'Sienna Light' - Grand Canyon - evolution of a study

I thought I would show the stages a painting might go through .. the first two images were painted previously and are buried beneath the current version.  In each case .. I thought the painting was finished.. not. 

The last image is of the final painting [but I might want to tweak it a bit more .. a couple of intense sparks of light] .. is a painting ever done?

Current version:

8x10     oil on a canvas panel     Sold

antique pewter wood frame

'Awapa Sheep Camp' - Utah Highlands

I thought I would post a few photos of a painting that recently sold.. it took me a long time and many many revisions.  Mainly it took so long because I was not used to mixing so many greens .. a color I rarely used in my landscapes and actually avoided.  So I decided to face my fears and do a green painting.

This is an impression of one of the sheep camps you might find on the Awapa Plateau in central Utah.  It is a vast upland region close to Capitol Reef NP.. high meadows and scattered stands of trees.  The winds can be fierce.  You will not see any tourists up there.. maybe a modern day cowboy or a 4x4 adventurer.  Being above 8000'.. it's a great place in the summer when it's hot down below.. great camping.. and vey beautiful.

20x20       oil on canvas       SOLD

Here is a photo of just one of the very early stages of this painting:

And a later stage .. not as green as the finished piece:

'Sunflower Ridge' - Capitol Reef geology

Another effort at painting rocks ..

8x10  oil on canvas

.. a close-up:

The early stages .. I think I like this version better .. moonlit rocks?

'Mesa Afternoon' - just outside Escalante - Utah

A quick plein-air piece created while at the Escalante Competition .. standing by the side of the road in mid-afternoon  .. overlooking faraway sandstone mesas .. the radiance was what captured my attention .. the space of the high desert.

9x12      oil on canvas panel      Sold

And here is an interim stage of this painting.. I thought it was done but was not satisfied .. thought it was too pastel .. too wimpy .. or maybe not :)

And here is a shot of this piece in it's early stages while on my plein-air easel:

.. the paint box on it's heavy-duty tripod:

'Cedar Wash Road' - Grand Staircase NM - Utah

 This painting just won a HM award at the 2016 Escalante Canyons Plein-air Competition .. lots of talented artists .. juried into the top 10% .. yay :)

11x14    oil on canvas panel     Sold

visit  Gallery 24 - Torrey 

.. framed in modern walnut wood ..

And here is a pic from when I was working in the field .. amazing what a painting becomes..

'Cathedral Valley Moonlight' - Capitol Reef NP

Getting ready for a nocturne competition at the Escalante Canyons Art Festival in Utah.. should be a fun challenge.  This piece is from the northern part of Capitol Reef NP .. known for it dark night skies .. fabulous in the moonlight. 

8x10       oil on canvas    not finished yet

And painted underneath is:

Just examples of how paintings evolve and where they stay for awhile .. paintings are never really finished .. they are just versions of an idea.

'Tonto Junipers' redux

I decided to rework a painting just to see where it could go .. here is the current version of 'Tonto Junipers' .. a view from the plateau into the Grand Canyon.  Below is the original unedited version so you can compare and see how much it has changed.  I generally try not to rework a painting this much as the original impetus is somehow lost .. but in this case I remembered what I was after ... the Blue.

'Tonto Junipers'  -  Grand Canyon

12x12    oil on canvas    SOLD

ClearLight Studios

And here is the original version .. which now lies beneath:

'High Country' - Awapa Plateau

This piece was inspired by my explorations of the Awapa Plateau .. a vast high-elevation region just outside Capitol Reef in Utah.  Large swaths of open rolling meadows are dotted with thick stands of trees clustered together as protection from the formidable winds. Nice and cool up here on hot summer days .. great camping .. one of my favorite places in this great state.

18x18     oil on canvas

'Sandy Ranch - Capitol Reef'

**Update .. repainted this piece .. improved the composition from too linear .. more broken areas .. bigger trees and road .. increased color .. added ravens .. 

compare and see what you think :)

30x30 oil     gallery-wrapped canvas    

- view at the Rim Rock Restaurant in Torrey Utah -

Previous version:

And in it's polished wood frame:

working on 'Sandy Ranch' - painting process

30x30 canvas... a few stages of the 'Sandy Ranch' .. on the border of Capitol Reef NP:

initial shapes.. first phase

adding more contrast and color

defining where the painting is might be going ...

Getting there .. firming up.. now on to the refinements.

*This is not the finished painting .. see the finished painting in the post above.