Rural Greys

Rural Greys - Oil on Linen Panel - 4x6

This stately Russian Olive caught my eye while I drove through the countryside on a grey afternoon!

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day - 8x10 - Oil on Linen Panel

It may have been summer, but on Sauvie Island in Portland, Oregon the clouds were a bit overbearing. I didn't mind too much though, because the grey skies have a way of bringing out the color in a landscape, especially this field of sunflowers!

This plein air piece was started in the field and I just recently finished it indoors!

Frenchtown Farmland

Frenchtown Farmland - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

I found this scene in the Walla Walla countryside near the Frenchtown Historic Site. There are lots of picturesque fields nearby with some interesting out buildings that turned out to be very paintable! I wanted to challenge myself to put more structures in a scene than I normally would, and I like the result.

Home for Bees

Home for Bees - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

 Most of the farms along the Walla Walla River don't have much bee activity right now, but the little shelters are still out in the fields catching the afternoon light in such a picturesque way!

Summer Pastoral

Summer Pastoral - Oil on linen Panel - 5x7

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I know I've painted this exact hillside outside of Walla Walla probably a dozen times, but it never gets old! Every season and every day it seems to take on a new face. On this summer day I was really captivated by the mass of tall clouds building up over the hills.

I'll be painting as part of the Plein Air Pacific Northwest show this upcoming week in Hood River, Oregon, it is worth a visit if you are in town!! There are spectacular nationally known artists participating and the work is always outstanding. Here are some of the pertinent details:

Owens Valley Cottonwoods IV

Owens Valley Cottonwoods IV - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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The trees just weren't enough, I had to throw in some fences to spice things up!

Clustered Elms

Clustered Elms - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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This grove of elms is just off a highway I travel along regularly; I love passing it at different times and seeing how the light transforms it throughout the day. This particular scene was lit by the hot light of the afternoon!

Poplars

Poplars - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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I think I let out all my creativity on the painting, and didn't have any left to come up with a clever name! This was a beautiful sunlit stand of poplars out in the country. The trees out in the rural areas have really been catching my eye lately!

Manastash Winter - Kittitas Valley Landscape Painting, Ellensburg, Washington

Manastash Winter - Oil on Linen Board - 5x7

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This view is looking toward the formidable Manastash Ridge, part of the Yakima Fold Belt of eastern Washington for all you geology nerds. What spoke to me in this scene was the peaceful farmlands, which in a few short weeks will be bursting with tiny sprouts, as the last few breathes of winter held on to the Kittitas Valley. The ridgeline seemed to be guarding the quiet acres outside of Ellensburg.

Pastoral Reverie V

Pastoral Reverie - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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Happy New Year!! Here's my first daily painting of the year, and the final Pastoral Reverie painting. The shape of the poplars was really interesting to me, and the whole composition felt very grounded and peaceful.

Pastoral Reverie II

Pastoral Reverie II - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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A peaceful summer day leans toward dusk, with the thick smell of smoke from distant fires coloring the sky.

This series has me missing summer. Here in the Tri-Cities we've had about 3-4 inches of snow today, which makes for a wonderful white Christmas and all, but I could do without the cold!

Pastoral Reverie I

Pastoral Reverie I - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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Smoke rolls into the Columbia Basin from fires in the mountains, blanketing the farm lands in a thick, warm haze. The landscape becomes more intimate, more simplified, and allows one to slip into a reverie.

Over the summer here in Washington State we had several major forest fires burning at once. All that smoke sank down into my home, the Columbia Basin. Even though it's been two years since I fought wildfires, the smell of smoke still gave me an adrenaline rush and dreams of the paycheck  a 120 hour work week brings in. 

But this summer I had to content myself with taking pictures, and enjoying the unique atmosphere the smoke gives to the acres of farmland around the Tri-Cities. Less adrenaline, but still quite a bit of enjoyment. I love the way smoke simplifies the shapes of everything, and gives such a peaceful and warm cast over the land.