"Enlighten"

Oil on Linen, 20" X 20"

Juried into the Best & Brightest art show at Scottsdale Artists School

Plein Air Grand Canyon Painting

"Mather Point - Grand Canyon"

Plein air piece - June 2017

Oil on Linen, 10" X 8"

NFS

A plein air piece from a recent painting trip to the Grand Canyon.  The day started out sunny, but as the day progressed it became cloudy.  I almost did not paint, but wanted to try a close in composition.  The sun light was peek-a-boo.

From Beginning to End

This is my reference material.  I was hiking at "Jewel of the Creek Preserve," part of the Desert Foothills Land Trust, near Carefree, Arizona.

In the studio I did a simple sketch onto a canvas.

This has been heavily cropped.

Here is the final piece.

December Morning

" December Morning"

Oil on Panel

12" X 24"

This is from my trip to Wyoming this past December.  Yes, very cold and of course much colder than Arizona.  I got up early one morning and wandered around, crunching on the snow.  Very intense light with all the snow.  I wondered if I could paint that kind of strong light.  I love the red chimney.  The old house has been abandoned for many years.

Cemetery Painting - Colorado

"Finale"

Oil on Linen

12" X 16"

Certainly not everyone's choice in a painting, however, I was intrigued by this old pioneer cemetery in Colorado.  And I just could not resist the composition.

From Plein Air to Studio Painting

Final studio version of the previous post which is the plein air version

My work is based on studies done in "plein air" and then transformed into larger studio pieces.

Plein Air Study

Painted at Lost Dog Wash Trail Head, Scottsdale, AZ. on Feb 20, 2016

I have always been interested in figuring out how to paint on Ocotillo bush, which when in leaf and backlit are amazing plants.  I think this one is fairly successful.  I painted the bottom half as one solid form and then added darks and lights and some peek-a-boo rocks in the background.

Oil Painting, old house, doorway

"Open Door"

Oil on Panel

12" X 12"

$425

Saw this old abandoned house on my trip to Wyoming.  Snow on the ground and the old door open.  Loved the way the sunlight hit the front of the house.  Great mix of cold snow and sunlight.

Oil Painting Winter Barn

"Winter Barn"

Oil on Linen

16" X 20"

From a recent trip to Wyoming.  Yes, it was cold.  Never got above 30 degrees.  I wanted to convey the feeling of a cold day but warm sunshine on your face, warming you.

Scottsdale Artists School - Best & Brightest 2016

Purchased by Scottsdale Artists School for their permanent collection.  Part of the 2016 Best & Brightest Art Show.

"Reed It! Oil Painting

"Reed It!"

Oil on Linen

20"X  16"

$950

I've been working on doing some painting from a different perspective.  I was pleased with how this turned out.  There are so many variations in the color of water in a small stream.  I wanted to put these variations in but have it be in the background as well.  The reeds were kinda fun to paint.

Stones and Thorns - Barrel Cactus

"Stones and Thorns"

Oil on Linen

18" X 14"

$750

I was curious to see if I could paint from a vertical angle and give the painting some dimension.  The angle of the light helped give this effect.

"Quiet Sentinels"

Oil on Linen

11 X 14"

$475

This piece is from a plein air study that I did on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon last June.  I went to the Grand Canyon for a few days of camping and painting.  This is late afternoon light, near Maricopa Point.

Sonoran Desert Painting

"Desert Companions"

Oil on Linen

12" X 9"

$325

This piece started as a study that I painted at the Lost Dog Wash in Scottsdale.  I finished the final painting as a Demo while I was at TheStore, the art gallery at Mesa Art Center.

I love the early morning light.  The day started out hot and by 9:00 am it was too hot to continue to paint outside.

"Dawn on the Polder"

Oil on Linen

9" X 12"

Painted from a plein air study in The Netherlands the summer of 2015.  The following photo was taken just after I finished the plein air study.  One of my favorite photos.  I call it, "....then the art critiques showed up."

"Windmill in Veere"

Oil On Linen, 16" X 12"

This past summer I was fortunate to be able to paint in The Netherlands for two weeks.  I stayed not to far from this windmill, which was built in the 1500's and used for grinding corm.  On two different days I stood in front of the windmill and did plein air studies.  This is a piece I completed in my studio

"RiverView"

Oil On Linen

16" X 20"

$950

This is from a study that I did this summer in the Tetons.  The creek flows out of Jenny Lake.

The old windmill in Veere, Zeeland, The Netherlands.  9" X 12". Oil on Canvas.

Recent Plein Air painting in Holland

While painting in the south of Holland the art critics dropped by!

Plein Air Piece -Salt River

"Salt River Cliffs"

Oil on Canvas

6" X 12"

This is my most recent plein air piece, painted along the Salt River just below the Saguaro Lake Damn.  I usually make my gray - for the cliffs - using Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue, this time I used Viridian and Alizarin Crimson.  I have been experimenting with this combination for a while now.  In certain places I like it a lot.