Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge

This little plein air painting is of a small waterfall in the gardens of The Villa at Bridal Veil Falls in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge. 5 x 5 inches, Golden Open Acrylic on Claybord.

Oregon Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest 2nd Place

Deja vu all over again (one of my favorite Yogi Berra-isms) seems to be a theme with this contest for me! I sure do hope to win someday! These are sharp-tailed grouse, which gather before dawn in flocks where the males perform fabulously ridiculous and sometimes rather violent dances to attract the attention of the females, which appear to be half ignoring them!

13 x 18 inches, Golden Open Acrylic on Claybord

2011 California Duck Stamp Press Release

Here is the press release for the 2011 California Duck Stamp Contest. There are photos of the finalist's art as well.

http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/oregon-wildlife-artist-wins-2011-california-duck-stamp-contest/

2011 California Duck Stamp Winner!

This painting will be the next California Duck Stamp! It is a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye ducks, 13 x 18 inches, in Acrylic. There will be a press release soon and I'll post a link to it. I am going to have a really good weekend I think!

2nd Place Oregon Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest!

This painting of Franklin's Spruce Grouse was awarded second place today in Oregon's Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest. It is 13 x 18 inches in acrylic and took me a very long time to complete. There was much study involved to become familiar with this sub-spieces and the patterns of the feathers. Oh so close!!!

American Wigeon

This painting was an entry for the Delaware Duck Stamp Contest. It was a semi-finalist. It is Acrylic on Claybord, a drake American Wigeon. The water was a challenge to paint!

Federal Duck Stamp Entry

This painting was one of 34 out of 236 to be in the semi-final round of judging. It ended up tied for 9th place. Canadian geese in acrylic on Claybord.

Michigan Duck Stamp Entry

It didn't place in the top three but I am quite happy with how it turned out. This is a Lesser Scaup drake in acrylic on Claybord.

Painting Demonstration

I will be at Howden Art & Framing next Sunday, September 19th, from 1pm to 4pm working on a miniature still life of some grapes to celebrate Howden Gallery's current show theme " Wines and Vines". Stop by and visit at 1512 Washington Street in Oregon City.

Pear Pair For My Mother

It's a strange and wonderous thing, how artists through the ages have chosen pears as subject. There are countless paintings featuring just a pear or two. Do a Google image search and be amazed! My mother has always been attracted to such paintings, especially those in the trompe l'oeil tradition. She has wanted me to give one a try for years. I finally got around to it in time for Mother's Day and am pleased with how much she likes it. What an interesting project it was! I am a bit amazed with how much I actually enjoyed painting such a simple subject. The reflection of the sky on the left pear and the reflected light from the left pear onto the right pear captivated me. 4 x 4 inches in Golden Open Acrylic.

New Show at Howden Art & Framing

These paintings are part of a new show opening today called "Celebration of Honor" at Howden Art & Framing in Oregon City. All are beautifully framed. The top four are 2.5 x 3.5 inches, $125 framed. The Arabian horse is 4.25 x 4.25 inches, $175 framed. All are acrylic.

Delaware Trout Stamp Contest Finalist

This painting of a Brown Trout was awarded an Honorable Mention in the recent Delaware Trout Stamp Contest. It is about 9 x 12 inches in Acrylic. I also entered the Delaware Duck Stamp Contest, making it into the second round of judging. I will post a picture of that entry when I receive it back from the competition. I neglected to scan it before mailing it off!

National Wildlife Federation Stamp Art

Buffleheads

Borax Lake Chub

Coyote

I received an e-mail out of the blue from the National Wildlife Federation about some art I did in the late 1980's for their stamps. They graciously sent me files of my art. It is so fun to see the art again. They aren't very big, about 5 x 7 inches as I recall. These were used for various applications - stamps of course, dishes and a calender and some other gift items. Maybe someday the Federation will produce stamps again. I sure hope so! Visit http://www.nwf.org

Huge Mural Unveiled at Olympics

Here it is at last! The Mural Mosaic "Kunamokst". It's 21 feet long and 11 feet high! 180 artists were involved in it's creation, all from the West Coast. It is on display in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, through the Olympic Games. Go to http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html to see an image of the mural with each painting being clickable to it's own window, enlarged with info. My panel is #147. Scroll down my blog to see and read about this panel as it developed.

Silver Sea Mini Painting

This is a stormy sunset on the Oregon Coast. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized and is in Golden Open Acrylics.

Sage Grouse in Snow

This painting was top five in the Oregon Upland Game Bird Stamp Contest. Sage Grouse live in the arid regions of the west and are dependent on Sage for their food and shelter. The males have a very interesting and distinctive mating dance they do to attract females. This painting is 13 x 18 inches in Acrylic.

My art is in a Gallery!

My artwork is now being shown at Howden Art & Framing in Oregon City. This is a very nice, bright and airy gallery full of wonderful stuff! The framing service is top notch with lots of frames to chose from, and the prices are reasonable. I am very excited to see what the future holds as my relationship with this gallery develops. The current show "Give me Shelter", runs through April. I have two paintings in the show, including the one above.

Twenty-five Years Ago....

This 12 x 24 inch acrylic painting of a killdeer goes back to 1985, the year I graduated from college. I had just earned a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Intstitute and was just starting out as a professional wildlife artist. I remember this painting taking me forever to finish with all the vegetation. It wouldn't take me nearly as long to paint something similar now. I guess that means I've learned a bit about painting through the years! It belongs to a nice lady who, last I heard, lives in California somewhere. This image was scanned from an old slide.

My Federal Duck Stamp Entry

This is the painting I entered in the duck stamp contest. Although I didn't win, it feels good to have been a part of such a competition. I hope to enter again next year. This painting is in acrylic, 7 x 10 inches, a drake wood duck.

Mural Mosaic Progress Post #8 Finished!

It's finished and on it's way to Alberta, Canada! Be sure to check out the mural at http://www.muralmosaic.com/kunamokst.html My panel is #147.

This was a challenging project and lots of fun. I learned quite a bit about my working methods that I wasn't conscious of, by having to paint on top of an abstract design. The detail is about actual size. The panel is 12x12 inches, acrylic on hardboard. I've titled it "Surf's Up!"