New Paintings - Winter 2023/24

Flatirons in Winter - Prints Available

Embracing the cold this winter, I did a painting of the Boulder Flatirons caked in snow.  Funny thing is that this photo I used for reference was take in MAY after a mid spring snowstorm a few years ago!

We also spent a weekend recently in Colorado Springs and I took a stab at doing a 1 hour plein air painting in the cold.  Wow!  That was revealing.  I now see how slowly I normally paint.  I definitely left wishing I had another hour or two.  Below is a comparison of a one hour painting of Pike Peak and a 20 hour painting of the same peak done years ago:

Pikes Peak - 1 hour plein air

 

1 hour

20 hours

Sunset in the Indian Peaks Wilderness

Indian Peaks Sunset - Prints Available

Cami and I went for a sunset hike up in the Indian Peaks Wilderness west of Boulder.  It rained on us for about an hour while we waited under the shelter of some thick trees waiting for the storms to pass.  We weren't sure if there would be any color in the skies that evening.  Many times the clouds linger into the night.  We were blessed as the clouds lifted just in time for the last light of the sun to illuminate the scene.

Painting - Icons of the Front Range

This painting is the latest in a series of artworks depicting classic views of some of Colorado's highest peaks.  The view here is from near the city of Boulder looking toward the jagged foothill rock formations known as the Flatirons (center/left).  Above is the towering 14er Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Below and to the right of center you can see the National Center for Atmospheric Research buildings contrasting the giant landmarks.  It was a fun process that took approximately 10 hours.  These iconic mountains are special to me and symbolize our home in the Front Range.  

The video below shows the entire process in time-lapse:

Flatirons hike - May 2017

Flatirons Wildflowers - Prints Available

Took a quick sunrise trip to Chautauqua Park to see how the wildflowers were looking.  The heavy rain and snow this spring must be pushing it back a bit.  There were a few pockets that were blooming, but most of the area is a couple weeks away yet. 

Lupines at sunrise - Prints Available

I'd never actually hiked up into the hills around the flatirons before.  I decided to hike to the top of Flatiron #1.  Probably should have done some research, because it turns out that you can't "hike" to the top.  It's a technical climb, which i quickly learned as I reached some sketchy scrambling below the summit.  Nope... not trying that.  Still a beautiful area to hike up to.  It's no surprise the park is so popular.  Not too crowded at dawn though!  I saw only one other person on the way up at 6:00 am, but passed dozens on the way down an hour later.   

Flatiron #3

 Great views of Indian Peaks 

This was the stopping point