Art Journal

Since I had a pile of scraps of canvas and small pieces of gator board I decided to use them up doing a bunch of small color studies. These are 4 x 6 inches. Many were based on color combinations I found on paintings by other people on the internet who had some interesting color schemes, and some are based on older paintings of my own. The goal was to try out some new color relationships, not to come up up with finished works of art. Being so small they were really fast and fun to do.

This painting was kind of an exercise. I was trying out some color relationships and going with a palette that was a lot warmer than the actual scene, just to see what I would end up with. This was painted at Sandstone Ranch, on a fairly nice day for winter, with lots of sunshine.

Backlit Trees, 9 x 12

This was an almost foggy day, with low clouds and bone chilling temperatures, and lots of atmosphere. The location was Pella Crossing. You can see the edge of one of the iced-up lakes on the left side of the painting. Here the challenge was getting the bare trees to read right, and the atmosphere of the distant trees.

Overcast, 9 x 12.

I went to Sandstone to catch a few photos, hoping to get some good reference photos while the scene still had some snow cover.   After that  I stayed to paint the valley view to the south. It was one of those typical wintry days with blue sky covered by hazy wispy white/orange cirrus type clouds and a lot of sky glare, but not a lot of direct sunlight. Add on an occasional fitful breeze and the weather got downright chilly,  and never made it up to freezing unlike the day before. The scene, with the fields all spread out below, some melted, some not, fading into the distance kept me there fighting with my painting.

Winter View, 8 x 10

Hamms Pond is my go-to place if I want to do a quick painting for practice. It's not too far away with trees and water and a clear view to the east for dawn paintings. This painting was done from the west side of the pond where the trail winds in and many locals go to walk their dogs. It turned out to be a fairly warm morning so painting was pleasant. I was trying a larger size than I usually use for these trips.

Winter Walk, 11 x 14.

I got up super early and went to paint along County Line Road at a bike trail pullout. It wasn't the greatest view but this was a chance to get out and paint something before the cooking and kitchen work bogged me down for the rest of the day. The clouds were not encouraging for good weather. The old saying, "red sky at morning sailor take warning"  comes to mind, and sure enough the day grew grayer and colder finishing with snow by early evening.

Winter Dawn, 8 x 10

This is another studio painting adapted from a previous plein air painting, this time with a different composition and shape, but with many of the same elements. I liked the colors From the earlier painting but wanted to change the composition. The first painting was done at the parking area at Peschel Open Space along the Greenway one early winter morning, painted from my car.

Greenway Sunrise, 12 x 12

Here are the new paintings going up for the winter show at the Glass Tipi Gallery in Ward. Some of these are wintery, some not. Most of these are small except for the last one. There are a lot of good paintings up at the Glass Tipi and well worth visiting.

8 x 10

8 x 10

8 x 10

9 x 12

9 x 12

20 x 24

I have two paintings currently on display at Mary Williams Fine Art for the small works December show.

Here are two of those paintings, Ophelia's Fennel and Winter Pasture.

I have a selection of five paintings currently hanging at Fly Away Home in Niwot Colorado. They will be up for the month of December. Stop in if you are in Niwot anytime. Fly Away Home is a great little shop, over near the bookstore and supermarket.

Some of the paintings:

This one, Aspen Light, is sold.

Here's a painting inspired by an earlier plein air painting. Well actually its a combination of two different plein air paintings. I used the enlarged scene of trees at Hamms pond combined with the sky from a summer painting done along a trail near the river. We've been a getting many red/pink  spectacular sunsets in the last couple weeks and that inspired me to do this combo painting.

City at Twilight, 9 x 12