Elizabeth and Jeff

Elizabeth and Jeff

18" x 24"

Oil on Wood Panel

Lori, who is in charge of my activities, decreed that I was to make another painting attempt with Elizabeth and Jeff.

This is also our favorite daughter-in-law.

We took some photographs while we were there this summer for reference. However I wanted a painting without the teeth showing

Well forget that, Elizabeth is always smiling, so anything else did not look correct

I took a lot of liberty with the clothes- making more of a Christmas holiday attire in this painting

Lori is happy so things are good

The blue is French Ultramarine

Mesas Autumn Sunset

Mesas

24" x 36"

Oil on wood Panel

I have not posted any paintings for a season. I have been too busy to want to take the time,

I like the cool sky and the foreground plants contrasted to the warm land

This is a larger oil painting

The southwest is an area with lovely landscapes and a timeless quality

It could probably use some more cool accents in the shadows, but they look pretty close to what I desired in the actual painting.

below another view with different camera settings - looks too washed out to me though

Spencer

Spencer

24" x 18"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Rebecca kindly shared several photographs for this painting.

I wanted an executive type look

Spencer is thoughtful and engaging. I tried to create a more reserved look while still being friendly and approachable

The scriptures were not in the original however they seem to fit Spencer very well

This is the same painting with indoor lighting, therefore it appears much warmer.

Outside the sky color and the camera pull the blue tones forward.

Young Woman

Young Woman

20" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

[click on the image to enlarge]

I'm so proud of this budding young woman

She has strong values and a living testimony.

Rebecca took a photograph and it lead me to create this reflection of her cheerful countenance and enthusiasm

She is inspiring

Bruges

Bruges

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Bruges in Belgium was one of our favorite cities.

It is an historical area while still having a wonderful, warm feeling about it. It was formerly a major port city although well inland. The controlled waterways typical of all the area allowed ocean shipping to reach them.

As in Amsterdam the people make extensive use of bicycles - and they firmly believe that the bicycle has the right-of-way rather than the pedestrian.

The whole area has wonderful clouds which are constantly on the move

The people like red roofs and build with stone

Grandmother from the Past

Grandmother as a Young Woman

16" x 20"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This lady fascinates me.

She is a maternal ancestor on Lori's side.

We know very little about her. She may have been partially or entirely native American.

This portrait is taken from the single photograph that is available. [and I have further altered that, however she is not around to object to my interpretation...]

Some painters will not do portraits if they cannot see the living, walking, and talking person and get a feel for their manner.

Some day I hope to meet her and be able to learn about her background and family

Her eyes suggest that she has many experiences to share

Watchtower

Watchtower

Zions National Park

24" x 36"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I found a reference photo that lead to this painting while doing some research about watchtowers.

I was drawn to the sunset contrasts and the more vivid saturated colors.

This painting is larger than most of my landscapes and it was enjoyable to work in the larger space

After several trials I was finally satisfied that the emphasis was were I wanted it to be

Watchtower at Sunset

Watchtower at Sunset

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I love painting scenes which involve snow.

However this painting came from thinking about the watchtowers of life. There are many and I am grateful for them.

The Savior, His restored Church, the temple, the scriptures and those called as watchmen.

Our precious children, Lori and good neighbors and friends

They are all nearby and we can chose to let them be an important part of our life with a lasting impact

So this is a very prominent watchtower near a modest family home. The setting is beautiful but also vulnerable

It seems an appropriate painting for Father's Day

The palette here is limited with an emphasis on warm and cool variations.

Michael

Michael

2016

24" x 18"

Oil on  hardwood Panel

Poor Michael suffered being the first person in my continuing attempts with oil portraits. He remained good natured about it and very kind.

I shot some more casual photographs of him recently and later realized that I had a couple that could be used to set up a portrait.

The background is greyed from light yellow into violet on the right side.

I tried to feature his long, rather elegant fingers without making them dominant

I also took the liberty of adding a more lively pocket handkerchief to his suit

The dark glasses seemed to work well

It's nice to be related to such a handsome guy.

The picture above was taken after I reworked the hands.

Savior and Friend

Savior and Friend

Oil on hardwood Panel

20" x 16"

Some paintings and the designs that inspired them are fairly straightforward.

However this painting started with a photograph taken by Katie. The photograph of Liam suggested reverence or inspiration.

I liked it a good deal and started thinking about other views that might be inspiring or reverent for Liam

That lead to this attempt to portray him meeting the Savior.

Serenity

Serenity

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

The Logan Temple has been an important, even hallowed, site in our lives. 

Mom and Dad were sealed there.

They have served for many years as temple workers and patrons

It was the first temple that I entered; it was where I did the first baptisms for the dead. Years later Lori and I with Dad officiating as the sealer, we were sealed there with our three girls [Jeff was born a few months later]

Next Tuesday will be the 25th anniversary of that sealing.

When one enters Cache Valley at night coming down Wellsville Canyon it is a very recognizable site across the valley.

I have designed this with the temple as being viewed from the east with those mountains in the background across the valley floor.

This is the first blue light/night painting that I have done - perhaps the last as it was very difficult to get even an approximate photograph.

Officer Powers

Officer Powers

24" x 18"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I finally took the opportunity to paint a portrait of my favorite CHP officer.

I wasn't very excited about doing the motorcycle but when I started working on it, there were interesting challenges and choices

The reference photos were taken in an urban setting but it was way to cluttered therefore to simplify the focus I eliminated much of that. It did however make the background confusing at times while working on it.

Lots of rolling hills in the Sonoma area

We love and appreciate this man

------

Below is another attempt which didn't work as well as I wanted. The motorcycle is not the same machine as the first one

This is the same size work, pictured on the California coast

Aspen

Aspen

12" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Growing up near Quaking Aspen in the mountain country, I have always loved them. They are a unique and interesting tree.

We now know that they are often inter-connected with large numbers of their neighboring trees in very old organisms.

In spring and summer the distinctive leaves are beautiful

In winter the contrasts between their structure, the bark and branching sites are also interesting

This painting is all about design

Lemons

Lemons

12" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

It's been a long break since I did a still life. I enjoy them but usually find another portrait or landscape that I would rather be working on

This painting was suggested by a GCA entry about light, molding and shadow.

Sometimes achieving the simplest effect can be the most difficult. The panel is flat and creating the illusion of three dimension objects in a believable fashion is the goal

As is usually the case no pure black was used

John Holbrook

John Holbrook

24" x 18"

Oil on hardwood Panel

[click on the image to enlarge]

I tried this subject twice previously before getting a pose through the under-painting stage that I thought worked well

For this portrait I wanted a more typical corporate boardroom approach [although it must be admitted that I'm not always a great fan of such a pose]

John has strong features and I felt it was coming together well

The limited palette and the warm/cool balance seemed to express my feeling.

I hope that you can feel the vision and the warmth of Johnny

I like the 'presence'

The ultraviolet blue to his right is a bit more subdued in the actual painting. It got an artificial boost out of the processing.

Sleeping Princess

Sleeping Princess

16" x 12"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This was just a delightful painting experience.

Of course I love the little one.

I was also drawn to the bedding and the opportunity to experiment with that in a small way

This could be titled "Sleeping Angel" however I realized that she is a princess and daughter of a Heavenly King while working on the painting.

The skin tones were soft and yummy

I hope that you can share the feeling

Center of the Village

Center of the Village

12" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I was attracted to the basic setting of the American church in a setting with darker hills behind it.

This lead to modifying the design to get the emphasis that I wanted.

This could be New England or a small town in Utah, such as Wallsburg or Midway.

I find myself drawn to this painting - it speaks to me or moves me about what I value.

This is perhaps the last snow scene for  a time as I have other projects underway. 

Peaceful Home Valley

Peaceful Home Valley

12" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Another painting with a New England setting.

A peaceful design suggesting a more tranquil time.

A worshipful relationship with our Heavenly Father is essential to such peace.

Breakfast with Morgan

Sharing Breakfast

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I've enjoyed working on portraits during the last year.

This painting allowed me to create a small group scene in a very everyday situation.

Two small children being fed or encouraged to eat breakfast.

I was especially pleased with the little girl's pajamas and all the clothes were interesting. 

And I'm loving working with hair

Still I have a good deal to learn about painting portraits but I'm enjoying the experiences

Cornish Hills

Cornish Hills

[after Metcalf]

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Willard Metcalf painted this more than a century ago. It is one of my favorite landscape paintings.

In an effort to understand it's structure and unity, I decided to try to paint it myself. However Metcalf painted his nearly square and I'm not a great fan of square landscape, so I modified the design into a rectangle.

I wish I had the original to compare the surface control and brushwork.

It was a great exercise for me, as I discovered things about it in trying to create it that were not obvious to me just by studying it. Lots of great stuff involved in his creation of this masterpiece.

A photograph of Metcalf's original painting is below. And, sad to admit, better than mine

Vermont January

Vermont January

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This was a great painting to work on. I loved it, and I was sad when I considered it complete and therefore  it was time to sign and leave it.

Although complete is a relative term, I did make some minor touchups after taking this photograph.

It has lots of little things that are painterly.

And it has unity, partially reached by hiding some red in the dark accents in the woods.

The buildings are warm and for contrast [and unity] the shadows are a cooler value.

This painting and the Winter Woods painting are the same size. However this one seems larger. Winter Woods is closed in with no real sky visible. While this Vermont scene is an open vista with distant woods and clear sky

A few of you may recognize this as based on Jenne Farm.

This has been so pleasurable that I may do a couple more

Winter Woods

Winter Woods

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Snow is one of my favorite subjects to paint. 

Since I'm warm in my heated California studio, I can afford to indulge myself in doing winter painting

Stapleton Kearns does a highly regarding snow camp each year, and while I would love to paint with him offering instruction, the idea of being outside working at an easel for eight hours or more is challenging

I like the unity in this painting. It's something that I have been trying to improve

Trees, like the dominant one on the left, is also something enjoyable

The painting has a bit of mystery, just a hint that by keeping on the left side of the stream, one might be able to circle back behind the small rise

Rebecca and Spencer

Rebecca and Spencer

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

[click on the image to enlarge]

This is the second portrait of the Brocks.

The palette is different which gives it a different feeling. This is much cooler than the first one.

I like the hair effects and highlights.

A most handsome couple

If you are wondering why you don't remember seeing that dress, etc. They are altered from the original for unity.

Summer

Summer

24" x 18"

Oil on Panel

Some children have loads of enthusiasm and joy. They can find interesting and creative things to imagine and enjoy with very little structure.

This little one is full of great stuff.

She is fun to watch and listen to.

This is a small moment of summer play.