Daily Art West

Loaded Brush

2012-02-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

This one was fun. Might lead to a series. Or not...we'll see.

Road to High Valley

2012-02-15T00:11:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

There's a wonderful grove of golden willows in this small canyon. Even in winter the yellow-orange limbs light the trees up like autumn foliage.

I've posted several new paintings to my other blog. Take a look: http://dongraypaintings.blogspot.com.

Fox Hill

2012-02-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6.5" x 11"
$250 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I flushed this Golden Eagle from a nearby deer carcass when I drove up Fox Hill yesterday. He flapped his big wings and drifted a short distance away, then hunched on the hillside and eyed me like the intruder I was.

Many find this time of year depressing and drab, but for me the diffused light and muted colors of winter have an austere and subtle kind of beauty. It's easier to imagine this land before people. The snow-dusted mountains shrouded in shifting fogs feel wild and mysterious.

Word as Image

2012-02-09T01:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a wonderfully creative video by graphic designer Ji Lee and friends:

Fitch

2012-02-08T01:47:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

This is a big old China bristle brush called a scenic or signwriter's fitch. the term "fitch" refers to the flaring angle of the brush hairs, which come from the backs of Chinese hogs. Which means whenever I use it I'm painting high on the hog.

Driftwood Shore

2012-02-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 8"
$165 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Here's an encore of a painting done in 2010. This is Rockaway Beach, on the Oregon coast. Lots of interesting driftwood at Rockaway.

Home Sweet Home

2012-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I figure something's got to be living in there, right?

New Website!

2012-02-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Check out www.dongraystudio.com to see my brand new re-designed and updated webpage. You'll see current and earlier paintings in both realist and contemporary styles, as well as examples of some of the murals I've done all over the country. I'm able to manage the site myself, so I'll be able to keep it updated with new work. Let me know what you think.

And remember, you can always access my website from the sidebar links on this blog, just under the signup form.

www.dongraystudio.com

Sunlit Trunk

2012-01-31T22:56:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

The beautiful branching structure of this red maple really shows up in leafless winter.

Side Door

2012-01-31T00:08:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Up the street less than a block from my studio is "The Little White Church", one of the oldest buildings in Union, Oregon, built in 1874. I'm not sure if it ever housed other denominations, but it served the Catholic community for many years until a larger modern building was built. The nave portion of the church was built in a hexagonal half-circle.

Today the building belongs to the Union County Museum and is lovingly maintained as a vital part of the town's history.

New work on my other blog

2012-01-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

Innerverse
Oil on cradled board, 14.5" x 14.5"
$700 plus $15 shipping
Email for purchase

Two new paintings and several new monotypes are posted to my contemporary blog. Monotypes are one-of-a-kind hand-pulled prints, made by painting with etching inks on glass and then transferring the image onto paper. Go have a look: http://dongraypaintings.blogspot.com.

PS: When you see the header on the blog, don't worry--your eyes aren't going bad. It's gone all fuzzy--I have no idea why.??

Lattice Roof

2012-01-24T23:35:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 8"
$165 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I was in Hawaii last night. Okay, not physically in Hawaii. I was there virtually, thanks to Google Earth and Google Street View.

Here's the trajectory that took me there: the other day I posted my California ocean/surfer painting, which got me thinking about the beach and warmer climes. Then yesterday there was the news of an earthquake in Hawaii that rattled the town of Hilo. Having never been to Hilo, I decided to open Google Earth and pay a visit. This is the coolest program; if you don't use it you are missing out, in my opinion. It's a free download that allows you to roam virtually anywhere on earth, floating above cites and mountains, which are 3D images generated by aerial photography. The street view feature allows you to literally drop down to ground level and travel on highways and roads, with a 360 degree photographic view of everything around you which is constantly changing, just as if you were driving down the street.

Think of how much information--how many billions of pixels--must be stored to allow me to ramble down any random street in Hilo, looking in shop windows. Every building, every passing car or pedestrian, every blade of grass, every swaying palm in photographic range is 3D digitized and held in computerized memory. And this in just one tiny place. They've done this all over the world. Astonishing!

Today, basking in memories of my one-night Hawaiian vacation and still searching for some virtual warmth, I re-visited photos from our years of living in southern California. The result: this painting of clay pots and enameled teakettle sunning themselves on our Murrieta patio.

The Wild Cat

2012-01-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 12.5" x 20.5"
Sold
Click image to enlarge

Here's the earlier painting of the cat in yesterday's post. This one was done in 2007.

The Survivor

2012-01-23T00:51:00.000-08:00

Watercolor on archival paper, 7" x 8"
$185 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

There is a wild black tom cat that has roamed our area for years. He's very wary--when he has passed through our yard I've never been able to get closer than about 30 feet away. I did a larger painting of him several years ago, which I'll post when/if I can locate the darn file. Every now and again I see him out in the fields, hunting for mice under the snow. Always alone, sleek and beautiful, it's obvious he knows very well how to take care of himself. A true survivor.

WE'RE DOWNSIZING!
*Please note: I have modified the painting size and price since first posting this. I thought the painting size was 8" x 9"--turns out it's 7" x 8", so price goes down accordingly. The lesson I hope I've learned: don't rely on faulty memory...double-check!

Offshore Layer

2012-01-21T02:13:00.000-08:00

Oil on gallery wrap stretched canvas, 18" x 24"
$1700, free shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge
SOLD

Here's one for all you folks in the northern climes who might be experiencing a touch of the winter blues right now. I painted this in late 2007, shortly before our move back to Oregon from California. Our home was about a half-hour from the coast, so we went there often. I'm not a surfer (except for one misguided attempt which you can't make me talk about) but I loved watching them from the beach.

Have a great weekend, wherever you are.

Out Back

2012-01-18T21:39:00.000-08:00

Oil on stretched canvas, 8" x 10"
$300 plus $12 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

Our backyard, looking properly January-ish now.

World of White

2012-01-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

It has been an unusual winter in these parts. After a two-month hiatus, snow has at last arrived on the valley floor. Winslow was a little bewildered by the sudden transformation of his world.

Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled.
~ Author Unknown

The Outsider

2012-01-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I had fun doing this still life. The apple's apparently on the outs with his citrus buddies.

I may have left the wrong impression with my last post about coyotes. I'm wary because I've seen their capabilities, but that doesn't diminish my love for these amazing animals. Maybe part of that admiration is precisely because they are so maligned--such underdogs (pardon the pun), surviving in spite of monumental efforts to destroy them. They are wild animals, an integral part of the natural world, simply doing what instinct and survival demand of them. I think it would be a great loss if they could no longer be glimpsed loping through the sage, or if their night songs were forever silenced.

Stealthy Traveler

2012-01-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 8" x 8"
$250 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A coyote ghosts over the high sage country at dusk. These animals are true survivors. Despite decades of wholesale efforts in the west to reduce their numbers by shooting, trapping or poisoning, they continue to thrive. Like them or not, coyotes deserve a measure of admiration for sheer tenacity.

Some personal experiences with these wild dogs have earned my respect, along with a fair measure of wary uneasiness. Once, years ago, I sat alone on a rocky ledge in a remote northern Arizona canyon. It was a hushed and brilliantly sunlit fall morning. The only sound: an occasional throaty croak from a lone raven drifting in lazy circles high above.

Suddenly, a series of loud, bleating cries echoed through the canyon. On a far ridge, darting in and out of clumps of juniper and pinon, a full-grown deer ran at breakneck speed, chased bound for bound by a lone coyote. They quickly dropped out of sight and the canyon fell silent again.

A minute later the pair burst into sight in the canyon bottom, much closer now and heading my way. At a point maybe 50 yards below me, the much smaller animal leaped on the exhausted doe, jaws clamping in a choking grip on her neck. The two stood locked in a motionless struggle for tense seconds. Finally, the deer slumped to the ground, dead.

I sat there, stunned. Didn't coyotes hunt in packs? I never imagined a single one could take down an apparently healthy animal at least four times its weight. It was shocking and profoundly unsettling. At the same time it felt like a rare privilege to witness this raw act of nature.

I can never look at coyotes the same way again.

Multicolored Leaf

2012-01-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Another old-timer that's been in the studio since last fall. I love all the subtle variations in color.

Still Green

2012-01-10T01:05:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A few of the leaves I picked up in autumn are still around the studio. It's been interesting to watch the changes they've gone through. Some are brown and withered. Others have turned into pastel versions of the golds and russets of fall. This one, though fragile and dry as paper, still retains some of its original green. You could say it has aged well. Probably for this leaf, age is just a number.

All to Himself

2012-01-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 12" x 12.25"
$550 plus $15 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A larger painting today. These are the foothills and mountains we see out our front windows. So far this winter the white stuff has stayed up high--no snow has fallen here in the valley for over a month. Most unusual.

Baby Moccasins

2012-01-06T01:44:00.000-08:00

Acrylic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I rent the top floor of the Union County Museum for my studio. These tiny child's moccasins are part of their collection. They're quite old, probably late 1800's. The soft kid leather is still flexible. The uppers of black patent leather are brittle now and cracking in places, but still very shiny. Painting them made me wistful about the march of time. I dreamed of the child who wore these, now long gone from this world. I hope he or she had a good life.

Mt. Emily from the Marsh

2012-01-03T23:57:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Ladd Marsh is a protected area of several thousand acres in northeast Oregon's Grande Ronde Valley, where I live. It is a managed habitat for wetlands birds and many other animals. Mt. Emily is the valley's most recognizable feature.

A Pheasant Afternoon

2012-01-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 7" x 8 5/8"
$250 plus $10 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Happy New Year! May 2012 bring much joy and contentment to all.

A larger painting today. This Chinese Pheasant rooster is helping me ring in the year. When I was a kid my dad took me hunting for these exotic-looking birds. These days I'm content to just admire their beauty. I was never much danger to them anyway. Usually the pheasants would run ahead, hidden in the tall grass until they were far out of shotgun range before flying away.

Valley Sundown

2011-12-29T00:06:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

We had a wonderful time with our kids and grandkids in Portland over Christmas. After eating too much good food and lazing around my daughter's house for several days, I feel like a giant sloth slowly lumbering back to my studio routines.

Chow Line

2011-12-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

Angus cattle follow a feeding line of hay--a pretty typical wintertime sight all across the rural west.

This will be my last post for a week or so, as we'll be spending holiday time with family and I'll be away from the easel. Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

The Pony Barn

2011-12-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

This great old octagonal building sits on the outskirts of town, a remnant of early-day Union. We call it "the pony barn". The starlings call it "home".

Green Roof

2011-12-21T23:41:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Since we don't have any snow yet, I had my set design team bring some in for this painting.

White Blanket

2011-12-21T01:34:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

The jury's still out on whether it will be a white Christmas in our neck of the woods. So far it's been a pretty mild winter, with no snow to speak of in the valley for a month or more. You have to head for the mountains to find the white stuff.

Season's Lament

2011-12-16T02:44:00.000-08:00

Charcoal and pencil on paper, 14" x 17"
$400 plus $15 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Here's a drawing from my alter ego--the Don Gray who does less literal, more imaginary kinds of images. Visit my contemporary blog to see three other new drawings from this series.

This kind of work happens in a way that is almost diametrically opposed to the realist approach. Instead of a pre-determined goal, they're begun with no real idea of where they will end up. I start by making some kind of mark, then respond to that with another, then another. The drawing or painting grows through an intuitive and random process of discovery. For me, working this way is a needed counterpoint to the more structured, analytical approach of realist painting.

Overcast

2011-12-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Rooftop pigeons on a quiet, cold and cloudy morning.

The Win Man

2011-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6.25" x 10"
$250 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Another of the many faces of Winslow. We call him "The Win Man" because he really does think he's a little man.

Tomato and Bowl

2011-12-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A couple of larger pieces are occupying my time in the studio right now. Meanwhile, here's a daily painted back in August of 2010. I loved painting the reflections on the stainless bowl, and the rich, saturated color.

I'd like to call your attention to this website: http://www.DansInspiration.com. It tells the story of a young art student named Daniel Lynch. In 2006 Dan was murdered while walking to class, in what police termed a case of mistaken identity. His family has found a way to create something positive out of this senseless tragedy by creating an art scholarship program in his name. There's also a book about Daniel and his legacy: http://www.danielsdream.webs.com/.

Please visit and contribute to the scholarship fund if you can. All you artists with blogs, please consider spreading the word for this worthy cause.

Cottonwood Trunk

2011-12-07T00:41:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

The stately Cottonwood is one of my favorite trees. The trunks of mature trees look like they were carved with a chisel.

Creek in December

2011-12-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

I've painted a number of variations in the past few years on this view from a bridge over Catherine Creek. With each one I try to reveal something different about the viewpoint and mood.

A Beautiful Film

2011-12-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

Filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg gives a short TED talk and screens a lovely film he made. If you've got ten minutes, take a look at this beautiful, inspiring video:

Water's Edge

2011-12-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

The wind stopped blowing for a while, and a walk with Winslow brought forth this painting.

Onion, Pepper and Bottle

2011-12-01T02:02:00.000-08:00

Oil on canvas panel, 8" x 6"
$180 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Framed: $220 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

Here's a painting from 2009, back for a second look. The piece is currently float-mounted and framed as seen above.

Sunlit Mesa

2011-11-29T00:16:00.000-08:00

Pencil on archival bristol paper, 7.75" x 11.25"
$85 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Posting the Sedona image yesterday got me reminiscing about our time living in the Southwest. I did this drawing today of the landscape near Lake Powell, in northern Arizona. There's something about that vast, dry land that speaks to my bones.

Two Tone Stone

2011-11-28T00:57:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I've been playing hooky from the easel for awhile. We've been remodeling our guest bath...need I say more? Like all good remodeling projects--it took way more time and effort than we thought it would. But we finished just in time. Our daughter and her beautiful family came from Portland for a post-Thanksgiving dinner. It was a great visit and, of course, it gave us some hugging time with our five month old grandson, Grayson. Lots to be thankful for.

Here's one from the archives, some amazing stone cliffs near Sedona, Arizona. We used to hike in these mountains when we lived a short drive away in Flagstaff.

Hope you had a wonderfulThanksgiving.

Curled Up

2011-11-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Winslow having sweet dog dreams.

Who's There?

2011-11-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 8.5" x 11"
$320 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A larger painting today. My internet friend, artist Deb Pero, recently suggested it might be time for another Winslow painting. I don't need much prodding to paint my great bud and constant companion.

Winslow has developed a new habit. On a recent visit with our little grandson he watched intently while we cradled Grayson in our arms, barely able to contain his jealousy. Back home Winslow decided he deserved the same treatment, since he was "our baby". He climbed into my lap and immediately threw himself backward so that I had to catch him in the crook of my arm. There he layed, all splayed out, perfectly content. This has become a nightly ritual.

Check out Deb's beautiful paintings here.

Leaf 7

2011-11-15T23:59:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

~ Robert Frost

Leaf 6

2011-11-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

I love how this leaf carries in its form the wind that blew it from the tree.

Riffle

2011-11-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 12" x 16"
$750 plus $15 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

There are a couple more leaf paintings to post, but for today here's a larger landscape. It was one of those rare and perfect Indian Summer days along the river, sunny with just the tiniest undertone of chill in the air. The season is moving on and I've got to face up to it (sniff), so this is probably the last of the larger fall paintings I'll be doing this year.

Leaf 5

2011-11-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

If I can let you go as trees let go
Their leaves, so casually, one by one,
If I can come to know what they do know,
That fall is the release, the consummation,
Then fear of time and the uncertain fruit
Would not distemper the great lucid skies
This strangest autumn, mellow and acute.
If I can take the dark with open eyes
And call it seasonal, not harsh or strange
(For love itself may need a time of sleep),
And, treelike, stand unmoved before the change,
Lose what I lose to keep what I can keep,
The strong root still alive under the snow,
Love will endure -- if I can let you go.

~ May Sarton, Autumn Sonnets

Leaf 4

2011-11-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

"The secret of seeing is to sail on solar wind. Hone and spread your spirit, till you yourself are a sail, whetted, translucent, broadside to the merest puff."

~ Annie Dillard

Leaf 3

2011-11-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Every leaf is unique...like people.

Leaf 2

2011-11-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

The maple, on her way out...

Leaf 1

2011-11-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Cold wax encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Cottonwood leaves have graceful Valentine heart shapes. I always collect a few leaves in fall and take them to the studio. I'd like to do a group of leaf paintings, hence the optimistic "1" in the title. I'm easily distracted, so we'll see.

Canyon Color

2011-11-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Oil and encaustic on board, 16" x 27"
$1750 plus $16 shipping in U.S.
Email me for purchase info
Click image to enlarge

The Grande Ronde River cuts through some rugged country before meandering out into our broad valley. In the canyon, stately cottonwoods glow against shadowed evergreens.

This is a larger cold wax encaustic just completed. One of the things I'm enjoying about working with this wax is how it stiffens the paint, providing some resistance to the brush. Compared to the smooth, slippery quality of oil, the paint "pushes back" a little. It's great for dragging one color over another.

Hidden Pond

2011-11-01T00:36:00.000-07:00

Encaustic on board, 6" x 9.75"
$170 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Another cold wax encaustic. I feel this leggy little painting somehow catches a bit of truth about the light and landscape here this time of year.

Afternoon Glow

2011-10-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

Encaustic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Happy Halloween!

Maybe it's the season--all those wax candles burning inside pumpkins-- that made me want to try this, my first encaustic painting. This ancient and durable painting method (there are beautifully preserved encaustic murals in the ruins of Pompeii) mixes refined beeswax with pigment.

In traditional encaustic technique, colors are kept warm on a hotplate, so that the wax is liquid when applied to the painting. In the method I used, called cold wax, the paint is applied without heat. I mixed the oils with Gamblin's Cold Wax Medium. It imparts a stiffness to the paint that is great for building up thick, painterly surfaces. A great discovery for me was the way finer lines like the light branches in this painting could be dragged across darker areas without sinking into the wet paint and losing crispness. The wax also imparts a rich, translucent vibrancy to the paint layers.

I'm having lots of fun exploring this new (to me) medium. And now you know where to send all your post-Halloween candle stubs!

Creekside Morning

2011-10-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

An autumn scene with water may be a cliche, but I don't care--it's a beautiful subject that I never tire of painting.

Email me if you'd like a print of this or any other painting on my blog.

Up the Lazy River

2011-10-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

We slipped away for a long weekend to visit family in Portland, so I'm just getting back up to speed with painting. It has been a beautiful fall here, but the cold nights lately are a reminder that autumn's colors will soon be gone. I spent yesterday soaking it all in along the Grande Ronde River--a gentle stream this time of year.

Here's the culprit for my absence from the easel lately--our four month old grandson, Grayson:

Now wouldn't you skip a few days of work for that face?

2011-10-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A door to our little barn. The double "Dutch" doors have been boarded together at some point. The facades of these old buildings undergo wear and tear and transformations over time that give them richer, more interesting personalities--just like people. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Below is a detail of one of the two new paintings I've posted on the contemporary blog. Click here to see them.

Nevada Rainbow

2011-10-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas panel, 6" x 8"
$150 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

The virtual journey continues with this scene, loosely based on the landscape near Ely, Nevada.

The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.

~ John Muir

Cedar Breaks

2011-10-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 4.75" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Another southwestern memory.

Dry Bend

2011-10-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 8" x 8"
$200 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Rummaging in a storage room yesterday I came upon a small box of things picked up on walks in the mid to late 1990's, when we lived in Flagstaff, Arizona. Little twists of juniper wood mingled with small stones, dried leaves, seed pods and the like. Most would take it for the nest of a packrat. I guess it is--I'm the rat and these are my treasures, each dusty item a talisman that transports me to another place and time.

A fragile little shard of dried mud, curled up at the edges. It brought me to this place: a turn in the dry bed of the Paria River in southern Utah on a hot August afternoon. Walking in the memory of moisture, my footsteps crackled like cornflakes on the parched clay--the noise startling in the absolute silence. It felt like no one else was on the planet.

The Oregonian in me had to resist brushing a cloud into that sky while painting this. But I wanted the spareness I remember about that land--the great vacuum of space--the clarity of light--the beautiful bare bones of the earth, self-contained, indifferent to human presence. My memory brings back many such cloudless days--a sky so intensely blue it was palpable. As if I might reach into it and grab handfuls of color.

A Remarkable Lemon

2011-10-13T00:44:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

Larger works are on the painting wall lately, which means the dailies are, well...not daily. Here's one from March of 2009 that's still floating around.

And here's a little video "tone poem":

Brush on Blue

2011-10-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

It's so satisfying using a brush to paint a brush. I especially like using brush hairs to paint brush hairs.

Had a fair turnout for the open studio Saturday. It was down in numbers from last year (a sign of the times, maybe) but I still sold some small paintings and quite a few prints. It was a relaxing day, since I had more time to visit with friends. Thanks to all who came by.

The Walk

2011-10-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 48" x 44"
Click image to enlarge
Email for purchase details

This large painting is one of the works on display at the Open Studio Saturday.

Open Studio this Saturday

2011-10-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

A reminder that the Grande Ronde Studio Tour is this Saturday, October 8th, 9AM to 5PM. Lots of artists in the valley are opening their workspaces for this free self-guided tour. Call 541-624-2800 for maps and details.

If you're within striking distance of northeast Oregon I hope you'll come visit my studio in Union. I'll have original dailies on display, as well as larger works and giclee prints. And don't forget to throw your name in the raffle box for a chance to win a beautiful framed print.

I'm upstairs in the Union County Museum--corner of Main and Center Streets. Follow the signs to enter on the Center Street side. It's always good to see old friends and make new ones...I'll see you there!

Clay Bank

2011-10-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

Pencil on archival paper, 6.5" x 12"
$80 plus $6 shipping
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Back to basics today with the most direct means of expression.

Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.
~ John Gardner

Wheeling Hawk

2011-10-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

One from the archives. This wonderful old octagonal building on the edge of town is called the "Pony Barn" It was built around 1900 by an early Union settler named Levy to house his Shetlands. Though it's seen better days, the building still retains its graceful lines.

Oct. 8th Open Studio

2011-09-29T02:13:00.000-07:00

The 6th annual Grande Ronde Studio Tour is coming up soon, on Saturday, October 8th. My studio in Union will be open to visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM. I've scanned the back of the tri-fold brochure above to give you all the basic information.

This year's event is bigger and better than ever, with 17 valley artists participating. Grab a brochure at the Union County Art and Culture Center, 1006 Penn Ave. in La Grande, and launch a free self-guided trek. Or if you want to leave the driving to professionals, sign up for one of the two bus tours being offered, complete with catered lunch and wine tasting for $39. But call 541-624-2800 pronto--you need to reserve your seat on the bus by this Saturday, the 1st. Word on the street is the bus tour folks last year had a blast.

I'm on the top floor of the Union County Museum, corner of Main and Center in Union...there'll be signs. (Note: there are three flights of stairs for your aerobic pleasure and, unfortunately, no disabled access.)

Be sure to get your name in the raffle hat at my studio. Near the end of the day I'll be giving away a free 20" x 16" signed print of "Shore of Stones", matted, framed and ready to hang over the couch. (Need not be present to win.) I'll be working on a painting or two, and you can watch me try to paint and talk--and maybe even chew gum--at the same time. See you there!

Shore of Stones
Signed giclee print

Day's End

2011-09-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

Our little barn again, in an evening mood.

Golden Willow

2011-09-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on board, 9" x 12"
Click image to enlarge
SOLD

It's still a beautiful early fall here--I'm not trying to hurry winter in with this painting. This piece was commissioned by a couple who used to live in the area and wanted a reminder of eastern Oregon winters. They had seen a painting of mine done many years ago and wanted something similar. While doing this painting I thought of that earlier work and kind of channeled my early Wyeth-like style a bit. It's pretty true to the look of winter in these parts, though.

Ace 2

2011-09-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 8.75" X 8"
$275 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Hmm...think I said enough about this subject in Monday's post, so I'll just shut up.

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.

~ Mikhail Baryshnikov

Russian Olive

2011-09-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 11.5" x 12"
$600 plus $12 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

This is a variation on a theme visited before with a couple of smaller daily-size paintings. It began as a demonstration study during my recent oil workshop and has been tweaked and re-worked almost every day since. I began with a panel that had an old painting of mine on it that I really disliked. I took revenge by sanding it down just enough to blur the imagery and eliminate brushstrokes. It made a nice toned surface to start anew.

Sidelong

2011-09-20T01:35:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 6" x 11"
$250 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

This painting was posted last spring, but I've done a little more work on it since, so here's the new and improved version.

Ace

2011-09-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 9" x 8"
$275 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

Paper or plastic? Some may not agree, but I think paper sacks are really interesting. Hear me out.

Paper sacks catch the light in ways somehow both simple and extraordinarily intricate. From an artist's standpoint, that alone is a really intriguing challenge. And talk about shape-shifters--they can be twisted, inflated, crumpled or torn into an unending variety of sculptural forms. Stand the humble bag up and it becomes almost architectural in its geometries. I'll go so far as to say there's a certain dignity expressed...stateliness, even. A whiff of mystery too--what's in there...or is it an empty void? What I'm trying to say is that this lowly object is every bit as worthy of artistic consideration as, say, Niagara Falls. Once you start really looking, paper sacks can hardly contain the imagination.

Here's another thing I find interesting: these days it's difficult to find a sack (or anything else, for that matter) that doesn't have advertising or some sort of message printed on it. In fact, the world of marketing is by now so embedded in our culture that for most of us it is nearly invisible--at least consciously. Subconsciously, we are awash.

In the painting I'm not passing judgement on this phenomenon--just observing it. In fact, I believe the color and graphic character of the text on the bag adds something to the piece. Any larger cultural implications I'll leave to the eye--and mind--of the beholder.

Pick Me

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 8" x 9"
$275 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

From coffee pots to coffee cans.

Bulltrout

2011-09-15T01:31:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on paper, 18" x 30" (approx.)
Collection State of Oregon
Click image to enlarge

Here's another rather poor photo of a painting from the mid-80's--the same era as "Eagle Cap". I'm the little Charlie Brown look-alike holding the fish; my father is in the background.

I was searching then for less-literal ways to paint--trying to find ways to combine representation and abstraction. Actually, that search still goes on.

Eagle Cap

2011-09-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 56" x 72"
Private Collection
Click image to enlarge

Monday's "Camp Coffee" post got me to thinking of another of my paintings in which a coffee pot makes an appearance. This large work goes way back to 1985. It's kind of an allegory of camping and the mountains, referencing a lot of personal experience and memories. I dug around and found this pretty poor photo of it, scanned from a slide. Click the image to enlarge for at least a slightly better sense of what the painting looks like.

The fire-blackened aluminum pot and frying pan were inherited from my parents. The canteen and hatchet date to my Cub Scout days. Granite rocks were gathered from one of our old camping spots and hauled to the studio to use as "models" for the painting. My dad appears at upper right; painted from an old family photo. The figure with a walking stick is Marshall, a longtime friend and hiking companion. The mountain is Eagle Cap, namesake of the spectacular Eagle Cap Wilderness near my home in northeast Oregon.

Camp Coffee

2011-09-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6.25" x 10"
$250 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

I grew up in a family that loved the outdoors. Many memorable days of my youth were spent up in the mountains camping, hiking into high lakes, fishing, etc. This enameled pot brings that all back to me. There was always a similar one sitting on a Coleman stove or balanced precariously on rocks at the edge of a campfire. When I close my eyes the aroma of camp coffee minglles with the scent of pines in the clear mountain air.

2011-09-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

This poem, though not specifically dealing with the tragedy of 9/11, seems somehow appropriate :

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
You must lose things,
Feel the future dissolve in a moment
Like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
What you counted and carefully saved,
All this must go so you know
How desolate the landscape can be
Between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
Thinking the bus will never stop,
The passengers eating maize and chicken
Will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
You must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
Lies dead by the side of the road.

You must see how this could be you,
How he too was someone
Who journeyed through the night with plans
And the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
Catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes any sense anymore,
Only kindness that ties your shoes
And sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
Only kindness that raises its head
From the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
And then goes with you everywhere
Like a shadow or a friend.

~ Naomi Shihab Nye

Pitcher Profile

2011-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 7.5" x 12"
$350 plus $12 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Hooray!--the new camera showed up today even earlier than expected. I played around with different settings a bit, photographing three new paintings. Results so far are encouraging. The photos required very little adjustment in Photoshop, and the detail capture and color is noticeably better than with my old camera.

The recent paintings are still lifes with bold, simple imagery. I'm pleased with how this one came out, with its silvery light and subtle color.

Help for Children and Fire Victims

2011-09-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sunlit Stream

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 14" x 10"
Click here to bid on this painting

This painting is being placed in the "Challenge of the Heart" auction at Daily Paintworks. The Challenge was set up by the owners of Daily Paintworks, the talented artist Carol Marine and her husband, David, to assist starving children in drought-stricken Africa. David is the programming wizard behind the website.

Tragically, on September 4th, Carol and David's home and studio burned to the ground in the terrible Texas wildfires. They were barely able to escape the fire with their young son and a few belongings. A close family friend has set up a fund to assist them as they begin to cope with their loss.

50% of the proceeds of the sale of this painting will go to the American Red Cross for African relief, and 50% to the fund to aid Carol and David. The winning bidder will receive documentation when the donations are made. I have set the starting bid for this 14" x 10" painting at a very low $75 to encourage bidding in this 7 day auction. The winning bidder can pay by check or through PayPal.

Please help if you can by bidding on this painting or visiting the Daily Paintworks Challenge to consider bidding on the works of the many other artists who are participating.

NOTE: The decision to split the proceeds between African relief and help for the Marine family was mine. Other artists in the Challenge may or may not be doing something similar.

Banana and Shells

2011-09-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 4.5" x 8"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

Last night was spent poring over cameras online, reading technical specs and pro and con reviews until my eyes crossed. The internet is wonderful because a world of information is at your fingertips; it's also overwhelming for the same reason. I finally committed and ordered a Canon G12, which I'm hoping will be here by Friday or Saturday. Of course it will take me another week of reading the manual to learn how to take a picture with it.

Today's painting from the archives is another Odd Couple...or maybe it should be called an Odd Trio. I loved developing this unusual design. There's a subtle, glowing light I especially like, set up by the semi-complementary colors of shadow and fruit.

Toothpaste and Shell

2011-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

I lost my camera, so it will be a while before I can post my newest paintings. How did I lose it?...I was afraid you'd ask.

Brenda and I decided to take a drive Sunday over the Hell's Canyon Loop, a backroads route through some of northeast Oregon's most rugged and scenic mountains. We arrived at the Snake River about noon, and had a pleasant lunch at a park overlooking the river. On leaving, while loading the cooler and assorted sacks into the back of the truck, I "temporarily" set the camera down on the back bumper...you know the rest of the story.

The camera wasn't missed until we reached the Hell's Canyon Overlook, way up in the mountains and some thirty miles from the river. Returning to hunt for it seemed pretty futile, and backtracking would have ruined our loop drive, so on we went. (Reminder to all: put your phone number and address on your camera--I didn't. Most of us who find a lost item will return it, if we know where to send it.)

So today's post from the archive is from the "Odd Couple" series. Odd Couples are still lifes where I deliberately set out to pair unlikely combinations of objects. This one is one of my personal favorites. It became especially fun to paint when I decided on the minty aqua color for the table. And I loved the pun created by the toothpaste's brand name. Simple things amuse me.

Oil Workshop Sept. 10-11

2011-09-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Lake's Edge
Oil on board, 10 5/8" x 12 3/4"
Private Collection

Sign up now to reserve a place in the oil painting workshop at my Union studio on September 10th and 11th. The focus will be on lots of individual attention, helping you take your art to the next level while having fun doing it. All levels of experience are welcome.

Call or email the Union County Art and Culture Center for details and signup: 541-624-2800. Email: ucartctr@eoni.com.

Lavender Garden

2011-09-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6" x 8"
$150 plus $7 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

When we lived in the southwest, xeriscape gardens were common around many homes. In fact, we removed the lawn of our Flagstaff home and replaced it with a garden of rocks, gravel and drought-tolerant plants. It was quite beautiful.

Even in Portland, where moisture is plentiful, these low-water gardens are increasingly popular. We came across this one while walking the dogs last weekend.

Metal Pitcher

2011-08-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on Yupo, 6" x 8.75"
$150 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

SOLD

I worked on a sheet of Yupo, a synthetic paper, to do this watercolor. The sheet was primed with a thin coat of gesso, which allowed a little more control in applying washes.

We made a quick trip to Portland last weekend to spend time with our two month old grandson Grayson and his family. Here he is, putting on the charm. Is he a cutie, or what?

Old Apple Limb

2011-08-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on Yupo, 7" x 11"
$180 plus $7 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

This wonderful old gnarled limb grows from a very old apple tree in our back yard. I duck under it every time I mow the lawn. This morning the light was hitting it just right and I knew what I wanted to paint today.

We are headed to Portland this weekend for a "new grandson fix". I'll be back to blogging early next week.

WORKSHOP A' COMIN'

In other news: I'll be teaching an oil painting workshop in my Union, Oregon studio on September 10th and 11th. If you can make it, I'd love to have you. It will be a relaxed environment with all levels of experience welcome. Contact the Union County Art and Culture Center (UCACC) for details: 541-624-2800. Email: ucartctr@eoni.com.

Patch of Blue

2011-08-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

Patch of Blue

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Tonight as I write this I hear low rumbles outside. Through the window, silvery glimmers of lightning flicker over distant hills while trees around the house swirl their leaves uneasily. Rain smell is in the air. We listen for the storm that may or may not arrive at our door

Steve

2011-08-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 12 3/8" x 16 1/4"
Not for sale
Click image to enlarge

My friend, fellow artist and all-round great guy Steve Sedam. We lived about a block apart in Murrieta, California. He was working then as an illustrator for the Los Angeles Times, and I was doing studio work and hopping all over the country to paint murals. We both left California within a month of one another. Steve, his wife and two young kids moved to Colorado, and we ended up back in Oregon. We keep in touch by email and phone and keep threatening to visit one another, but it hasn't happened yet. Soon, I hope.

Steve refurbished an old letterpress and he's been making some cool, retro-looking images. Check his website out: www.inkpopstudio.com.

Squash With Two Friends

2011-08-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 6.25" x 10"
$240 plus $9 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Brenda at the Coast

2011-08-19T00:33:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 20" x 16"
Not for sale
Click image to enlarge

Another new figurative work, this one of Brenda, my beautiful bride of 41 years, on a visit last year to the Oregon coast..

There are a couple of surefire ways to put a smile on Brenda's face. One is to spend time with kids and grandkids; the other is a trip to the beach. We'll be making a run to Portland soon for some more face time with our new grandson, and hopefully a coast trip will happen before the snow flies. So there should be lots of smiling going on.

I'm overwhelmed by all the well-wishes I've received on the blog and by email, regarding the Blick catalog cover. Thank you all for your supportive comments--I'm deeply touched.

Blick Catalog Cover

2011-08-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

My thanks to the folks at Blick Art Supply (www.dickblick.com) for honoring me by selecting one of my dailies, "New and Used #5", for the cover of their 2011-2012 annual catalog. I tried to play it cool, but must admit I was pretty excited when it showed up in my mailbox.

Maui Woman

2011-08-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 20" x 16"
$1600 plus $20 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A larger painting, not a daily today. I've been doing some figurative work lately, and just completed this piece. I saw this striking woman in Maui a couple of summers ago and knew immediately that I wanted to do a portrait of her expressive face. I snapped a couple of photos and the idea went on the back burner. Finally, here it is. I'm slow but steady.

Speaking of slow, you may have noticed that my so-called "daily" posts have slowed to one every three or four days or so, and that the sizes of the paintings vary more. After painting nearly a thousand of the little guys, I'm feeling the need to change routines and shake up the pattern a bit. The 5 x 7's and 6 x 6's will continue to appear--but they'll be interspersed with works of larger sizes. And the number of posts per week will be more relaxed--at least for a while.

I taught a watercolor workshop over the weekend at the Pendleton Center for the Arts. They were a good-humored bunch and we all had to learn to paint while laughing. If anyone's interested in being on the notification list for future workshops in oil, acrylic, or watercolor, drop me an email. I'm even toying with the idea of doing one in Maui. Anyone interested?

Cottage Kitchen

2011-08-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Cottage Kitchen

Oil on board, 8" x 8"
$275 plus $9 shipping in U.S.

SOLD

A cozy little corner of the Tieton cabin's kitchen. The magnetic knife rack was an interesting modern touch.

Grayson

2011-08-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

Pencil on archival paper, 9" x 12"
Not for sale

Grayson, our six-week old grandson, came to visit us over the weekend--his first big trip away from home. His great grandmother, aged 90, got to hold him--a special moment. He's beginning to smile now, so of course we all made fools of ourselves trying to coax a grin.

He met other family members, including his great aunt, at brunch on Sunday, and we all made over him again. He didn't seem too impressed--slept through most of it.

Grayson with grandma Brenda and great grandma Reta.

Summer Cottage

2011-08-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

Summer Cottage

Oil on board, 11" x 9"
$425 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

A larger painting today. I stayed in this cool little retro cottage while I was in Tieton making prints. Seattle jewelry artist Lori Talcott owns the cabins and kindly let me use one. Though carefully upgraded, the cottage still made me feel like I had traveled back in time to about 1955.

Last Sun, Yosemite

2011-08-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 9.75" x 6"
$200 plus $8 shipping in U.S.
Click image to enlarge

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Another Yosemite memory. I used this tall format to emphasize the overwhelming feeling of vertical height one experiences from the canyon bottom, with these great walls of granite looming overhead..

The Morning Shelf

2011-08-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Oil on board, 8" x 10"
$350 plus $10 shipping in U.S.
SOLD
Click image to enlarge

A larger painting today. This shelf is in the kitchen of the quaint little cottage I stayed in while printmaking in Tieton. It's stocked with everything needed to get your eyes open in the morning.

Bagged 2

2011-08-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Bagged 2

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

For check payment or other arrangements, email don@dailyartwest.com

Confession: I played hooky from the studio for several days while we made another trip to Portland to visit our new grandson. He's a little over a month old now and changing fast, as babies are known to do.

I'll be back up to speed in the studio soon. Meanwhile, here's an encore of a still life posted way back in May, 2008.

Etching Fever

2011-07-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on my week spent making etchings at Goathead Press, in Tieton, Washington. I'm grateful to the distinguished Seattle artists Bob and Fay Jones for giving me the opportunity to work at their print studio. I had never made an etching. They devoted the entire week to assisting me in learning the ropes. Their generosity, patience and sense of humor made it a relaxing, pressure-free time of "playing" with the media.

Fay and Bob Jones

In simplest terms, hard-ground etchings are created by scratching away a coating that has been applied to a metal plate (copper, in this case). The image is drawn on the plate with virtually any kind of sharp or semi-sharp tool. I ended up using a pencil most of the time. It's only necessary to scratch through the coating, not into the plate.

Once the drawing is complete, the plate is submerged in a bath of Ferric Chloride (a corrosive salt) for 40 minutes or more to etch the drawn lines into the plate. After cleaning the coating off, a layer of ink is applied, then carefully wiped away, leaving most of the ink in the recessed lines.

Bob with freshly inked plate.

The plate is placed on the press bed and covered with a sheet of dampened paper. As the plate moves through the press the ink is transferred to the paper. The exciting part is that you never know exactly what it will look like until the printed piece is turned over.

An etching plate by my longtime friend Karen Quint, inked and ready to go through the press.

I completed two etchings dealing with themes I've been exploring recently. The stones for me speak of unimaginable periods of time--meditations on duration. I think of them as representatives of the living earth. While appearing solid and unchanging, their reality--like everything on this planet--is one of ceaseless change. Like us, they'll someday be dust. It will just take longer.

The tumbling figure is borrowed from the pioneering work of the 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Muybridge created the first human and animal motion studies--a precursor of the motion picture. I began creating drawings and paintings based on his photos over twenty years ago and they still retain a poetic hold on my imagination. The sequential images are of course narratives of time. I think of the specific figure as a stand-in for self and, in a larger sense, a metaphor for humankind. The acrobat speaks of the risks and joys of life. He appears to have a measure of control, but the outcome is anything but certain. There's also a kind of ludicrous aspect to these prints--a nod to the "human comedy". Let's face it, they're kind of funny.

The edition size of each print will be limited to only 10, with a small number of Artist's and Printer's Proofs.

Tricky Times I
Etching, artist's proof
Image size approx. 12" x 14"
Email for purchase info

Tricky Times II
Etching, artist's proof
Image size approx. 14" x 12"
Email for purchase info

Land of Granite

2011-07-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

Land of Granite

Oil on board, 5.5" x 6"
SOLD

Well, that was a nice little vacation I took, wasn't it?

I spent a wonderful week at Goathead Press in Tieton, Washington, doing my first ever etchings (see my last post). It was a time for seeing old friends, making some new ones, and learning a thing or two. I'll post more on the experience soon.

Meanwhile, "back to the drawing board" at the home studio. Today I looked through some photos taken during a trip to Yosemite about a decade ago, and decided to try recapturing something of that memorable experience in paint.