Twice a Week

"Is That a Piece of Sky?" 11"x14" by Mick McGinty

2011-06-02T23:11:00.001-07:00

"Is That a Piece of Sky?"

This hen reminds me of the fairy tale of Chicken Little who warned everyone that the sky was falling. It actually comes from a shot I took at the Box R Ranch in Oregon two years ago. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Rocky" 11" x 14" oil on panel

2011-06-01T21:27:00.001-07:00

"Rocky" 11" x 14"

This is a portrait of Rocky, the chef at the Box R Ranch in southern Oregon. Besides being a great cook, he's a talented singer and musician...and an all round nice guy to be around. Click on the image for a larger view.

"The Door is Always Open" 12" x 16" oil on panel

2011-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

"The Door is Always Open"

This one of a few paintings I created to take to the Box R painting workshop on the 8th of June. It's a scene of the gate leading to the farm house and museum at the lower part of the ranch. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Dark Pool" 12"x16" by Mick McGinty

2011-05-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

"Dark Pool"

12"x16"

This was painted from shots I took near Mt Shasta in central California in 2009. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Yosemite Slope" 11"x14" by Mick McGinty

2011-05-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Yosemite Slope"

11" x 14"

This scene was from Glacier Point, a place at the top of Yosemite that overlooks the valley below and gives the best views of all the famous cliffs.

"A Standing Stone gathers no Moss" 12"x 16"

2011-05-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

"A Standing Stone Gathers

no Moss"

From my same trip last year in May I shot some scenes of Yosemite's forest as I was leaving that day. The light was falling and there were some great raking shadows running ascross the forest floor.

Click on the image for a larger view.

"Made in the Shade" 12"x16" by Mick McGinty

2011-05-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

"Made in the Shade"
12" x 16" oil on panel

My first painting in a long while turns out to be a painting I did a long while ago and never posted. It's painted from shots I took in Auburn, California in May of 2010. I'm getting ready to make the same trip to Auburn in just a few weeks and am really looking forward to it.
Click on the image for a larger view.

"Brooklyn Bridge #4" 12" x 16" oil on panel

2011-03-27T01:14:00.000-07:00

"Brooklyn Bridge #4"

12" x 16"

This is the 4th time I've painted a view of the Brooklyn Bridge since visting NYC in the summer of 2007.

"Prickley Pear Patch" 12" x 16' oil on panel

2011-03-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

"Prickley Pear Patch"

12' x 16"

This painting was created from shots I took of the the mountain slopes north of Tucson back in November of 2010.

Click on the image for larger view.

"Slice of Blueberry Pie"

2011-03-27T00:55:00.001-07:00

"Blueberry Pie"

This was another commission piece finshed recently for a friend who has collected a few of my pieces.

Click on the image for a larger view

"Three Oranges"

2011-03-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

"Three Oranges"

This was a commission I painted last month and will be my first post on my blog in about 8 months. I've been trying to get back into oil painting but other illustration work has been getting in the way.

Click on the image for a larger view.

"The Very Edge" 11" x 14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

"The Very Edge"

This is a scene from the Grand Canyon that was painted from reference I shot from one of my four trips to the location. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Yosemite Light Show" 12" x 16"(Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-06-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

"Yosemite Light Show"

This is a painting that has been sitting in my

studio for quite a while. I started and stopped on

it and finally finished it after a few additions and

changes. It's a view of Yosemite Valley as I was

leaving the park in May of '09. Click on the image

for a larger view.

"Pennies and Lilies" 12" x 16" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-06-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

"Pennies and Lilies"

I dug into my old New York City reference

and found some of my favorite subjects to

paint. There Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

has some great water lilies that are fed with

coins daily. Click on the image for a larger

view.

"Glacier Point" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-06-07T23:08:00.000-07:00

"Glacier Point"

Todays painting is from a trip took to Yosemite in May of 2009. The view is from Glacier Point which is an amazing trip by 2 lane highway to one of the highest points in the park that you can drive instead of hike. It's an amazing view of the valley floor below where the campsites and streams spread throughout the length of the canyon. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Sun Drenched Ledge " 9 "x 12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-05-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

"Sun Drenched Ledge"

I'm back after more than a month of not painting. Mostly because I have been away at a painting conference at the first part of the month and partly because of other portrait commissions and art projects. Glad to be back with one of my favorite locations, the Grand Canyon. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Radio Flyer" 12"x16" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-04-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

"Radio Flyer"

This painting was created from a shot I took at Frank Ordaz's home a year ago this May. Frank has an amazing home in Auburn, California that he has turned into a secret garden. After his two boys out-grew this wagon, it became his garden caddy.

I was covered with Poison Oak rash and trying to forget about it, so shooting scenes and plein air painting with Frank was the only thing that made me forget about how miserable I felt. I also "stole" another shot that I painted last year from his place, a scene from his front porch. Thanks Frank!

"Morning at Superstition" 12"x16" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2010-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

"Morning at Superstition"
This is my first post in about three months. For one reason or the other I've not
had the time or energy to paint in oils, but finally last month my wife's sister and husband, Jim and Ellen Heeney, visited the valley and one of the places we took them was a trip out to Superstition Mountain just east of here. The hike to the base of this cliff was enough to inspire at least one painting. I hope I can find a couple more scenes from that hike to paint again. I like this one because Spring makes even the desert green.

"Early American #1"(9"x12") (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-11-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

"Early American #1"

9" x 12"

I've always admired the old indian portraits that were photographed by the army and other photographers in the 1870's and 80's. Photography was only 20 years old and these photographers brought pictures of real Indians to the "other" early Americans. Click on the image for a larger view.

"No Sun Over There" 12" x 16"(Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-11-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

"No Sun Over There"

12" x 16"

On my last trip to the Grand Canyon I was lucky to have stuck around long enough for a last minute display of amazing light. It had been an overcast sky all day and I was ready to head home when the sun had finally dipped so low that it shot rays of light all across the canyon for about twenty minutes. It got a standing ovation. Click on the image for a larger view.

"If a Tree Fell in the Water...?" 12" x 16"(Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-10-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

"If a Tree Fell in the Water....Would it get wet?

12" x 16"

This scene was painted from reference I shot while visiting Jackson, Wyoming. It reminded me of the famous question. "If a tree fell in the forest, would it make a sound?" I don't think this solves that mystery.

"Crazy Colors" 12" x 16" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-10-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

"Crazy Colors"

12" x 16"

From a trip to the Grand Canyon in November of '08, I was lucky enough to catch a really great sunset as it shot through the canyon illuminating some walls and missing others. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Snowy Pass" 12" x 16" original oil Jackson, Wyoming

2009-10-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

"Snowy Pass"

12" x 16" original oil on panel

This is another view of some of the mountain scenery above Jackson, Wyoming. This was taken while taking a hike up to Hidden Falls above Lake Jenny.

"Warm Rock" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-10-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

After months of illustration projects, I was finally able to get back into the swing of painting again. I closed my eyes and picked a composition from a visit to Jackson Wyoming back in '07. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Palo Verde Garden" 8x10 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-07-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

After what seems like a month of illustration work to devote my energy to, I was finally able to complete a piece for my blog. This is the second time that I didn't live up to my blog's name, Twiceaweek. The first time was back in May when my daughter was married at the first of the month and I had a painting workshop that kept me away till the middle of May. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Glacier Point" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-06-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

After arriving late at Yosemite, I took the high road to the top of the park which is called Glacier Point. The view there is amazing. I'm working on a 20x24 piece of another view from Glacier Point that I'm hoping to get into my eBay store soon. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Porch Swing" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-06-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry about this late post. I got busy with three illustration projects and one oil portrait commission that I have been meaning to finally paint for more than two years now. Our move to Phoenix, and a death in the commission's family has put it on a continual hold.
This porch swing belongs to Frank Ordaz in Auburn, California. I shot another nice set up of Frank's garden wagon. It's one of his kid's old Red Flyer that he now uses for his garden tools and pots. I basically went there and ransacked his home for still lifes to paint. He has an amazing home that's like a Disneyland for artists with it's gardens and cool knick knacks that he's collected. Click o the image for a larger view.

"What's Around the Corner?" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-06-15T20:25:00.001-07:00

Late in the afternoon, after just six hours in Yosemite, I drove through the valley's floor and shot photographs around every corner. The smell of campfires were just starting to fill the air. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Yosemite Stream" 9"x12" (AVAILABLE)

2009-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

There were some great streams just off the highway as you are driving through the park. This was one stream that was roaring load enough for me to hear it before I got there. I wished I had the time to hike up the stream a few hundred feet, but I arrived late at the park and knew I didn't have the time to cover even the drivable parts in six hours. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Down in Front" 9" x 12" (SOLD)

2009-06-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is close to being one of the first and best scenes that I saw while visiting Yosemite. I got there late, around 1 in the afternoon, and by 2 pm I was at one of the highest places in the park called Glacier Point. I'm working on a larger piece from the same vantage point that I will hopefully finish by Friday but will have to juggle a bunch of illustration work in between them. Click on the image for a larger view.

"No Hands Bridge" 11" x 14" (SOLD)

2009-05-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is the plein air piece I painted on the Monday after Mother's day up in Auburn California. I had finished the workshop at the Box R Ranch in Oregon, and had started back home planning on stopping at Frank Ordaz's home for a visit and a day of painting, but instead of busting in on their Mother's Day, I spent Sunday traveling slowly south, and even stopping to do another Plein Air piece that was auctioned off last week, of a stream flowing from Mt. Shasta.
This is a pedestrian bridge today. I'm not real sure of it's history but I'm sure it's been there for a long time. Both Frank and Craig Stephens painted with me that day and Franks youngest son Dave helped us locate the bushes of poison oak. I was still waiting for my bout of poison ivy to clear up. Little did I know I had at least another week of dealing with it. Click on the image for a larger view.

"California Pastures" 11" x 14" (SOLD)

2009-05-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

While driving south from Mt. Shasta, I traveled through some amazing California farmland just north of Auburn. This was a scene at sunset with irrigation ponds and pastures below the foothills of the Sierras. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Santa Cruz Cliffs" 9"x12" (AVAILABLE)

2009-05-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

In my haste to take as many shots as possible and make it to Medford by midnight, I must have climbed through a patch or two of poison ivy or poison oak. This is one of the first scenes I shot the morning of May 5th. I drove to Visalia the first day after my daughter's wedding and the next morning I was climbing all over Santa Cruz and points north for the next 12 hours. I can now tell you that poison ivy does not clear up for at least two weeks. Hopefully all the shots I took will prove to be worth it. This scene was really fun with the mist and cave or arch opening on this cliff. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Shasta Stream" plein air, 11"x14" (SOLD)

2009-05-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

On my trip back from the Box R Ranch in Oregon, I stopped for a few hours and painted this scene of a small stream in the Mt. Shasta Recreational Park. I wasted a lot of time looking for a nice view of Mt. Shasta's peak but just couldn't find a convenient location to set up. Not knowing the area was a real problem. I had a few suggestions but I couldn't find them with the directions I was given. I was on my way to Auburn, California for some more plein air painting with Frank Ordaz, so I needed to keep it quick. I finally settled on this stream that finally caught my eye. His place was another four hours down the road and I knew Frank would know some better places to paint. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Water ilies 2" 9"x12" (SOLD)

2009-05-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, but this post should have been made two weeks ago, on May 1st, but I was busy with last minute preparations for my daughter's wedding on the 3rd and my trip to Oregon on the 4th. Daily painting took a back seat for the next two weeks but I'm finally back and trying to get caught up. The auction ended on this painting on the 7th but I thought I would catch everyone up with all my work. It was painted from reference I shot while in Central Park in 2007. Click on the image for a larger view

"The Colorado Below" 9" x 12" (SOLD)

2009-04-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

My last trip to the Grand Canyon yielded a ton of great scenes but most were shot with an overcast sky. This is one of them which I liked a lot but I can only imagine what it could have looked like in the bright sun or late in the evening. The park is so huge, it stretches just about 30 miles along the rim from Grand Canyon Village to the eastern most viewpoint near the east gate entrance. Unfortunately for me the western drive out to hermits rest, west of the Village, was closed to private transportation which cut 50% of the park out. I had trouble getting around in just half of it anyway. Click on the image for a larger view.

"In the Spotlight" 11" x 14" (SOLD)

2009-04-17T20:48:00.001-07:00

I waited all day for the sun to come out and finally, at around 6 pm, spots of sunlight started to show up all over the floor of the canyon. One by one just about every butte and canyon got a fresh dusting of sunlight. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Oak Creek Spring" 11" x 14" (SOLD)

2009-04-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

This is a scene of Oak Creek Canyon. It is a canyon and stream that runs through Sedona Arizona.

"Blue Haze" 11" x 14"(SOLD)

2009-04-14T22:11:00.001-07:00

This is another view of the Grand Canyon I shot last Friday. I should have taken a shot of the sculpted cut away they had at one of their information spots. All the layers and colors belong to a different era in the planets history. Don't ask me how they figured that out. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Blue on Blue" 11" x 14" (SOLD)

2009-04-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

I drove up to the Grand Canyon last Thursday night or actually Friday morning. I arrived by 7 am and was disappointed that it was an overcast and cold sunrise. All day was pretty dull except for one hour of opening clouds around 2 pm. I stuck around until 6, hoping to get lucky and try to get some sunlight on the subject and just about the time I was ready to head to Sedona, the skies started to clear and I caught one of the best light shows I have seen there in four trips. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Snack and a Sketch" 11 x 14 (SOLD)

2009-04-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Looking at my files of Central Park reference just makes me wonder how fun it would be to have an equal number for fall or winter scenes of this place. Winter would be the best. I may have to try to get there this year after a nice coating of snow. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Pick-Up-Sticks" 11" x 14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-04-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is a scene of part of the forest in Yellowstone. I took a trip to Seattle in '06, and on the way I stopped and spent the better part of a day stopping at five or six locations in the park as I drove on to Washington state. The forests in Yellowstone at the time were in a recovery stage from fires that ravaged the park only years before. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Superstition" 11" x 14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-04-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

This view of Superstition was from some shots I took back in '06 when I first visited the site and decided to make it a frequent challenge to paint. It is amazing how many times I've seen it in the dozens of hues and lit drama. It can be barely visible across the valley but standing below it's cliffs the rugged walls are a variety of reds, greens and blues. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Sun Porch" 9" x 12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-04-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

This is a farm house in South Dakota that I photographed one afternoon. I always liked the raking effect that sunlight had on lawns and trees, but what really amazes me is the high key rich colors that the sun drenches on light colored objects White becomes a hot pink and tan becomes a vibrant orange, and green grass appears brown. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Pucker Up" 8" x 10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-04-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is a pair of Sunkist lemons that I shot a couple of years ago. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Silhouettes" 8" x 10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-04-02T02:54:00.001-07:00

After shooting scenes of Superstition Mountain all afternoon, this is a look back to the west towards the Phoenix valley at sunset. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Monument Valley" 6" x 12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

Monument Valley is located in the northeast corner of Arizona. It is not a national park like some wold expect, but is a tourist attraction run by the Navajo Indian Tribe and is actually called a tribal park. The roads into the park actually cross into Utah, before turning back south, into Arizona. The roads are also unpaved and are barely drivable with regular cars. Four wheel drive cars are very handy there. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Central Park Shade" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

This scene is near Bethesda Fountain in Central park and very close also to the outdoor amphitheater. Central Park has many wide walking streets where no bikes are allowed. They seem to keep everything separated well in there. Click on the image for a larger view.

'Tea for Two" 8" x 10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a lot of landscapes lately and really needed to jump into something different, so here's a tea kettle. Back in South Dakota I had started to collect a few nice still life objects, but they have been lost in the ove. I still have ten boxes of stuff stored in our garage here that I don't seem to miss. I think I just figured out what is in a couple of them. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Steep Climb" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Lake Tahoe's "Hidden harbor" is on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, about half way up the esat side of the lake. It's small compared to other sites, but has a lot to offer the siightseer. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Merry-go-Round" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

Looking for subjects to paint, I ran across some shots I took at a carnival a couple of summers ago. I had started a painting of a "Zipper" ride at the time I shot this group of images, but settled for the safer shots of caramel apples. Trying to match the surroundings of these objects are the tougher things to pull off with the colors and contrasts of the night. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Canyon Colors" 11" x 14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-22T12:39:00.001-07:00

I wanted to drive up to the Grand Canyon this weekend for some new reference to paint from but time got away from me again. There is still snow up there and I wanted to see if I could catch a sunny day on top of that. Click on the image for a larger view.

"The West Face" 11 x 14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a scene I shot more than 5 years ago when we still lived in South Dakota, and we were on our yearly stopover in Phoenix at my sister-in-law's home. I was just starting to get back into oil painting and hadn't decided if I wanted to much in the way of landscapes, but this mountain face grabbed the setting sunlight so dramatically, that I had to try to paint it. I'm guessing I have painted Superstition at least 20 times now. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Spotted Rocks" 11 x 14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

The scenic spot called Secret Harbor is a rather small tourist stop at Lake Tahoe. It has parking for about 50 cars and a rest room. The rest of the place consists of about 2 miles of well worn paths that you can take down to the lake shore that is t least 200 feet down. Click on the image for a larger view.

"White Barn" 11x14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-12T22:51:00.001-07:00

A couple of summers ago, my wife and I went out for an ice cream cone at MacDonalds and took the long way home while we ate our treats. Vermillion is about 12 miles from where we lived so we took the back roads in that direction, and since I had my camera, we ended up only getting half way there before the sun set. I have a few more farms and barns that I shot that day. Click on the image for a larger view.

"If I Can Make it There..." 9x12 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

My trip to New York City in '07 is still fresh in my mind, and luckily, the pain that my feet went through walking and running up and down Manhattan, has faded. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Turquoise" 11 x 14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-07T18:08:00.001-08:00

I had only one location to get some great shoreline shots of Lake Tahoe, and Secret Harbor was the place. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Rim Light" 12 x 16 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-06T21:57:00.001-08:00

This is a view from the south rim of the Grand Canyon looking north as the setting sun hits the north rim of the canyon. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Just a Trickle" 11 x 14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-02T20:28:00.001-08:00

There was one nice gully in Monument Valley where I got a lot of great compositions. Whenever it does rain in that part of Arizona, the runoff must be pretty muddy and very red. Click on the image for a larger image.

"Castle Rock, Sedona" 11 x 14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-03-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

This is a view of the famous rock formation called Castle Rock in Sedona, Arizona. Also known as Cathedral Rock. I have painted this formation before, but without this much foreground water in view. The reference for this was shot in November so the trees are golden and the water is shallow. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Sedona Golden Stream" 9 x 12 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

Taking the shortcut from Flagstaff down to Sedona takes you along Oak Creek Canyon. This scene was shot in the autumn of '06 on a clear November day. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Snow in the Shade" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-17T20:03:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite memories of our trips from the Midwest to our kids homes in California and Arizona, was a three day stop in Jackson, Wyoming where I had two days of walking the paths up to Jenny's Lake and beyond to Hidden Falls. What was around the corner or down over a ridge was always a surprise. I have to disagree with the old adage: Travel the path less taken. I think the people that went there before me knew where the best sights were. Besides, there are thorns, bears and poison oak on those less traveled paths. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Point Loma Afternoon" 12"x16" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-16T22:36:00.001-08:00

Point Loma is located west of the city of San Diego and is a peninsula of land that shoots out past Coronado which is the land mass that protects San Diego Bay. Ships must pass to the west of Point Loma to enter San Diego Bay. This scene is a view from Point Loma looking north. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Nice Neighborhood" 9x12 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-15T18:33:00.001-08:00

This is a dramatic view of just a small section of a photo I used to paint this layout. There is always so much going on in the average image that you take, so usually cropping extremely tight will still give you plenty to look at. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Big Shadows" 9"x12' (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

I was drawn to this image for the color and the drama of the shadows. All of the Grand Canyon is full of drama and it's hard to not see and interesting painting in every wall of rock or plateau. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Stepping Stones" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-03T08:56:00.002-08:00

This is a more close up scene of some of the rocks along the shore of Lake Tahoe. Watching the light refract onto the golden rocks below is a mesmerizing experience. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Stream to the Lake" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

This scene is actually a view of Fallen Leaf Lake, that is a lake just to the south and west of Lake Tahoe. The stream that feeds this lake is called the Glen Alpine Creek. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Pretty in Pink" 12x16 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-02-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

This painting was really hard to photograph because it is all about the darkness of the objects and the saturation of those dark colors. I've tried to get it right for the third time. Click on the image for a larger view.

"A Nice Chair" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

I can't get enough of the dramatic aerial perspective of the Grand Canyon where the shows turn brilliant blue and the rich hues dissolve to blued pastels. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Three Sisters Again" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

I named this Three Sisters " Again", because I painted at least three views of this structure by now. it's in Monument Valley in the northeast corner of Arizona. There were many westerns filmed here including, The Searchers, one of John Wayne's best to name just one. Another popular spot for westerns to be filmed is in Jackson, Wyoming which saw Shane filmed there years ago. Click on the image for a larger view.

Superbowl 34 Where did the Time Go?

2009-01-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

An artist friend of mine,

>Frank Ordaz

, wrote and ask me for copies of any superbowl posters I may have painted. It all reminded me of some fun times back in '99, and some great things to look forward to this weekend.
Back in '99, I was ask by Brad Jansen, of the NFL to create the key art for the big game that year. It was being held at the Georgia Dome in Atanta, so the theme was going to be Georgia Peaches. It wasn't known at the time that I painted it, who the contestants were going to be, but lucky for me, it turned out t be the Rams from St. Louis, and the Tennessee Titans.The months before the game, while I was painting the piece, my favorite player at the time, Walter Payton had passed away. Without the Art Director knowing, I slipped in an homage to him, by painting his jersey number into the peach tree in the back left. #34 is visible on a larger print, in the negative light areas within the leaves.
The other interesting thing is that Kurt Warner, this weekends QB for Arizona, was the wining quarterback back then for the Rams. He was a local product for us Midwesterners, in that he graduated from Nortthern Iowa and before he got a shot at playing in the big leagues, he was tearing it up in Arena Football.
Superbowl 34 was played on January 30, 2000, and the Rams preserved a vistory with a stop on the 1 yard line with 6 seconds remaining. I just hope this weekend's game plays out as well for him and his Cardinals. He's a great role model that always gives credit to God, and his savior Jesus, before any interview. The world needs more players like him.

Thanks Frank, for reminding me of some good times.

"Lemons and an Orange" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

I've been really impressed with work that I have seen on the web, of artists who paint dramatically lit still lifes. I ran across this shot of lemons and an orange and thought that I wanted to join the party. As an illustrator, you're trained to push color for appetite appeal, but as a fine artist it's more about mood that carries a painting. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Tahoe Peak" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have only a few locations to choose from when it comes to Lake Tahoe. We arrived there by the 3rd of November in 2007, but they had already closed all the campgrounds on the lake's shore for the winter. Good thing to know unless you have a lot of time and don't mind hiking past the gates. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Superstition Gully" 11"x 14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

Last May I took a third trip out to "The Lost Dutchman's Mine", state park on the east side of the Phoenix valley. I hiked a few miles closer to the face of these mountains but soon found out I should have stuck to the trails. The thorns and bugs rule the range in all these gullies that have been created around the slopes of this park. Click on the image for a larger view.

"November Sagebrush" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

While driving down from Lake Tahoe in November of '06, we drove southward through the Owen's Valley on the western side of California. I've painted four more pieces from that drive and I can't wait for May, in just four months, when I get to drive through there again. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Into the Sun" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-26T01:30:00.000-08:00

It's back to landscapes and trying to paint water. It's always a challenge because you don't want to paint every ripple, but at the same time you need to catch the effect of that particular color and activity of the surface without it standing out as unfinished, or overworked. Keeping it somewhat lose and sketchy helps to get the impression. Click on the image for a larger view.

"A Watermelon Slice" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

To change things up a little, I decided to paint a still life for a change. Kind of an odd choice though because this is really a summer favorite. It looked like too much fun to pass up painting again though. Click on the image for a larger view.

"A Downpour Over There" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

If I remember right, this was a scene I stopped and shot in southern Colorado. We were driving back home to South Dakota and it must have been in the warmer months because we never went through Denver in the winter. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Lemons on Wood" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-21T18:01:00.000-08:00

I've been having a lot of fun painting landscapes, but I thought it might be time to do a still life for a change. Knowing that I've overdone the orange theme lately, I dug into my files for some lemons that I shot a couple of years ago. Click on the image for a larger view.

"In the Spot Light" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

This scene was painted from shots taken at Lake Tahoe in November of '08. The campsites were all closed for the winter so my access to the lake shore was limited. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Resting Place" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Last year when I hiked up to Hidden Falls in Jackson, I constantly looked for nice rocks to stop, sit, and take a look around and appreciate all the silence. Only in the middle of the night here in Phoenix does it ever get that quiet. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Winter Grand" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to imagine the amount of time it took for these shapes and masses of rock to form to the images they are today. Unless there's an earthquake of huge proportions, I can't imagine them ever changing. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Peach Colored Cliffs" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-16T01:58:00.000-08:00

I had one more image of northern Arizona to paint before I dig into my Grand Canyon reference. I'm not big on huge dramatic sunsets, but I do enjoy the "Golden Hour" when the sun is low and it drenches the landscape with yellows, reds, and crimsons. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Shaded Foothills" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

One more painting from Jackson before I move on to something new. I've been wanting to do something from the Grand Canyon so I'll start searching through my reference. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Teton Peaks Above" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Jackson, Wyoming sets at the foot of the Grand Tetons. It's a popular ski location and is home to many ranch owners with large stables of horses used for pleasure and to tend their cattle herds. Click on the image for a larger view.

"What a Butte" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-12T20:20:00.001-08:00

I painted this butte once before but could help but want to try it again. I liked the atmospheric perspective of the distant mountains against the hazy foreground butte, which is really hard to try to make it look as large as it is without having something else in the scene as a point of reference. In this scene al I had were the small sagebrush to show a relationship. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Muddy Waters" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Checking through my reference I found this muddy stream that I stopped to photograph somewhere in Southern Utah, if I remember right. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Spring Rain" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

What's great about painting these scenes is that I get to relive these trips that we took over the last 4 years. This scene was from one trip through southern Wyoming where we didn't have the best traveling weather but it turned out to be great for capturing the stormy side of the west. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Zig Zag Stream" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have painted this stream from a few different angles now. It was a great find for me as we were driving north from Rock Springs, Wyoming towards Jackson. By best guess is that it's about 50 miles south of Jackson in some wide open farm country. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Evening on the Lake" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by another daily painter, Don Gray to get back into some snow scenes. Although I haven't seen snow in more than a year, I do miss it, but not being in it. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Broken Aspen" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2009-01-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

The pastures around the Tetons in Jackson Wyoming are some of the most interesting settings I have ever experienced. I need to make another trip up there for some new reference. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Three of a Kind" 6" x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

The oranges are finally ripe here in Seville. At least I think they are because I saw a group of field workers collecting oranges from some local groves in the area. I'm hoping the oranges are free to members here, otherwise we may owe someone a lot of money. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Lost in the Woods" 9"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Back in 2006, I took a trip to Seattle, Washington and on the way, I stopped in Yellowstone National Park. I was lucky to get pretty close to a really good looking buffalo. I say good looking n relation to the classic buffalo you see on the nickel, not like most of the other buffalo I saw on that trip. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Grain Elevator" 6'x12' (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-15T18:38:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I miss this place. When I lived back there, the winter was always the most uninspiring place to to look for things to paint. Now that I live in a place that never gets snow I forget about the times when you had four seasons a year, and extreme ones at that. As I create this post, the temperature is -5 degrees, and that doesn't factor in wind chill. Any breeze at all and it could be -20. I really don't miss it anymore. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Foggy Trail" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Im looking for simple compositions and limited color ideas and just by luck this landscape really fit the bill. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Moonlight on the Mountains" 6"x12" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

One of my genre of paintings are nocturnes or paintings "of the night". You have to take liberties with the values and colors unless you do happen upon a place where the moon and the stars light up the landscape like they did on this meadow somewhere near Jackson Wyoming. My camera didn't capture the light as well as I did here, but that's because I'm not a very good photographer. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Basket of Berries" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

There's a funny story that goes with this painting. It was the last piece I did for auction before my son Jobey and his family came out for a short stay, the week after Thanksgiving.
I knew I wasn't going to do any work for the rest of weekend so I just let this piece just dry on the easle. I think it was the second morning when we found Micah, their oldest at just about 4 years old, had decided he was going to take a stab at painting like his Poppa. He didn't do too bad actually. Covered a lot of my studio in just 10 minutes, along with this painting here. I would have taken photos of everything but Jobe and Katie were upset and I was trying not to laugh everything off.
Micah definately knows better now to not try to pant without adults around, but I have to admit I felt just as guilty not making sure our house was safe for little ones. We really got lucky in that the one bottle used the most for paint wa a bottle of Cobalt Drier, which is the only product I use that has the old skull and crossbones on the label. It's scary to think that he could have just as easily tasted it instead of spread it. We really got lucky there. I need to quickly repaint areas because the auction finishes i just 4 hours. I'll let the winner decide if it looks close enough to the original to keep it. Click on the image for a closer view.

"Chocolate Eclair" 8"x10" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

Continuing to look for still lifes this week, I dug into old reference where I found a Chocolate Eclair from way back in '06. I painted my first one back then with the Eclair on a plate with a cup of coffee. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Oranges in Glass" 11"x14" (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have a few more interesting bowls and props that I'm looking forward to using with more oranges. Click on the image for a larger view.

"Flaky Danish" 11x14 (Click here to bid on eBay)

2008-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get back into some still lifes and my favorites to paint are my favorites to eat. I found some really flaky danish in a box. Click on the image for a larger view.