Paintings from the Oregon Outback

Juniper Accepted into OPA Salon Show of Traditional Oils

This is the first annual OPA Salon show featuring small works, to be held at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Michigan.  June 26 through August 31, 2013.  I hope those of you in that area will get the chance to visit what will be a fantastic show, and I am honored that this little painting will be included. 

In the Greenwood

In the Greenwood

The subject of this painting is the cool light, observed deep in the living evergreen maze at Villa Gherardini, where Leonardo DaVinci reportedly painted the Mona Lisa.  It was a very special experience. 

Rabbit Tracks

Rabbit Tracks grew out of several ideas.  I wanted to create a narrative.  I wanted to express something visually about the movement of light across a deep and empty space.  I also wanted to approach the landscape from an abstract perspective, and to communicate the beauty I see in mixtures of color, the expressiveness of brush marks and the tip of a palette knife drawn through thick oil paint. 

Red Leaves in Snow

Red Leaves in Snow (SOLD)

This is the edge of a winter field.  It's the one time when you can really see the red in the cinder ground, and of course those few resistant leaves that refuse to leave the branch.  The storm came through earlier than expected and the nearby tree lost several branches, but that is winter here.  The cold comes and goes, as does the rain, or snow, or that inbetween stuff that makes it really hard to walk on the uneven ground after it freezes overnight.  Why did I choose to paint this scene?  Winter reveals more of the landscape than any other season.  I like the cold silence, where you can hear the sounds of life - birds scratching for the forgotten seed, a distant dog barking, an intense feeling of being alive in the moment between things. 

"Weathered" Receives the Plein Air Award for Merit at WAOW Exhibition

I am happy to announce that this little painting Weathered received the Plein Air Magazine Award for Merit at the Women Artists of the West National Show in December.  Thank you Plein Air Magazine, as well as the R H Hanna Gallery who hosted the show, and all the other volunteers who helped make the show a success. 

Walton Lake Trail

I think, as an artist, it is my responsibility to keep evolving, pushing myself to find something new to focus upon in my painting.  Walton Lake is just a beautiful place.  Hidden in the Ochoco Mountains, surrounded by open meadows and thick pine forests, it's a location that is only accessible for a few months of the year.  What I remembered the most vividly was the clear skies and the warm crispness of the early fall air as we walked around the lake, and while there were many views to choose from, this painting leads you up toward the serenity of the Walton Lake ridge trail. 

Summer Morning

I really enjoyed working on this painting.  This view is of the Deschutes River, very close to the headwaters at Little Lava Lake,  from a one-lane bridge on a forest service road.  Our summers in the High Cascades of Oregon are lovely and cool.  The light has a different quality than the quality of the light in the Colorado Rocky Mountains - which always appeared warmer to me, with more reds and yellows.  The Cascades, even on the Eastern "rain shadow" side, have a misty coolness that I find very peaceful and beautiful - so appealing that I may use Summer Morning as a study for a much larger painting that will capture more detail.

What do you think?  Should I do it?

Summer Storm Coming Accepted into Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction

Summer Storm Coming, (SOLD) 12 x 18

I am honored to announce that Summer Storm Coming has been accepted into the

Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction to be held September 2, 2012, at the

Rist Canyon Mountain Festival
Sunday September 2,2012from 10:00 to 4:00
Join hundreds of people who come to Rist Canyon for an afternoon of mountain fun.

Fenceline Accepted into the Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction

Fenceline (SOLD) 12 X 16, oil on linen panel

I am honored to announce that Fenceline has been accepted into the

Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction to be held September 2, 2012, at the

Rist Canyon Mountain Festival
Sunday September 2,2012from 10:00 to 4:00
Join hundreds of people who come to Rist Canyon for an afternoon of mountain fun.

Snow Flurries, Ochoco Ranch

I am honored to announce that Show Flurries, Ochoco Ranch

 has been selected into the National Icons of the West Exhibition,

to be held at Dana Gallery, 246 N. Higgins, Missoula, MT, from June 1 through August 31, 2012.

For more information, please contact the gallery at 406-721-3154

The jury for this show consisted of five judges including art patrons, professional artists, university faculty and museum personnel. The judges selected over 100 pieces of work from nationally and regionally acclaimed artists. 

you can also obtain information on this painting by emailing info@danagallery.com