Private Ranch Commission

I recently finished a commissioned painting of a private ranch here in Montana and I thought some of you may be interested in reading about my process for putting a painting like this together. I was first approached by the ranch owner earlier this spring. He was looking to have a painting done that would capture the beauty of the area surrounding his family's ranch (they have owned the property for several generations) and preserve it, as the surrounding area is quickly being developed.

I met with the ranch owner for the first time back in May to discuss his ideas and to get a tour of the property. Once we decided on a general idea for the painting, I visited the ranch several times over the next month or two. I took a lot of reference photos under different lighting conditions and also did a couple of plein air paintings to capture the true color and value relationships that the camera would miss. Here's one of the 8X10 studies that I did previous to starting the final painting.

Once I had enough reference material for the painting, I presented the property owner with a couple of different ideas that I felt would capture his vision for the painting and would also make for a strong composition. When someone hires me for a commission I appreciate their trust in me as an artist to come up with a good painting, but I also like to work closely with them to make sure the painting fulfills their needs and wants. Ultimately, we came up with a plan and here's the finished 20X30 inch painting......

Painting on Location

In addition to working on paintings in my studio, I've also been spending a lot of time painting on location this summer. Painting "en plein air" is a great way to learn more about nature. When painting outdoors, you must paint quickly to capture the scene before the light changes. This forces the artist to focus on the major relationships in the painting and the overall feeling of the scene. There's not really much time to paint the details so the result is usually a fresh and loose interpretation - much different than the typical studio painting. I've come to really enjoy painting this way and I feel it has started to positively influence my studio work as well.

Here are a few paintings I've done recently - they are all 8X10, oil on canvas panel. These are available for sale for under $100 framed - just contact me if you would like a price for a particular painting.

Teton Valley Morning

Gallatin Cottonwood
























Yellowstone River



















The Crazy Mountains

Yellowstone bison reference trip

I spent all day Sunday in Yellowstone Park taking reference photos for paintings. I typically try to avoid the park in the summer because of the crowds, but this time of year is a great time to gather bison reference material. Each August, the bison gather in large numbers to mate (commonly referred to as the rut). As with most large mammals, the rut can be an intense time with the males battling over the right to the females. Things can get pretty exciting but it’s also a great time to observe how the bulls and the cows interact with each other when separated from the rest of the herd. I spent most of the day in Hayden Valley, where viewing and photographing bison is usually pretty easy because they congregate close to the road, and then I spent the evening in Lamar Valley.

I also had a chance to take a break from the wildlife and do a small plein air painting of the Yellowstone River. Painting on location is always challenging, yet rewarding. I’ll post an image of the finished painting once I’ve had a chance to photograph it. All in all, it was a great day in the park and I’m looking forward to my upcoming trips to Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks in the next couple of months. Here are some examples of the photos I took…..stayed tuned for some new bison paintings in the near future.

Show Schedule

I'm participating in a couple new art shows around the country this year so I thought I would post my upcoming show schedule:

2009 Paint the Parks Top100 and Mini Top50 Competition
08/1/09 to 09/15/09 - Kolb Studio, Grand Canyon, AZ
10/1/09 to 12/1/09 - Jefferson Nat. Exp. Memorial, St. Louis, MO
01/15/10 to 3/1/10 - South Florida State Fair, West Palm Beach , FL
03/15/10 to 05/1/10 - Indiana Dunes National Park, Hammond, IN

Bosque Art Classic
09/12/09 to 09/27/09 - Bosque Conservatory, Clifton, TX

Heart of the West Invitational Art Show & Sale
10/17/09 - Lander Art Center, Lander, WY

If you're going to be in the area of any of these shows, please stop in and see my work.

"Bridger Canyon" - a new Bridger Mountain landscape painting

Here's a new landscape piece I just finished titled "Bridger Canyon". The painting is 12X24 and the scene is from Bridger Canyon in early summer. For those who don't know, the Bridger Mountains are near Bozeman, Montana. I paint them often, since they're just outside my backdoor, and they never seem to get old. This is the first painting I've done of the East side of the range; the peaks you see are Mount Baldy, Bridger Peak, and Saddle Peak. The Bridger Bowl ski resort is located just to the right of where the painting ends. I really enjoyed working with the bright "spring" greens in this piece.

Saturday's Plein Air Painting

I had a chance to get out painting for a few hours yesterday. It was sunny and warm while I was searching for a painting location but as soon as I set up my easel the clouds rolled in and the temps dropped into the low 40's. It was still pretty nice painting conditions as there was no wind to speak of, but the cooler temps definitely made the oil paint tougher to work with. The overcast light wasn't ideal but I found a nice view with a lot of variety and color. Though there is still some snow on the ground in the valley things are beginning to green up nicely. I really enjoy painting the spring greens and other common color variations at this time of year. Overall, it was a successful outing - I'm starting to feel more comfortable painting on location and hopefully the quality of these small pieces will improve over the next few months. I'm definitely noticing changes in how I approach things when painting in the studio as well - fun stuff!

Gateway View - 8X10

plein air painting today

Thought I'd share a quick plein air painting I did today. This is a view of the Bridger Mountains (Sacajawea and Hardscrabble Peaks) from about 2 blocks from my house. At first glance, it may look like a fall painting due to the colors of the trees. The trees are globe willows (I believe) and they turn bright orange in early spring when they are just starting to get their leaves.

Today reminded me why I love Montana. I rode my bike over to a vacant field just down the road from my house and found this view. While I was painting, I saw pheasants, ducks, geese. sandhill cranes, and numerous other birds and wildlife. I felt like I was painting in the wild but was only a two minute bike ride from home. Though I was only out for about an hour and a half, this painting was both rejuvenating and inspiring.