One more time!

Here is a slightly better photograph of my big painting.  It was dry enough to bring it outside to take a better picture of it.  I think the title will be "The Grand Canyon Sublime." 

Big Painting!!

  

Here it is at long last!  So many hours I put into getting to this big painting and actually painting it.  Don't ask how many hours it took, because I seriously do not know.  I don't think hours make a painting.  Sometimes, everything falls into place and it seems I spend little time on a painting, then I struggle on the next one and it seems like it takes much too long.  My sarcastic answer to how long it took to paint this is 30 years.  My whole life has led to this current painting.  Each and every painting before this was also from many years/hours of practicing art; all time I spent devoted to making photographs, drawings, and paintings.  The most enjoyable part of making art is the process.  When I complete a painting, it is bittersweet.  My goal was to complete the painting but now it's done, what's next?  Luckily, I have so many ideas and if I don't have ideas, it only takes a hike to get inspired.  This painting is part of my thesis project for my master's degree.  I will be displaying this four by five foot painting along with the photos, drawings, and small studies I did to plan for this big painting.  I probably won't attempt a painting this big in a while, my studio is too small for this size.  The painting was a challenge but rewarding, I looked forward to the next block of time I could spend working on it.  Now, I will let it dry, spray it with damar retouch varnish and decide if it needs touch up.  Oh yeah, and autograph it.  This painting will be on display November 19th at Prescott College.  I will probably show it after that at my work, The Frame & I, when the dust settles from completing revising the rest of my thesis work, so much time and energy now to devote to writing and editing and writing some more.  Wish me luck!  Any ideas for a title?  I was thinking simply "The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River."  I could not get a good photo of the painting in my studio because of the size, I took two photos and stitched them together.  Once it is dry, I will take it outside where there is more space. 

<>

Details of Big Painting



Excited about my new Canon DSLR 50D

Here are a few fun photographs I took with my new Canon 50D.  I am excited about all the little ways I can creatively capture a picture, especially these sunset images.  My wife and I watched the sunset in Prescott Valley, looking over the Iron King Trail towards the Granite Dells.  Glassford Hill was on the left and Granite Mountain partly visible. 

Looking North, see Williams Mtn near the right bottom

The Grand Tetons

This high country is amazing!  The Grand Teton area is verdant, lush, cascading waterfalls, inspirational overlooks, clear/deep glacial lakes...  We saw moose, bison, coyote, and other small critters.  The Grand Teton mountains tower above the high plains of Wyoming as they scrape the sky and scatter the suns evening rays.  Snow still clings to the rocky peaks, melting but not disappearing.  I found this trip generous for ideas for future drawings and paintings.  Here is a sampling of some of my favorite images:

Cascade Canyon

Holly Lake

Near the Snake River

String Lake

Cascade Canyon

Grand Canyon South Rim Visit

I traveled with my wife up to the Grand Canyon in mid May to first and formost visit the collections archive.  I am researching Thomas Moran's artwork of the Grand Canyon and had arranged to see an original painting and reproductions of his sketches at the archive.  Since we were up here, might as well make a weekend out of it.  We tent camped at Mather Campground and took the bus to Yavapai Point, following the Rim Trail westward.  I am familiar with this portion of the Grand Canyon but I am always amazed at the rude behaviors of other tourists, most of whom I assume are from Europe.  These people walk in a mass, hogging the entire trail.  The Rim Trail is paved and handicap accessible but the bulldozer tourists wouldn't give a wheelchair room to pass by.  With this in mind, I yearned for a quiet view of the Grand Canyon.  For sunset, my wife and I hiked to Shoshone Point, one mile each way.  The short hike was well worth it, we practically had the Grand Canyon all to ourselves.  Here at Shoshone Point, we had seclusion and waited for the setting sun to play with colors on the Canyon walls.  We were rewarded with pinks, lavenders, blues, oranges, ochre, soft blue, and many colors in between.  The next day we drove to Desert View, scrambling up the stairs of Desert Tower.  This historic building was designed by Mary Colter and constructed in 1932.  Here is a view looking up at paintings on the ceiling.  Colter designed buildings to blend with the surroundings.  I always find inspiration at the Grand Canyon, experiencing exciting views.  I never tire of the place and will continue attempting to portray my impressions of the place. 

Clear Creek

A hot Sunday afternoon means a trip to Clear Creek. My wife, myself, and some of my family drove from Prescott to the Verde Valley to visit one of our favorite swimming holes at Clear Creek. The hole is a short hike from the Bull Pen. Bull Pen is about four miles from on a washboard/rocky road from highway 260 just out of Camp Verde. This swimming hole is rimmed by ferns from a dripping spring from the cliffs above. The kids (and myself) enjoy jumping off a rock ledge into the seven foot deep pool. This pool is long and shaded bringing a refreshing cool to a hot day. I usually take photos without people in it but this day was all about the kids having a gool 'ol time, so many of my photos have my nieces and nephews frolicking in the clear waters. Clear Creek is a real gem; featuring a gallery of cottonwood and sycamore trees. The only disappointments are from were a smattering of litter and biting flies that left a few big welts on my allergic prone skin.

"Autumn's Glory"

"Autumn's Glory" 24x30 acrylic


This is based from a photograph taken near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was October, fall colors were at their peak. During the late afternoon and as the sun lowered, it filtered through the trees, creating dramatic shadows and highlighting the grass. A deer is staring back at the viewer, ready to leap into hiding. This deer was not in this exact scene but was encountered in this same area, startled by us hikers. I have began using Golden Open acrylics, they give more working time than most acrylics but dry quicker than oils. I enjoyed getting back into using acrylics re-discovering the effects of using washes and layering color.