Airstream Dreams -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Immediately after tax season I loaded my CPA into our little motorhome and took him far from his office to Zion National Park. In the campground I met Bob who owned this beautiful '77 Airstream. For the last few years I've been on the lookout for one to paint each time we camped. I took tons of pictures with Bob's permission. When the guy in the next campsite took out his banjo, well how could I not paint it right then? So there I was, painting, surrounded by Utah mountains, the rushing Virgin River behind me, and the banjo guy playing old hymns. Almost Heaven. I'm sorry I didn't get a pic of the banjo guy! That would make a nice painting too.

Weeping Rock View -a plein air painting from Zion National Park

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info On the second and last afternoon in Zion National Park I hiked the short distance up to Weeping Rock. My feeble attempt to describe it is this: At Weeping Rock you are on a ledge on the side of a mountain. The ledge is maybe 50ft long and 10 feet wide. The wall curves up and over your head with a curtain of water dripping off. The photo and my painting both show the view from the ledge. (If you enlarge the photo below, you can see the water droplets falling.) Spectacular atmosphere changing every ten minutes or so. Very challenging, but what a very special place to experience with my brushes in hand. For the painting, I was interested especially in the sweet spot where the mountains rise out of the valley floor so near each other. Also pictured are my four paintings for the trip laid out on my campsite table. The color represented is very accurate. It was a great trip.

Formations -a plein air painting from Zion National Park

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase info I painted this the first afternoon directly from my campsite. Those rock formations are an art in themselves! The pattern of structures was a bit daunting, but I'm happy with the result. Like usual, the color is better in person. I've been doing some framing today in preparation for the Balboa Island Art Walk this coming Sunday. If you're in Southern California, I hope you'll come! One hundred artists along the sea wall. You can find me at Pearl, a left turn when stepping off the ferry onto the island.

Can't Miss Mollie's -sold

oil 12x9 inches
click here for purchase information and magnifier

Driving through Utah a couple of summers ago on our way to Idaho we ate at this classic diner. It was the real deal and the food was good. Do you think they have enough signage? This painting is available at Vander Molen Fine Art, Arcadia, CA

Megan's View

My daughter's friend, Megan and her family overlook this beautiful valley outside Salt Lake City. It was just before sunset, and the light was perfect for a painting. I knew that by the time I set up my paints it would be too late, so I snapped some photos instead.


Here is the result painted from my laptop a few days later while in Idaho. There are some aspects of the painting I like, but I didn't capture the afternoon light the way I would have liked. Maybe I'll paint it again sometime from a photo. Sure wish I had had a few hours on site with my oils! Tomorrow morning we leave for the drive home.