Puerta la Paz

I spent one winter month in Lima, Péru, the home of my wife’s family, and came equipped to paint. What I did not know was that Lima is cloudy and damp all winter and the light is flat and lifeless. Everything appears limp and grey without sunlight to embolden the colors and call out the

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An Exultation of Poppies

The rolling hills of southern California explode in a firestorm of orange and marigold when the poppies are in flower. Stretching for miles and miles in persimmon splendor, they are unmatched in their sheer natural exuberance. I saw these while visiting a friend in Laguna Beach, one of the beautiful towns lazing along the California Coast.

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Under Grey Skies, the Stream Meanders

Usually, grey skies equal lifeless paintings. WIthout the directional light from the sun, there are no strong shadows, little definition and little depth. This afternoon, however, I loved discovering all of the gentle nuances carried in the layers of greens. from the edge of the stream to the forested mountains beyond. This time, the lack

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Au-dessu de Valence, au Soleil

Oil on linen panel     9″ x 12″

Golden Chimesa

Across the plains and slopes of the Wyoming foothills splash thousands of acres of golden chimesa, a hardy plant that sips water and clings to the sun-burnt soil. Its flowers range from bleached buttercup yellow to golden marigold and its branches are a dusty olive with a gentle lavender cast. It’s not very tall, it’s not

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Dusty Elkhorn, for Rothko

One of my dearest friends likes the art of Mark Rothko above all others. The longer we have been friends, the more time we have spent together examining and experiencing Rothko’s work. I have come to appreciate and enjoy the subtle tone poems that I find his contemplative horizontal bands of color to be. Standing in

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Winter’s Haze, for Rothko

One of my dearest friends likes the art of Mark Rothko above all others. The longer we have been friends, the more time we have spent together examining and experiencing Rothko’s work. I have come to appreciate and enjoy the subtle tone poems that I find his contemplative horizontal bands of color to be. Standing in

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From the Thicket, Skyward

Another painting done in a favorite stand of aspens outside of Cody, Wyoming. This sunny autumn afternoon, the sky was pale blue, shepherding sleepy puffs of cumulus clouds, fighting for my attention even as I tried to focus on the trunks of the trees. So a study in tree geometry opened up to become graced with

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Autumn Breaks

Quiet woodland moments, sheltered from an occasional drizzle by the canopy above. Sunlight dancing in and out as the clouds momentarily part, bringing the pallete to life. Surrounded by towering pines and firs, pillars of evergreen no matter the weather, no matter the season.  A few trees in leaf, none so tall as their always-green neighbors.

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Through the Woods and Shadows

I have painted in this spot twice and each day was markedly different than the other. This afternoon was hot and the light, fairly flat; the mountain slope beyond has almost no shape. Even the values of the trees at center are not too dissimilar. What stopped me this day was the strength and pride

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