Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Quince Essential exhibit extended thru the end of the year




By popular demand, my co-exhibit of paintings and prints, (along with paintings by Sarah Margaret Wade), has been extended thru the end of 2018 at Quince Essential Coffee House. Swing by, have a cup and enjoy some art...

Quince Essential Coffee House
1447 Quince Street, Denver, CO 80220 (1 block east of Quebec)
303.955.2479   quinceessentialcoffee.com
Hours: M-F 6:30am-6pm, Sat & Sun 8am-6pm, First Saturdays 8am-9pm 

Monday, November 26, 2018

Leaf Halo



(12x8 – Acrylic on Arches paper – CLICK HERE TO BID – Starting at $150)

I've seen this several times. Coming up the walk to my place this time of year I'm always looking down to see what little gems of nature's debris the trees have left me. On these occasions I was greeted with a moist halo surrounding the negative space where leaves once were.  I'm sure there is a term for this phenomenon, but as best I can figure, the dew runs off the leaf creating the 1/4" or so halo and the wind blows the now lighter leaf away before the halo evaporates. In arid Colorado this is not a usual sight. Nature never ceases to amaze!

This acrylic work was created on Arches Huile (oil) paper, a 140lb (300gsm) cold pressed stock that is 100% cotton and acid free, and is suitable for oil based mediums, and acrylics, without priming. The image size of this piece is 12 x 8 inches, with the paper size roughly 13.5 x 11.5 inches

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                     -- A. A. Milne

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Pinkie & Blue Boy  (Donated)



 7x5 –  Acrylic on Canvas board

Pinkie & Blue Boy is a painting I did for, and donated to, a service group in Chama, New Mexico who are raising money to buy new winter coats for under privileged kids in their area. They are selling holiday cards with this image: 10 for $15. The original painting as well as giclee prints are available for sale. The group is also taking financial donations. 

To purchase or donate, please contact Smokey at 303-520-4561 or email cuevadeluz2@gmail.com. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

The title of the painting was borrowed from Thomas Gainsborough's famous portraits...

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Goldsmith Gulch  (Plein air, finished in the studio)



8x10  –  Acrylic on canvas board  –  Click here to Bid  –  Starting at $200

I started this plein air painting later in the afternoon to catch the light raking across the tops of the bushes. I set up next to a little waterfall which serenaded me the whole time. The colors got more intense as the sun sank lower in the sky and everything began to glow! But as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon it started getting cold and breezy, so I packed up and finished the painting in the studio the next day. According to Golden Artists Colors, 50 degrees is the low end temperature for optimal adhesion for acrylic paints. And you certainly don't want them to freeze! So as we move closer to winter, my window for working outdoors is waning. Which means I may have to start working in oils, which are not as temperature sensitive, or take it inside and work on some bigger pieces. Stay tuned...

Friday, November 16, 2018

Eddie the Yeti


Click here to Bid   (9x12 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)

Is Bigfoot just a shy Plein Air painter?

Friday, November 9, 2018

Bridge @ Expo Park  (Plein Air)


Click here to Bid  (8x10 Acrylic on Canvasboard - Starts at $200)


Here's another Plein Air piece done in Expo Park just a ways east of my place. It is accessible to me from the Highline Canal trail which wends it way for 66 miles thru the Denver area. It was built after the 1859 gold rush. Still plenty of gold in this scene! Expo Park has a rec center, but the large green space is used mostly as a frisbee golf course! There is a small tributary that widens into some small ponds and is spanned by a pedestrian bridge. That's were I set up, in the wild spaces where the sky and water meet.

To learn more about the Highline Canal:  https://www.denverwater.org/sites/default/files/LargeMapFINAL.pdf

Friday, November 2, 2018

Celebrate Denver Arts Week!


Visit more than 300 arts events at more than 100 museums, galleries, arts districts and venues all over The Mile High City! For more info click:  Denver Arts Week

Long's Pine Sunset (Plein Air)


(Click to Bid  –  10x14  Acrylic on board)

This plein air scene I did in the same location as Breath of Gold, only this is the view to the north. What a different 90 degrees makes! The sun was setting and the colors and shadows became more intense. Time to have some fun and break out the the purer shades of Phthalo Blue, Dioxazine Purple, Cad Yellow Dark and Cad Red Light! 

The space is an undeveloped 3-acre site right now, which will soon become Long's Pine Grove Park. According to the Arapahoe County website, the area was "purchased with Arapahoe County Open Space Funds, which require that the park development be focused on passive, open space related experiences." There is also the opportunity to connect the park to the Highline Canal Trail via a pedestrian bridge. Let's hope they keep the space 'wild' rather than sodded over and manicured. In my opinion we need more natural, water-wise open space in Denver and Colorado. 

Thursday, November 1, 2018

"Let the beauty you love be what you do."
                                                                                                                                     -- Rumi