop a prominent bluff at what once was the south edge of town. At the end of the large grassy garden to on the east of the home he built this Tower. It can be seen for a mile in almost any direction. It had a direct view to the downtown Mayo Clinic area.

The fall colors and the morning light cause the tower to stand out in the crisp Autumn air. Colors used: Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Permanent Red, Titanium White, and just a touch of Alizarin Crimson, and Naples Yellow.

Sold

2008-09-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Bountiful Temple
16x20 oil on board

The Bountiful LDS Temple has similar strong lines to the Timponagos Temple. This painting was commissioned as an anniversary gift. I had almost as much fun taking photos and planning the painting as doing the painting itself. The temple can look somewhat gray under a hazy sky and has a tendency to blend in with the sky. I wanted something that showed the way the Bethel white granite appears brilliant white in the sunlight. A mid-morning scene provided the perfect brightness against a crisp blue mountain sky.

Technical: This is one of the bigger pieces I've done. I started with an underpainting to define both the warm colors and get my perspective lines right. The yellow sky of the underpainting played off the white of the canvas foundation and the deep reds in the shadows. I blocked in the sky first, then blocked in the shadows on the building and trees. I made the sky just a little darker to bring out the white.

It was fun to put many of the small details, such as the statue of Moroni that tops each LDS temple, and the flowers in the beds near the sidewalks. I intentionally left off some of the detail, however because it overpowered the strong shadows.
(This painting is not for sale.)

2008-08-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Grand Marais Harbor

9x12 oil on board

I've always loved the shoreline on the North Shore, and especially the harbor at Grand Marais. The combination of the volcanic rock sloping into Lake Superior, the unsual angles of the man-made jetty, and the puddles of water that reflect like mirrors make for an incredibly beautiful setting. My very first oil painting after the still life in the first oil painting class I took was of a different view at Grand Marais harbor. The choices for painting are endless.

This painting was started plein air, but completed from a photo reference. I was travelling with my wife as a chaperone of 23 young women (including my daughter) from church. I painted while they sunned on the rock and splashed in the cold waters at Lake Superior. Some of them jumped off pier by the lighthouse, at which the lighthouse operator rang the bell. The painting was completed at our group camp site a few miles south.

The painting shows my current technique of underpainting in red and orange.

Available for purchase: $175

2008-07-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Timpanogas Temple
8x10 oil on board / plein air

Timpanogos temple has been a challenge that eluded me because it seemed to blend in with the bleached distant skyline. Then, this morning there was this wonderful moody cloudy sky behind it and the sun came out and gave me some really strong lights. I punched up the contrast a little to highlight the bright sunlit building against the sky. Painted on location.

Available for purchase: $100 unframed.

2008-07-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

Timpooneke Stream
8x10 oil on board / plein air

Saw this stream running by Timpooneke trail head, up American Fork Canyon, Utah. An interesting stream to start with, the angle of the afternoon light gave it a golden glow. Everything sparkled. What a delight to paint the back lit brush against the shadowed woods .

Sold

2008-07-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Timpooneke View of Timpanogos
8x10 oil on board / plein air

Mount Timpanogas is a favorite destination of hikers in the Provo, Utah area. This is the Timpooneke trail head for Timpanogos. The painting shows Timpanogos in the far distance. Two ridges must be ascended to get to Timpanogos. At this time of year, there is too much snow for the safe ascent of ordinary hikers. The next day our family and their significant others hiked halfway up the second ridge before snow and just being worn out took it's toll. Beautiful country, lupine, indian paintbrush, and other colorful wildflowers were out.

The painting was done using a simplified palette of ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, white, alizaron crimson, cadmium red.

Available for purchase. $135 unframed.

2008-06-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers at Pine Island
9x12 oil on board / plein air

Every year the wildflowers come out under the trees and along the rivers in SouthEast Minnesota. When I saw them come out this year, I returned to the Zumbro river bend at Pine Island and had a delightful morning painting. I haven't been able to identify the flower precisely, but friends have suggested wild phlox (dames rocket). If you're interested, I painted the same location last June, but the wildflowers were past.

Sold

2008-05-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Spring Field
9x12 oil on board / Plein air

The freshly plowed fields had such lovely reds and browns. The furrows of corn were just coming up, leaving rows of stubble green. The light was rising from the left and showed the depth of the distant trees. I decided this field would never look just like it was today and had to paint it.

My palette is titanium white, um blue, cad yellow, naples yellow, cad red, viridian and alizaron crimson (mostly for darks). The wind whipped up as the morning went on. It was good to get out of the wind.

Sold

2008-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Golden Angel
8x10 oil on board / plein air

An Angel Moroni statue sits atop (almost) every Mormon temple. The is the one on the St. Paul temple. It is low enough to get a good view of. The sculpture is by Arvid Fairbanks, and it depicts the angel heralding the return of Christ. This is in the morning east light.

Available for purchase: $135 unframed

2008-02-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

Plummer Building
8x10 oil on board / plein air

The Plummer Building is one of the earliest buildings still remaining on the campus of the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It is a highly ornate building. At this size, much of the ornateness is lost, but the grandeur of the building is still impressive.
This was painted on two successive Saturday afternoons. Among the tall buildings, the shadows came early and my fingers quickly got cold.

$100 unframed. Click "Contact me" above on the right.

2008-01-26T20:17:00.001-08:00

Essex Brooklet in Winter
8x10 oil on board / Plein air

The temperature warmed up to 20 today, and the sun came out. What a wonderful day to go on location. This little brook meanders between a hill and a rise in local Essex Park. The sun was low and lit up the hill in warm light. I hiked down to the stream bed and set up. I could see animal tracks in the undisturbed snow. The reflection was delightful. Had to finish quickly when the sun started going down... so did the temperature.

2007-12-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Wetlands Iced Over*
9x12 Oil on Board / Plein Air

Only twenty four degrees (F) on a November morning. The wetlands were iced over with just a touch of snow on top. The water looked magical and very flat, yet not reflective because of the ice.

SOLD

2007-10-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hunter's Moon
8x10 oil on board / plein air

These trees in a local field glowed in the early morning light. The full moon was just setting. The first moon after the harvest moon is called the Hunter's Moon, thus the title. It was a challenge to capture the colors and yet distinguish the trees from the distant hills.

Available for purchase: $145 .

2007-09-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

North Shore Sunrise

9x12 oil on board / plein air

Traveled to the North Shore of Lake Superior. This is near Cascade Creek. I got up early while the rest of my party was still sleeping, and was treated to this fantastic sunrise. The edge of the lake was barely discernible from the sky. The puddles and trickles of water on the rocks reflected the light from the morning sky.

$165 unframed.

2007-07-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Mouth of Provo Canyon

8x10 oil on board / plein air

This is the narrow pass at the base of Provo Canyon, where there is a narrow lane for vehicles to pass into the expansive canyon. The bright light on the butte, and its shadows, superimposed against the canyon mountains in the distance, make for exciting contrasts.

Available for purchase. $100 unframed.

2007-06-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Green Canyon
12x16 Oil on Board / Plein Air

Green Canyon, near Logan, Utah on a crisp June morning; the sun pushing away the cool of the shadows. The feilds of dry grasses glow in the morning light.

I grew up here, at the foot of Green Canyon. In my youth I camped several times with the Boy Scouts up this canyon. On boring summer days, we would pack a lunch and hike up near the rifle range and collect bullet shells, or bring home rocks as trophies.

We return nearly every year on vacation to visit our families, who still live here. On this day the temperatures were cool enough that my hands got cold while running before sun-up, but later when painting, the sun came over the mountain and became brutal. I was happy for an umbrella.

Sold. Link to details and purchase information

2007-06-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

Barn and Truck
9x12 oil on board / plein air
I've seen this old barn several times as I drive past to other painting spots. The light was just right today. The hills of the field seemed to make waves of the grass and corn.

$125 unframed. Link to details and purchase information

2007-06-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

River Bend at Pine Island

9x12 Oil on Board / Plein Air

The dawn mist was just burning off the river and the grasses on this early June morning. Rich light beamed from the left and brilliantly back-lit trees. A few wildflowers remain from their peak, a couple of weeks ago. I started this piece then, but when I returned today they were mostly gone. This is a bend in the middle fork of the Zumbro River as it flows through Pine Island, Minnesota.

Sold.

2007-06-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

Waste to Energy
8x10 Oil on Board / Plein Air

This power plant in Rochester, Minnesota converts (burns) waste cleanly to create electricity. The early light on a May morning streaks from the east and makes the complex glow. My canvas was pretoned in a naples yellow. I blocked in using orange and red for the light and dark warms, and alizaron and violent for the shadows. You can see this underpainting in the transition between blocks of color. For the sky and the grass, I tried a new technique of using a turp-thinned brushwork wash. It left an interesting texture of blue over the orange in the sky, and green over the red in the grass.

$110 unframed.

2007-05-19T19:10:00.001-07:00

Early Morning at Mayowood Lake
8x10 oil on board / Plein Air

Glowing early morning light set the tree tops on fire against the shadowed hills at Mayowood Lake near Rochester Minnesota. I toned the canvas orange and painted with a red underpainting and used Alizaron Crimson a lot in the shadows. I'll have to go out early in the morning more often!

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2007-05-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

River Wildflowers
8x10 oil on board / Plein Air

I'd gone out intending to paint a nearby river, but as I set up I saw these lovely flowers in the deep shadows on the bank. The spoke louder to me than the river. Spring is here and the colors are so rich after the bleak colors of winter.

$60 unframed. Link to details and purchase information

2007-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Spring at Snelling Lake
6x8 oil on board / Plein Air

Snelling Park is a beautiful park on the Minnesota River and the trees were just starting to leaf. An overcast day threatened rain, but the sun came out for just a little before it started to sprinkle. The lake is in the left center distance.

$60 unframed. Link to details and purchase information

2007-04-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Boundary Waters

Some buddies talked me into going up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Northern Minnesota. Everything there must be canoed and carried in. I put together a portable painting setup, loaded it in waterproof bags. We went before the regular season, and had the place to ourselves. Both of the paintings were painted plein air in the Boundary Waters.

Boundary Waters Daybreak

9x12 oil on board / Plein Air

On the shore of Four Town Lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This was the view from out campsite! The sun from the east sky is baking the rocks on the near shore. The trees tops on the island on the right are just starting to catch the light. The reflections in the water are almost like a mirror. I thought about naming this "Perfect Morning on Four Town Lake". You can see why.

$125 unframed. Link to details and purchase information

Lava Flow Rapids at Four Town Lake
9x12 oil on board / Plein Air

This is the river output from Boot Lake as it cascades into Four Town Lake over some volcanic ledges and boulders. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a treasure of mixed volcanic landscape, interconnected lakes and islands. I was drawn to the transition from explosive rocks over the rapids to the calm lake.

$125 unframed. Link to details and purchase information

2007-04-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Chateau Theatre
11x14 Oil on Board

The Chateau Theatre in Rochester, Minnesota is is a registered historic place. It was quite the place in it's day, with stained glass windows, generous seating, and beautiful faux castle terraces inside on the walls. In the era of multiplex theaters, a single theater like this was not financially profitable. It's now taken over by a book store. Yet, the memories live on. It takes on new life in this painting.

Available for purchase. $200 unframed.

2007-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Kite Festival Washington DC

5.5 x 8.5" / ink and watercolor on paper

A personal greeting and hand painted postcard from Washington, DC. We've been visiting my son, who works at the Council of Economic Advisors. We happened to be here during the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival. Thousands descend on the Mall in DC with kites in hand for a day of unusual and competetive kite flying.

The colors were glorious. This scene is eastward down the Mall, with the base of the Washington Monument as a backdrop. Several stationary flags in the ground provide a colorful backdrop to the event. The sky abounds with kites, most too small to depict in a painting. Hundreds of fantastic kites of all descriptions.

Afterward, it was plein air painter's heaven, with the Smithsonian galleries nearby. We saw several outstanding works of art including Degas, Boudin, Home, Rousseau, Redon. Boudin has an entire collection on display of lovely plein air work.

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2007-03-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

St. Mary's Hospital Tower at Mayo Clinic

12x16 oil on board / plein air

The tower of St. Mary's Hospital at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota welcomes all who come seeking healing and the best medical help. It has an impressive dome on top and is much like a fortress of security to those who enter in.

On this March afternoon the clouds roll by but the late day sun still basks the building in a warm glow.

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Detail of the tower:

2007-03-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

River Bend
8 x 10 oil on board / plein air

Painting at the end of the day, I was worried there would be too much shadow. Instead the sun lit the tops of the trees on fire and sent wonderful ribbons of light to play on the snow and reflect in the water.

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