"They like me, they really like me!"

I think it was Sally Field who went crazy when she won her first Oscar and in one of Hollywood's most honest moments, admitted how much recognition from her peers meant.   If we are truly honest with ourselves we all like to be recognized.  In art, I personally try to stay away from it.  I by know means mean that I don't like it or seek it out.  I just know for myself if I paint to "be recognized" by my peers or by some other entity my work will suffer.  I will be chasing some unattainable goal of being the next Picasso or something.  That is just my personality...I tend to be obsessive.

Having said that, being a painter is a pretty damn hard thing.  You struggle finding motifs, struggle with the actually painting itself, struggle finding buyers, struggle marketing yourself, and then you see all the other talented painters out there and you think, "man I wish I could paint like that!". 

So when I got an email a month ago or so about being recognized with a "Honorable Mention"
 I was ecstatic.  I had entered the Cumberland Society of Painters National Juried Show.  It included several painters that I highly admire and to have one of my paintings recognized amongst them meant a lot.  It meant that despite all the self doubt and frustration a painter can have, my work was making strides and making strides in life is really all one can hope for.

"Gold on the Wood"

I haven't posted in a while mostly due to my Facebook page as I am having trouble keeping up on both.  I decided to do a quick post with a recent large painting that I worked on for over a week of the Big Wood River in central Idaho.  It's one of my favorite places to fish especially in the fall. 

In about a week or two I plan on heading to the mountains for a few days to do some studies and fish.  I can't way.  Hope everyone is having a blessed fall!  Till next time...

Point Lobos

I've wanted to paint at Point Lobos in California for quite some time now.  I recently returned from a recent trip to California.  It was a great place to paint.  I found the California landscape was an easier landscape then most to paint because of all the moisture in the air helped cool things as they recede in the distance.  Compare that with bone dry Idaho (humidity was literal less the 1% the other day) and it's hard to tell if a distant mountain is 5 miles or 15 miles.

Anyhow, with waves crashing, a cool sea breeze, and the smell of salt water in the air you can't ask for much better.

Dang You California....

Did this study in a hurry 6 x 8 in. from the North Shore Trail Point Lobos

It's true I am a native Californian and much of my family and my extended family still live there so I do love the place. However, there is a reason why I don't live there.  Take for instance today.  I drove hundreds of miles through the horrid Nevada desert (if you've done the Idaho to California drive you know what I mean and if you haven't don't bother).

I arrive in the "Golden State" only to be socked in by coastal fog all day long!  Yet, 300 yards off the beach it was crystal clear blue sky.  I walked along Point Lobos State Reserve taking photos and did a few small color studies (see above).  But the great California color was socked in by coastal haze....booo!

Then we decided to drive home only to be stuck in a typical California traffic jam.... 1 hour 25 minutes to drive 25 miles.  Forecast for tomorrow...coastal fog.......and traffic.

Fish Out of Water!

 "That Green Bug is Cool!" 8 x 10 in.

This is my "keeper" from the first two days.  Painted this on 12th and O'Ferrel St in Boise.  Only one person came up to me and he was very nice.

For the last few years, I have focused solely on landscape painting.  Mostly because I love it and mostly because it gets me outside in nature.  However, this week I have been a fish out of water. I signed up for "Plein Air Boise" which is my very first plein air painting competition (above is my "keeper"....the others stunk)

I'm not big into competitions. I think I spent all my competitive spirit when I played sports but since it was local and since I had never done one before I thought, "ah, what the heck?"  What I realized is how different cityscapes are.  In general terms they're not that much different form landscapes, you still have to do all the art stuff like values, color, design, edges, brushwork, etc.  What is different is all the city "junk" like people asking for directions, honking horns, crazy people talking to themselves, bike riders bolting past you, foul smells form trash cans, little kids asking "what are you doing?", dogs sniffing you, delivery trucks driving right in front of your subject, and people listening to their I-pods way too loud. 

I guess some people love humanity and others don't....put me down in the don't category....till next time!

It's Been A While...

 

"Lake in the Sawtooths" 9 x 12 in. 

"October's Days" 11 x 14 in.

"Color of March" 8 x 10 in.    2nd place Art in the Garden

It's been a while since I last blogged and I'm having a heck of a time staying up on my blog.  Facebook is so easy to post things and it's easier to get more people to see your work so all my on-line marketing time has been over there.

However, for you bloggers out there this is what I've been up too. I just finished a show last week,  my annual workshop is coming up next week, then in early July I will be participating in "Plein Air Boise", then it's off to "Art in the Garden". Oh I also have a trip to California planned.  Busy, Busy, Busy!

Here are a few paintings headed to "Art in the Garden".   The bottom piece won 2nd place!  I haven't won an award in awhile so that was cool.

Happy painting!

Cardie Hilliard's Place

"Above Cardie Hilliard's Place"   16 x 20 in. 

Some paintings are special because they remind you of times long ago.  Take this scene for instance.  It's located above an old homesteader's ranch named Cardie Hilliard.  Cardie lived up in these hills till his 90's.  My dad used to hunt his property for Chukars. When I was a kid, I would spend hours roaming these hills while my dad hunted.  Often times I was bored out of my mind and wondered why my dad took so long to hunt.  Eventually, I would get old enough to join him and I would hike for hours sweating and mingling with the sage brush.

I had great memories from these hunting trips like the time our dog got a face full of porcupine quills stuck in her nose, the time I left my hunting vest full of shells on a rock (boy my dad was angry), and the dozen or so times our dog would run off, get lost, and require us to spend hours looking for her. 

I returned recently to paint this area.  Cardie Hilliard's place is weathered and abandoned.  The sage brush is reclaiming the land but it will never reclaim my memories.

I have a "Mistress" do you?

It's true and despite what my wife might think, I've been wanting a French Mistress for a long time.  However, it's not what it seems.  A "French Mistress" is a common title for a palette used to paint on.  It's a clever design that allows the artist to "fold up" the palette and transport it or to keep yourself from having any paint mishaps............say like getting paint on your shirt and then sitting down on the couch.  They usually run about a hundred and fifty dollars or so.  I thought that was way too much so I decided to build my own.

Step 1:  (not photoed) Buy the wood and cut it to the desired lengths.  This step is pretty self explanatory.  I bought some birch panels and poplar 1.5 x 2's.  I then used a table saw to rip them to 1 x 2's and a chop saw to the cut them to the desired lengths.  

 Step 2: (above) Glue them together.  Again pretty simple.  I think a chop saw makes a big difference here but if you're good with a regular saw or skill saw that should work just fine too. I used some clamps to glue the sides to the panels and let them dry.  Then I added some brads with a staple gun to give it some strength and then gave all the pieces a good sanding.

 Step 3: Stain. I grabbed some old wood stain, shook it up, grabbed a cloth, and put a real quick stain on.  The nice thing about a mistress is that you're going to get paint on it anyway so the finish isn't real important....it's not like your making a nice dresser.

Step 4: Polyurethane.  Once the stain dried I added a quick coat of polyurethane.  Again, I didn't worry too much about the finish.

 Step 5: Glass.  I headed to Lowes and bought a piece of 16 x 20 in. glass.  I had them cut it to the size of my mistress 14 x 18 in. which they did for free.  I then grabbed some old grey spray paint I had around the house to spay the class palette a neutral grey.  A neutral grey helps judge color and value easier (for you fellow artist I sprayed it to a value of 4 or 5).

Step 6: Make sure the glass fits.  If your measurements are right it should fit.  I wanted my palette to be 14 x 18 in. so I had Lowes cut the glass 13 7/8 by 17 7/8 which made it fit perfect. 

 Step 7: Caulk in the Glass.  I bought some clear caulking to seal the glass in place.  Remember to push the caulk into the corners to get a good seal.  However, be careful you can really slice your finger!!!

  

Step 8: Hinges.  I bought a set of 12 inch piano hinges.  This takes a little bit of lining up but once it was in line I marked it and added a few screws then we were good to go.

Step 9: Finishing touches.  I lightly sanded some rough spots but that's about it.....pretty easy.  All in all it took about 3 or 4 hours and cost about $25- $30 bucks. 

I think anyone could have a mistress if they wanted one.  I'm really not that handy with wood but it's simple to make.  Oh and this mistress won't get your marriage into trouble.....happy painting!

Dreaming

"Dreaming" 12 x 16 in.

(Price on request)

Every spring I get this "itch" about summer.  I have so many hopes and ambitions about the upcoming season that I thought I would paint a "feeling" more then a subject and this is the result.  I would have to say though it reminds me a lot of the Weiser River!  Happy spring everyone and may summer provide some great opportunities for you. 

Spring on the River

"Spring on the River" 12 x 16 in.

A couple of weeks ago we had some incredible weather with temps in the 70's (back to 40's and 50's now).  When we had those temps, I got out one morning and headed towards the Snake River.  The Snake is a beautiful trout stream as it enters Idaho from Wyoming but by the time it exits Idaho and moves into Oregon it's a muddy mess.  I grew up along the muddy mess and have never thought of it as "pretty" so I don't paint it often however, at times and in the right light conditions, it can still have a flare of beauty.  

Hence this painting which was painted around 9:00 a.m. in the morning.  The sun glare added some nice atmospheric haze and the spring colors were still showing on the banks.  I painted it and made it look more beautiful then it probably was...not adding the dead rotting carp on the bank helped as well.

Color of March

 

Well it has been a while since my last post so for those of you who actually read my blog I'm sorry.  I have been spending most of my time over on Facebook but I still like to talk art now and then.

March is usually a terrible month for plein air painting in Idaho.  I have blogged about my disdain for painting in March before.  I complained about how dead the color is, the terrible wind, and the incredible temperature swings that occur in this Month.However, if you look hard enough and your attitude matures in what you consider "pretty", March can be a beautiful month.  

My latest plein air trip took me into the Idaho desert.  I painted a few studies (seen above) and found some great compositions.  The first was painted mid-day when the sun was peaking in and out and it was beautiful with temps in the upper 50's.   The later was painted as the sun went down and I nearly froze as the wind picked up.  

What I discovered was God's creation is beautiful any time of year.  Temperamental painter or not, the color of March can be beautiful.

The 5th Season

 "The 5th Season" 10 x 8 in.

Jim Wilcox, the great Teton Landscape painter, once said that he thought there were actually 5 season rather then the traditional 4 (summer, fall, winter, spring).  He thought that the 5th season was towards the end of winter when the brutal cold had worn off but the spring weather hadn't melted everything and the rivers hadn't exploded with spring runoff. 

Today, was actually one of those days.  The weather was unseasonable warm and yet there was still plenty of snow around.  The river was clear (although I could tell it was already taking on more water then usual) and the wind was calm.  It really is one of the most beautiful times of the year. 

The only problem is the 5th season only last a few weeks and then springs is in full session.

 

A Painting Demo on Video!

Oh Snow....You're so Awesome!

"Willow Lined Stream" 9 x 12 in.

Snow is an amazing thing.  It falls from the sky, sticks to everything, and makes the most dull subject interesting.  Take for instance this scene.  Most of the year I would never paint this.  It's a tiny stream that runs through some cow pasture.  However, add some snow and the winter willows and boom!  You got a great subject.

I do love the color that is found in the winter.  Snow is so highly reflective and it's a challenge to bring some warmth to an otherwise cool landscape. Great winter paintings make you want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and snuggle up to a warm fire.

If you don't live near snow drive to the nearest spot and find it.  If you do live in it get out and paint in it.  Cold is only a state of mind and the best pictures are just around the corner.