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

New Painting - Indian Peaks Wilderness

 

Just finished a brand new painting titled "Indian Peaks Wilderness".  Boy does it feel good to finish a painting that takes so long to complete!  This one is of a sunrise scene I capture years ago at Lake Isabelle in the front range of Colorado.  I remember this morning well.  It was very cold and windy and overcast.  Daryl and I woke up and hiked here way before dawn and were sure the clouds would block the sun from hitting the mountains for sunrise.  To our surprise, they lifted just as the sun came up and illuminated the peaks with a bright orange.  It was breathtaking!  

Below are some progress photos and the actual photo of the reference shot used to make this artwork:

Reference photograph of the scene

Painting - Rocky Mountain Bull Elk

This is my latest painting of an autumn landscape with a big bull elk bugling.  It represents what I view as a classic Colorado fall scene.  The elk reference I used in this picture was taken from a photograph I took years ago in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The autumn landscape was taken near the Silverthorne/Vail area on a fall colors photography trip, while the sagebrush in the foreground was taken from yet another photograph.  Putting all these images together in a rough composite allowed me to tweak the composition exactly the way I wanted it.  I then adjusted the lighting so they fit together.  Artist license... it's allowed!

Elk reference photo

Inpiration background photo

Photoshopped reference photo

 Recently, I have been working on my technique with the goal to paint faster without sacrificing quality.  I try to use a larger brush for much of the piece to fill in sections faster giving the illusion of texture and detail, especially in the background.  Another thing that I'm learning is that using a solid reference photograph goes a long way toward creating that realistic, engaging image.  It's fun to compare images from the past to see how you've grown as an artist.  Below is a similar painting I completed when I was in college 15 years ago.  Side by side with this current one, you can see a lot of technical improvements:

15 years ago

Today

Last, here's a complete time-lapse video of the entire painting process:

Building the Art Studio

....Or should we call it a "man cave"...or a "she-shed?"

I haven't been doing a lot of painting/drawing lately.  This summer we began converting half of our large shed into an art sudio.  With a lot of help from Dad (Grandpa), we framed walls, put in some windows, insulated, dry-walled, sanded, textured, painted, put in a door, flooring, furnishing, ect.   Part way into the school year, the man cave is finished and finally getting some use.  I'm thankful for all the help from Cami, Dad, and even the kids.

Time to start some new art projects!

Painting - Rocky Mountain Road

This fall I took a drive on one of Colorado's increasingly not-so-hidden gems called Last Dollar Road.  Its a rough 2 wheel drive that goes from the Dallas Divide to Telluride.  It is increasing in popularity for good reason.  The views of the aspen groves and 14,000 ft. landscapes are top notch.  One of the spots along the drive has an aspen stand with a winding country road and snow capped mountains in the distance.  All the elements you need for a great painting/photograph come together in this single composition.

This 16x20 painting was an experiment with a palette knife.  I've watched other artists use palette knives to quickly apply paint on canvases.  The knife makes a very unique look and texture where the paint is gobbed on thick.  I'm still not sure how I feel about the tools, but it was a fun experiment and worthy of further attempts.

Here's the photograph used for reference:

"Telluride Road" by Aaron Spong