Just got back from camping near Escalante - Utah while participating in their Plein-air Competition for the week. I wasn't having much luck painting rocky landscapes .. so I thought I would try my hand at the lush rabbitbrush lining the roads .. a subject that I had only attempted once before. Tricky to get the weight of the flowers just right .. a fun challenge. To my surprise .. this small oil won two awards .. the Award of Merit [one step below Best of Show] .. and the Artist's Choice .. an award which I will certainly treasure. It sold before I could take a better photo .. but this image gives you an idea of the painting in it's rustic frame. Right now I am re-supplying and packing up to head out to Moab .. another big Plein-air Competition .. hope I can find a decent camping spot during their busiest time of year .. will report back in a couple weeks. 8x10 oil on canvas panel SOLD .. and another photo .. ...
First time painting on a cradled wood panel .. gessoed white .. then a layer of magenta acrylic. I like the wood surface .. not as slick as I thought it might be. From an overlook along the highway .. northern end of Lake Powell in Utah .. The focus of this piece is on the abstract patterns made by the rock formations that used to be covered by the lake. Hite was a busy marina for houseboats and fisherman .. no more. This scene is from when there was still some lake water .. but because of persistent droughts in the Southwest .. only the ancient Colorado River flows by now I might paint a pink glaze over the finished piece like this earlier version .. I like it :) 16x16 oil on wood panel natural maple frame Gallery 24 - Torrey Utah
Drive down the Notom Road on the east side of Capitol Reef NP and you will come upon a wonderland of towering walls of colored earth .. sparsely dotted with Utah junipers and blue-green sage .. great area for an afternoon jaunt across high desert savannas. 20x20 oil on canvas framed in carved gold wood Sold Visit Gallery 24 in Torrey .. Capitol Reef area And a couple of early versions and a blurry closeup of the ancient tree ..