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!

Walla Walla Summer

Walla Walla Summer - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

On a cold winter rainy day nothing quite beats reliving road trips through the Walla Walla countryside!

Walla Walla Skies

Walla Walla Skies - 6x8 - Oil on Panel

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Capturing the building clouds over the Blue Mountains is something I could probably do forever and not get tired of! Anyone in the Walla Walla Valley will be able to tell this painting was done a couple months ago, as wildfire smoke has been hazing the view of the foothills for quite some time now.

McNary Sunrise II

McNary Sunrise II - Oil on Linen Panel - 5x7

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These beautiful sunrises have been the prelude to very hot days here in Eastern Washington. Today we had some stiff gusts of wind which hopefully will be blowing in cooler weather for the week!

Turning - Plein Air painting

Turning - Oil on Panel - 6x6

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During the early fall I was able to stop in the gravel parking lot of an abandoned church or schoolbuilding in the Walla Walla countryside. There was a beautiful poplar tree turning gold only on top, with its lush summer green leaves left on bottom. Pair it up with the always welcome Blue Mountain foothills and it made for an irresistible scene!

Saddle Mountain Snow

Saddle Mountain Snow - Oil on Canvas Panel - 6x8

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Despite being seasonally appropriate, this picture is really from last winter after a decently heavy snow blanketed the local desert ridgelines. Sometimes you have to sit with a scene for a while before you know what to do with it!

Fast and Loose Foothills

Fast and Loose Foothills - 5x7

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Nothing like a strict time limit to bust you out of a seemingly never ending artistic rut! I haven't been inspired to do any small ones lately, and none of my plein air work for the past month has seemed to work. But I saw some clouds out today and though I only had a half hour or so to work I wanted to paint them! When I got the little sketch back home I didn't want to mess with the spontaneous brushwork, I kinda liked it!

Winter Wetland

Winter Wetland - Oil on Canvas Panel - 6x8

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I loved seeing Rattlesnake Mountain out behind the Yakima Delta wetlands. The skies were a little hazy near the horizon, but the sky was still blue and the sun was out. No complaints here!

Cottonwood Road

Cottonwood Road - 5x7 - Oil on Canvas Panel

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I think it's a federal law that EVERY town must have a Cottonwood Road. This particular Cottonwood Road is on the outskirts of Walla Walla, Washington. While driving along the road you pass vineyards and wheat fields and half a dozen farmers all waving and smiling. It's a fantastic drive!

Summers Veil - Plein Air

Summers Veil - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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It's that time of year again, distant wildfires are sending their smoke up our way to create a really interesting haze toward the end of the day. Aside from the adrenaline and hazard pay I think the thing I miss most about fighting wildfires is the astounding sunsets they always bring. The best I can do now is enjoy the unique lighting and the memories the smell brings back!

This was painted en plein air along the Columbia River, looking to the west to Rattlesnake Mountain.

Pikes Peak Under Blue Skies

Pikes Peak Under Blue Skies - 5x7 - Oil on Gessobord

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Pikes Peak is a somewhat prominent point in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, near Walla Walla, Washington. Being at a higher elevation than my hometown, the area stays greener longer than the ridges around Tri-Cities. In late morning light, the distant blue trees really set off the green ground cover; for a second I could enjoy the collision of pastoral fields and wild hillside while forgetting the awful suburban sprawl slowly making it's way to the mountains.

Drive Through

Drive Through - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

Click To BidI've been playing lately with color combinations I'm not used to, trying to push the colors a bit more. I think I like the result! I drove through this storm the other day, I just love the way distant rain falls,

Baldy Summit

Baldy Summit - Oil on Panel - 6x6

Click Here to BidWe may not have high snow covered peaks like those found in the Cascades, but this simple scene in the Yakima Hills really caught my eye. It was leaning toward evening, and the light had taken on a warm cast. This type of lighting seems to be a huge challenge for me, so I'm very pleased with how the thing turned out! Baldy Summit is the highest point in Umptanum Ridge, this is a view of it from the north east.

Clouds Over the Hay

Clouds Over the Hay - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

Click to BidWe've been getting some variable spring weather the past few days: wind, rain, sun, you name it! So the clouds have been fantastic. The hay had just been cut and was in long rows, creating a view I really wanted to paint!

Clouds Over Rattlesnake

Clouds Over Rattlesnake - Oil on Carton Paper - 6x8

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This plein air sketch was done while I spent the afternoon watching clouds tumble past Rattlesnake Mountain, blown hard by the wind! I experimented with Guerrilla Painter's Carton paper, which turned out to be a really great surface! Very lightweight, and I like the even matte finish the paint takes on it.

Move Along

Move Along - Oil on Panel - 6x6

Click Here to BidThe name of this cloud painting comes from the fact that I couldn't keep up painting these clouds! I would get a sketch down and BAM! The clouds were long gone. I think that challenge is one of the alluring things about plein air painting, nature never makes it easy!

Rain Passes By

Rain Passes By - Oil on Canvas Panel- 5x5

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This was an exercise in capturing some of the tumultuous weather we've been experiencing recently! This little burst of rain was so interesting as it passed by the Rattlesnake Hills north of Richland! I've been so used to working on smooth gessoed panels and linen boards recently that it was a bit of a surprise just how much the texture of the canvas shows through!

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.