Another river painting (or two)

This is just a little study I did in preparation for a bigger version of it. It is only 6x8 but it really helped me figure out what needed to be important for the 16x20 version (which sold this month. Yaaay!!) I find that doing a smaller one first helps me with composition, drawing, color and anything else I need to work out. The second time through I gave the river more of a curve and emphasized the fall colors. I may have already posted it here, but here it is again. Although the second one is probably the better of the two, I prefer the looseness and spontenatity of the first one.

Some come easily, and others not so much!

"Overlook" 16x20 cradleboard. I actually haven't painted the edges yet, but I had thought I would go ahead and post it. This took me just a couple of days of 2-3 hour sessions each. I have been looking at this reference photo for some time, wondering if I should dare attempt it. It is a more complicated scene than I normally do, but it just seemed to flow off the brush. Others are a struggle, and I don't really know what the difference is. I have spent less time than this than I do sometimes on a 9x12!

I took this photo on an August hike a year or two ago. The Chamisa was in full bloom and the clouds were threatening looking, but it never did rain. The aspen hadn't started turning yet but there was plenty of color in the Chamisa. The lake is Lake Dillon and the mountain in the distance is Peak One. The town of Frisco, where I spend a good bit of time, sits at the foot of the mountain, at the edge of the lake. A nice place to live!

More autumn scenery coming up with a new show

Jenn Cram, an excellent clay artist, and I have a show opening this weekend at the Breckenridge Theater Gallery. Titled "Transitions", the show will hang for a month or so. The show title works well with my pieces as so many of them are obviously in different seasons. I have a lot of landscapes with wildflowers in summer, snow in winter, melting snow in spring, and of course, my favorite season to paint with lots of color, autumn.

This scene is a beaver pond that I saw as I was driving home one day at the peak time for fall color. I called it "Reflecting". One day I will figure out a way to think of interesting titles! My nephew, Shane Rebenscheid, calls his paintings names like "The day that Sam lost his watch" and "Covert Diplomacy". Once you see the painting, it makes sense, (mostly) but how he comes up with the titles, I will never know!

The link above takes you to his blog. Shane is a commercial illustrator, doing book covers for the most part, and now he has taken up "fine art" and is doing well. He has a great art education and it is good to see him using all of it! If you want to see his illustration work, go to blot.com (another great title!)