Pastoral Reverie III

Pastoral Reverie III - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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My favorite part of this series has been the many various shapes the trees create. The hazy smoke simplified them to basic outlines, and the groupings created very interesting patterns.

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.

Winter Calm

Winter Calm - Oil on Panel - 6x6

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A cold winter fog was cast over Bateman Island while I was taking a walk. I kept looking and looking for something that spoke to me, and then I turned around and saw this bend in the trail and the beautiful colors in the trees. Who knows what I would have painted had I not turned  around, but I'm glad I did!

Peace in the Foothills

Peace in the Foothills - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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I've been sorting through the thousands of photos I've taken over the year, looking for the ones that bring out the same feeling of the day they were taken. The cut wheat fields and foothills to the Blue Mountains are hallmarks of the Walla Walla, WA area. When I visited the air was thick with smoke from distant wildfires, making the distant trees bluer than they normally would be.

Down the Gorge IV

Down the Gorge IV - 6x6 - Oil on panel

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The view from the top of the Rowena Crest along old Hwy 30 provides the final scene for my Columbia River Gorge series. The Columbia River rolls 800 feet below.

Down the Gorge III

Down the Gorge III - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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As I drove down the Columbia River Gorge the corridor turns from wooded hills to cheat grass covered desert. The weather system of fog and light snow followed behind me, casting a beautiful atmosphere over the landscape!