There are some upcoming shows in California that I might enter...so I went through work done earlier this year ..when we were in Napa and then Carmel Valley. Here is a little painting made near Petaluma. Think I will enter this...without any touch up in the studio!

How many galleries have mini shows in December. Ours certainly does...so I was busy today (the weather is miserable) painting away. I have clustered 4 small ones in one photo...none of them is larger than 3" x 4"....had to pull out some smaller brushes! Will actually mat them, and frame them in larger frames. I saw this done by an artist in Joseph, Oregon and it was very effectivel.

A few days ago my friend Vivian and Laura Jo and I decided to paint the poplars near the lower bridge on the Deschutes before the leaves dropped....what a glorious day. Today, I finished the sky in my studio...and it is ready for a winter mini show. (I do have one "acquaintance" that claims that even one brushstroke added to a painting in the studio, disqualifies it...But unfortunately some yellow from the poplars had not dried and moved into the sky..so today I rectified that problem. I think I will not disclose that fact to this extremely "earnest" plein air painter!)

I love nocturnes...and when we were driving back to Central Oregon the other night, the distant light from a modest farm house captured my imagination...luckily I never travel without my camera. So of course this is a studio painting. Sometime...probably not this winter...I am going to attempt some nocturne plein air paintings. They say this can be done with a headlamp, and warm clothes...we will see.

Some new friends were coming over for dinner...but before they came I saw the most perfect lights on a distant view of the Deschutes canyon from our front window. Camera in hand I gathered future reference material. When the friends arrived, they said, "You must photograph the sky right now, it is so like your paintings." Yep!

Again, another painting inspired by the trip earlier this week to Hart Mt. This area in the southern most part of central/eastern Oregon is so beautiful Dry, alkaline lakes...some dead lakes...vast expanses of uninhabited land. I am really in my element. We even saw a badger!

We camped earlier this week at Hart Mt. (The fact that it was cold and rainy may have contributed to me getting a cold!) Despite howling,60 mph. winds and rain, the evening before had a wonderful sunset. I took many photos as the scene changed momentarily. So I have a lot of reference material for winter, studio painting. This is the first...

Smith Rocks, a world famous climbing area is only about 10 miles from my property. I have attempted to paint it many, many times...but never been happy with the results. The pointed verticals work against composition...and there is one famous view that every Central Oregon painter tackles...so even a great painting of that area runs the risk of being a cliche. Last winter I climbed around the area, camera in hand. But one of my favorite views was one from across a pasture...the light was absolutely astounding. So about the incentive...one of our patrons (at Tumalo Gallery) happened to mention that she has been looking for paintings of Smith Rock. That was enough to nudge me to start a series. This is #1 in what will be a small series. Listening to the client is not a bad thing!

Since I completed a cloud series last year I haven't done much work with skies, but the other afternoon there was the most dramatic light out our front window...hence this little pochade. The light here is absolutely breathtaking!